By Martin Martinson

Stars soar in win over Hawks

Stars top Hawks at The Cage

Feb 11, 2019 | 6:20 AM

The Battlefords North Stars defeated the Nipawin Hawks 4-3 Saturday at the Centennial Arena in Nipawin. The win closes out the Stars’ season-series with the Hawks, with the North Stars having posted a 4-0-2 record against the defending champs this year.

Improving to 28-13-9 on the season, with the win, the North Stars pull into a tie with the Humboldt Broncos for second in the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division with 65 points.

It didn’t take long for the North Stars to break through offensively Sunday night, as the top line chipped in to open the scoring, thanks to Owen Lamb’s 21st of the season. Coming off a shot from the deep slot just 17 seconds into the game, Lamb’s tally put the Stars ahead on their first shot of the night.

Cody Spagrud made it 2-0 on the Stars’ second shot on goal, with the marker coming off a pass in front deflecting off the defenseman’s skate and in for his first of the night.

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Still not done, the North Stars’ poured on a third goal on their fourth shot thanks to Lamb’s second of the night, a laser wrist shot from the high slot, beating the goaltender clean. Just 6:32 into the period, it was a three-goal advantage for the Stars. In the second, Nipawin answered back with a single goal of their own to make it 3-1, coming off a Colten Gerlib slapshot from the point, assisted by Christian Bosa.

While Gerlib’s fifth of the season marked the only shot to elude a goaltender in the frame, the second period did see the two teams intermingle, taking part in some extracurriculars, the biggest of which ensued just prior to the 3-1 goal.

After Stars’ defenseman Garrett Johnson took a questionable hit up high from Hawks’ forward, Carson Erhardt, Austin Shumanski answered the bell sticking up for his teammate and dropping the gloves with Erhardt. In addition to game ejections assessed to Shumanski and Erhardt, Stars’ forward Braydon Buziak and Hawks defenseman, Walker Cote also were assessed 10-minute misconducts, missing a majority of the middle frame.

In the third, Nipawin again cashed in, courtesy of a Jordan Simoneau shot rifled high short-side to cut his team’s deficit to one.

Then, with the crowd amped up and behind the hometown Hawks whole-heartedly, Cody Spagrud played spoiler, crashing the party to re-up the Stars’ two-goal advantage at 4-2 on his tenth of the season and second of the game.

Nipawin forward, Jeremy Bisson scored late to make it 4-3, but that is as close as the Hawks came on the contest. North Stars’ goalie Joel Grzybowski was solid throughout the action Sunday, making one or two tremendous saves when called upon, but otherwise doing what the 19-year-old does best, making even difficult saves look routine.

At the other end, Hawks’ netminder Declan Hobbs rebounded from his uncharacteristically shaky start to stop 13 of his final 14 shots against, turning aside 14 of 18 total on the night.

The North Stars will now get nearly a week off before returning to action Friday night against the Kindersley Klippers in Kindersley.

Fans can catch all the action Friday beginning with the pregame show at 7:15 p.m. with puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

0:17 BAT Owen Lamb (21) ASST: Braydon Buziak (22), MacGregor Sinclair (34)

3:42 BAT Cody Spagrud (9) ASST: M. Sinclair (35), O. Lamb (21)

6:32 BAT Owen Lamb (22) ASST: Braydon Buziak (24), MacGregor Sinclair (35)

Second period:

7:05 NIP Colten Gerlib (5) ASST: Christian Bosa (6)

Third period:

6:14 NIP Jordan Simoneau (16) ASST: Luke Penner (6)

6:37 BAT Cody Spagrud (10) ASST: Buziak (25), Lamb (21)

8:40 NIP Jeremy Bisson (6) ASST: Jaxon Wiebe (14), Zach Ziegler (3) (PP)

4-3 North Stars, the final.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1