The 2023 calendar year saw almost countless milestones for the Battlefords North Stars. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Year for the ages

North Stars’ top moments from 2023: Part 1

Dec 28, 2023 | 5:00 AM

As 2023 nears its end, battlefordsNOW is reflecting on what was a year for the ages for the Battlefords North Stars, featuring a plethora of team and individual accomplishments to add to the franchise record books.

North Stars win 2023 SJHL Championship

Undoubtedly, the top story for the North Stars in 2023 was the club winning its third championship in the last seven years.

Following a five-game series win over the Weyburn Red Wings in the quarterfinals, the Stars then went on to post back-to-back four-game sweeps of the Melfort Mustangs in the semis, and Flin Flon Bombers in the finals, to clinch the league title… Read more here.

Silver-medal run to Centennial Cup final

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Following their championship win, the North Stars then set out to Portage, MB to embark on another epic run, this time to the national championship game at the Centennial Cup. Winning four of their six games on their way to the national silver medal, the team’s full Centennial Cup recap can be found here.

In addition to the team hardware, North Stars’ goaltender, Josh Kotai was also named the tournament’s Top Goaltender.

Milestone night leads Stars to new franchise points record

It was a milestone night of epic proportions in the North Stars’ 8-0 win over Kindersley Mar. 11 at the ACC, as the Stars continued to reach new heights in their season for the ages.

Topping Kindersley 8-0 for their 48^th win of the season, with the victory the Stars set a new franchise record for points in a season with 99, with a 48-5-2-1 record overall, to end the regular season… Read more here.

The North Stars’ final game of the 2022-23 regular season saw Kian Bell and Holden Doell hit the 100-point plateau and Steven Kesslering notch his 40th goal of the season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The North Stars also set a franchise record for consecutive wins in a season in 2022-23, with 16 straight from Nov. 12 to Jan. 14.

Stars’ Fab Four make history atop league-scoring leaders

The North Stars officially became the first team in SJHL history to feature each of the top four point scorers at the season’s end, when the 2022-23 season drew to a close in mid-March.

Kian Bell finished the season with a league-best 102 points (54 goals, 48 assists), followed closely by Holden Doell’s 100 (33 goals, 67 assists), then Jake Southgate’s 82 (25 goals, 57 assists), and Steven Kesslering’s 69 (40 goals, 29 assists)… Read more here.

North Stars take centre stage with year-end awards

A quartet of Battlefords North Stars stole the show when the SJHL announced its year-end awards in early March, as forward Kian Bell was named SJHL MVP and Most Outstanding Player; Tynan Ewart took home Defenceman of the Year; Josh Kotai was named Goaltender of the Year; and head coach Brayden Klimosko, Coach of the Year… Read more here.

In addition to the SJHL Award for his work behind the bench, Klimosko also received CJHL Coach of the Year honours, finishing top of the ballot at the Junior A level across Canada.

This concludes Part 1/2 of battlefordsNOW’s look back at the North Stars’ 2023 calendar year. Part 2 will be posted on Dec. 29th at 5 a.m.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1