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North Stars clinch league pennant with win over Humboldt

Mar 2, 2016 | 6:25 AM

The Battlefords North Stars just needed to win one of their remaining three games, or have Melfort lose one of their last two games, to clinch the league pennant. They wasted no time in doing so, beating the Humboldt Broncos 5-2 at home Tuesday night.

The North Stars were also looking to complete the season series sweep against their division rivals as they were 6-0 against Humboldt heading into Tuesday’s game.

The home team started off on the right foot as Igor Leonenko opened the scoring. Fresh off being named as a league MVP candidate, Leonenko powered down the right wing with the puck on his backhand before sneaking a shot under the glove of Carter Seminuk for his 44th of the year.

The North Stars would add another before the period ended as Jake McMillen slightly deflected a shot from Jordan Townsend in the slot for his 32nd of the year to give his team a 2-0 lead heading into the second period.

The Broncos, who were on a 24-game road losing streak heading into Tuesday’s game, came out with a much better effort in the second. They hemmed the North Stars in their own zone for extended periods of time throughout the first 15 minutes of the period, and equaled the score.

First it was Trevor Posch who ripped a perfectly placed wrist shot over the blocker of Taryn Kotchorek, to cut the lead to 2-1 just over six minutes into the period.

The Broncos continued the pressure, and after Kendall Fransoo knocked a dump in attempt by the Broncos at his own blue line, Chris Van Os-Shaw swooped in, gathered the puck and cut to the slot before firing a drag shot past the glove of Kotchorek to tie the game.

All the North Stars needed was a momentum changer, and that’s what they got. Kotchorek came out of his net to fire the puck up ice to catch the Broncos on a change and it send Rory Davidson in on a breakaway shorthanded.

Davidson got a hefty slash on his breakaway and the official awarded him a penalty shot. Davidson tried to go from his backhand to his forehand, but he mishandled the puck and it rolled through the crease as the game stayed tied.

Still on the same penalty kill, the North Stars would restore their lead. Much like Posch’s goal, McMillen carried the puck over the Humboldt blue line before rifling a shot over the glove of Seminuk to give his team the lead again.

Shortly after the goal, the Broncos found themselves down a man and Layne Young made them pay when he scored on the power play to make it 4-2 at the end of the second.

Neither team could find the back of the net in the third, until McMillen hit the empty net to secure the win with his third hat trick of the season, and second in the last three games.

With the win, the North Stars clinched their first league pennant since the 2005-06 season. That season the North Stars made it to the league finals before bowing out to the Yorkton Terriers in five games.

The North Stars are back in action Friday March 4, when they play their final home game of the regular season to kick off a home-and-home series with their biggest rivals, the Kindersley Klippers.

 

 

cjnbsports@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @craig_beauch