By Nathan Kanter

AAA Stars can’t solve Blackhawks in regular season finale

Feb 16, 2017 | 9:14 PM

The AAA Stars dropped their regular season finale on Thursday night to the Beardy’s Blackhawks by a 4-2 score.

The game had no implications on the standings for the Stars, who were out of the playoff picture last week, but the Blackhawks badly needed the win, as they are now just one point out of eighth place.

Battlefords finishes the 2016-17 season with a 15-27-0-2 record, which includes going 4-12 in the months of January and February.

After the game, head coach Norm Johnston said the message was about positivity, despite the disappointing year.

“The kids have come a long way since I got them [two weeks ago],” Johnston said. “They’ve got lots of hockey [left].

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“It’s not the end of the world. The message is they’ve had a tough season, let’s move on and let’s get going. Let’s just move on and get going. They’re young guys and they’ve had a tough season. They really have.”

Thursday’s game was close most of the way, with the shots on goal marginally favouring Beardy’s 37-33.

Johnston said there was nothing wrong with Battlefords’ effort and that there easily could have been a few more bounces their way.

“The effort was good. It just wasn’t good enough,” he said. “[We] came back, battled, got two…. Didn’t get outplayed.”

Even in just two weeks, one area Johnston has been able to improve drastically has been discipline.

Battlefords was shorthanded just four times on Thursday.

“We talk about discipline all the time – stick on stick, body on body,” Johnston said. “We talk about getting to the puck, moving your feet. Most guys take penalties in hockey because their feet aren’t moving. They get caught with their sticks up because their feet aren’t moving. They moved their feet pretty well and they’ve done a really good job.”

It was scoreless after the first, but the Blackhawks struck twice in the second after goals from Justin Bill and Nolan Doell to take a lead into the second intermission.

Bill scored again for the visitors just five minutes into the third, but the Stars made a game of it when Dayton Buchanan and Mackenzie Donovan scored to cut the lead to just one with a minute to go.

But that’s when Bill’s brother Austin scored into the empty net to seal the deal for Beardy’s.

There are now five days let in the midget AAA regular season before the playoffs begin. All but the final playoff spot has been decided, as Beardy’s, ninth, is hoping to sneak in.