Stars forward, Jake Southgate scored his team leading 11th of the year in overtime, to deliver his team a 4-3 win on home ice. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)
Saturday night thriller

Southgate’s heroics lead way as Stars top Hounds in OT

Nov 6, 2021 | 11:54 PM

Bursting in alone on a breakaway in sudden-death OT, Jake Southgate brought the fans to their feet Saturday, delivering the North Stars a 4-3 victory in North Battleford, over their division rivals from Notre Dame.

Southgate’s team-leading 11th of the season ended the night’s contest, after captain Ryland McNinch opened the scoring back in the first period, and Dace Prymak and Zane Florence also scored for the team.

In goal Michael Harroch was crucial in the victory as well, stopping 46 of 49 Hounds’ shots on the night to secure the two points for his team, and improve his record to 3-1-1 on the year, with a shimmering 2.64 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.

A shooting gallery at both ends, Yorkton’s Ryley Osland stoped 49 of 53 Stars’ shots in his own right in the loss, while the Hounds got three power play goals on the night – including two from Elliot Dutil, and another from captain Kevin Anderson – to send the game to extra time.

McNinch and Prymak’s goals came about nine minutes apart in the first period, to put the Battlefords ahead 2-0 at the first intermission.

In the second, Dutil’s first of the game and team-leading 13th of the year came on the power play, to cut the Hounds’ deficit in half at 2-1 through 40 minutes of play.

After Florence’s third of the season made it 3-1 Stars just 3:12 into the third, it would have been easy to think the Battleford might be pulling away. However, that could not be further from the truth to what would happen next.

Anderson’s fourth of the year and second in his last two games (both against the Stars) made it a one-goal game again, at 3-2 Battlefords, on a power play goal with a delayed penalty call in progress.

As a result, the Hounds then stayed on the man-advantage, only to net their third power play maker on Dutil’s second of the night, to tie things up, 3-3 just 20 seconds later.

Despite a number of shots each way, the scored remained deadlocked to the final horn of regulation.

Southgate’s overtime winner came just 54 seconds into the sudden death three-on-three frame – when after making the play defensively, the 19-year-old blazed down the ice on a breakaway chance he then put top shelf to win the game, 4-3 North Stars.

With the victory, the Stars return to the win column and improve to 11-6-2 on the year through their opening 19 games. With 24 points, the Stars leapfrog Melfort for fourth overall in the league standings, though the Mustangs still hold a game in-hand while sitting just a point back (23 points).

With the overtime loss, the Hounds still secure a single point in the standings and are now 8-5-2 on the season and 3-0-2 over their last five games, with their only two extra-time losses coming to the Stars.

The North Stars will return to action Tuesday night at home against another divisional foe, in the Kindersley Klippers. The NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Radio Broadcast will be available on 1050 CJNB. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m., with puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

7:59 BAT Ryland McNinch (8) ASST: Keiton Klein (3), Ethan Scriven (7)

17:05 BAT Dace Prymak (7) ASST: Jake Southgate (11), Jordan Grill (6)

Second period:

7:54 ND Elliot Dutil (13) ASST: Kevin Anderson (18), Connor Nolan (12) (PP)

Third period:

3:12 BAT Zane Florence (3) ASST: Colby Bear (1), Bradley Blake (5)

4:38 ND Kevin Anderson (4) ASST: Sam Kroon (8) (PP)

4:54 54 ND Elliot Dutil (14) ASST: Sam Kroon (9) (PP)

Overtime:

0:54 BAT Jake Southgate (11) ASST: None

4-3 North Stars, the final.

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