By Nathan Kanter

AAA Stars fall twice to Gens, officially can’t make playoffs

Feb 12, 2017 | 6:10 PM

The AAA Stars will not qualify for the playoffs this season, after this weekend’s action in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League saw the eighth place Saskatoon Blazers win and the AAA Stars lose twice.

This is the first time they have missed the playoffs since the 2011-12 season, when they finished last with a 7-35-2 record.

Heading into the weekend, the Stars had 30 points, which was five points back of the eighth place Sakatoon Blazers.

But Saskatoon beat the first-place Regina Pat Canadians to improve to 37 points, while the Stars fell 5-4 and 4-1 to Moose Jaw on the road, meaning they now cannot mathematically make the playoffs with only two games left.

Battlefords’ special teams were clicking on Saturday, as the power play converted once and the penalty kill went 4-for-4, but Moose Jaw’s two late third period goals from Dylan Jones were enough to pull away.

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The game was 3-3 entering the third before Jones scored twice, first with 5:28 left, and then with just 1:45 remaining. Stars forward Dayton Buchanan would get the visitors to within one with 45 seconds left, but that was as close as they would come.

The shots on Saturday favoured the Generals by one, 32-31.

On Sunday, the shots and the score were not as close.

Moose Jaw fired 41 shots on backup goalie Joseph Young, who made 37 saves, and Battlefords only managed 23 shots on Hunter Arps.

Adam Beckman’s second period shorthanded tally was the lone puck to beat Arps on the afternoon. It was the Saskatoon native’s second shorthanded goal of the year.

The Stars power play notably went 0-for-10 on Sunday, while the Generals went 2-for-10 in the penalty filled game.

Battlefords closes out their season with two home games this week, first against the Blazers on Tuesday and then against the Beardy’s Blackhawks on Thursday.