By Nathan Kanter

Goal explosion gives North Stars dominant win in game 2

Mar 18, 2017 | 11:25 PM

After a subpar performance in their 4-3 game one win over Weyburn on Friday, the Battlefords North Stars found the back of the net eight times in game two to take a 2-0 series lead.

Despite the lopsided 8-3 score on Saturday, the North Stars defensive effort was still lacking, something North Stars head coach Nate Bedford alluded to after the win.

“Six goals [against] in two games, anybody will tell you that’s not really our game,” Bedford said. “You can work hard and get 90 on a test by working hard or you can get 90 on a test by cheating and I think we were cheating ourselves a little bit for the first two games here.

“We need to stop giving away such prime scoring opportunities…[but] I thought overall we were better and I think that’s important.”

By far the biggest improvement was the North Stars forecheck, which created turovers that led to countless scoring opportunities in all three periods.

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In the end, Battlefords outshot Weyburn 38-23, including 14-7 in the first and 17-4 in the second

“We generated our chances by having a real strong forcheck for 60 minutes,” Bedford said. “I thought we were pretty relentless on that…and we turned over pucks. I really liked our offensive zone stuff for sure.”

Ben Allen and MacGregor Sinclair led the way with two goals each, while Layne Young, Keaton Holinaty, Connor Logan, and Levi Kleiboer also found the back of the net.

Allen now has four goals in his first two career playoff games.

“He’s a class kid, through and through,” Bedford said of the rookie from Texas who had 45 points in 44 games in his first season. “[It’s a] 2-on-1 late in the third, him and [Jared] Blaquiere are in on a 2-on-1, Allen has the puck on his stick and an opportunity for the hat-trick and he throws the puck over to Blaquiere, a guy that hasn’t been on the scoresheet in a bit here…He’s looking out for his teammates and that’s what stand out.”

Sinclair, another rookie, netted his first and second career playoff goals, including the game’s opening goal seven minutes in.

The Irma, Alta., native had 22 points in his rookie season and has also been a valuable penalty killer since day one.

“He’s a true competitor…and a quiet leader and does everything you ever ask for,” Bedford said. “He’s a winner. That line of him, [Logan] Nachtegaele, and [Troy] Gerein has been the most consistent over the last two games. We want to keep pucks low and they go and do it and they get rewarded with a couple goals over the last couple games.”

Also making his mark in game two was 20-year-old Connor Logan, who had an unbelievable goal in the second period and also fought 6’9″ Ian Parker in the third period.

Logan, who hadn’t fought all season long and isn’t known for fisticuffs – he was third in team scoring with 53 points and had just 16 penalty minutes this year – held his own, despite giving up nine inches in the mismatch.

The fight happened in the third period with the score already at 8-3, after there was a bit of a scrum at the side of the net and Kotchorek was able to keep the puck out.

“I’ve been in a couple [fights] but he was a pretty big boy,” Logan said after the game. “I was just trying to protect my goalie and do anything I can and we just kind of ended up with our gloves on the ice I guess… It just happened quick.”

“It means a lot to the team to see Connor Logan drop the gloves with a big boy like that and he fared pretty well,” Bedford added. “Real proud that he wears a Star on the front of his jersey.”

Because of how well this team was defensively in the regular season – setting a new SJHL record for fewest goals allowed with just 103 in 58 games – Bedford mentioned he isn’t too worried the goals against will continue at this rate, especially consider how big some of the blunders were. They mistakes were so obvious, he said the team knows exactly where they went wrong.

On the Wings second goal, Ian Parker came down on a 2-on-3 rush, cut into the middle and dropped the puck for linemate Braden Mellon, who was given a clear lane because all three North Stars players were busy watching Parker.

On the third goal, Mellon won an offensive draw forward to himself, and before anybody knew what was what, picked the top corner with a quick shot over Taryn Kotchorek’s shoulder.

“It’s not much of a concern because I don’t think those types of things will happen in the future,” he said. “[On their second goal] our guys knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, both in their zone and then coming back hard in our zone, so we’ll be better.”

The series shifts to Weyburn for games three and four, which will go Monday and Tuesday night.

Both games can be heard on CJNB/CJNS with the Ultra Print pre-game show at 7:15 p.m. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.

nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca

@NathanKanter11