With a Battlefords win, and a Kindersley regulation loss, the North Stars leapfroged the Klippers for top spot in the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division Friday night. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff) : Martin Martinson

By Martin Martinson

Stars atop division

North Stars grab division lead with big home win

Mar 2, 2019 | 8:41 AM

There’s no place like home.

The Battlefords North Stars defeated the division-rival Notre Dame Hounds 6-3 Friday night to improve to 7-0-1 over their last 8 games, and leapfrog the Kindersley Klippers for top spot in the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division standings.

With now 76 points on the campaign, the North Stars sit just one point up on Kindersley, and two up on Humboldt, with only two games to go in the regular season; including a game apiece against Humboldt Saturday and Kindersley Tuesday.

Friday night marked only the third time in 20 games since the turn of the 2019 calendar the North Stars got to play in front of their hometown fans at the Civic Centre.

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The North Stars did not take long to bring the hometown crowd to their feet.

Owen Lamb scored the opening goal Friday, just 43 seconds into play in the first, potting his 26^th of the year from Quintin Loon-Stewardson on the Stars’ opening shot of the night.

Not quite half way through the first, Hounds’ rookie Nolan Renwick tied things up on the Hounds first man-advantage of the game, notching his 10^th of the season to hit double digits before the year’s end.

With just under 20 seconds to go in the opening period, Quintin Loon-Stewardson scored to re-up his team’s lead at 2-1, notching his 12^th of the campaign with just 18.9 seconds left in the first.

Quintin Loon-Stewardson lead the way for the North Stars Friday, scoring two goals and adding an assist for three points on the night. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

In the second, Notre Dame didn’t take long to tie things up once again, with another rookie cashing in on the power play, in the form of Jarrett Penner.

Knocking one home from in tight, Penner’s 22^nd of the season was just one more etch in the scorecard for the 6-foot-2, power forward from Saskatoon, who leads all freshmen in goals this season.

At 2-2 with just under half a period remaining, the North Stars once again got a boost from Owen Lamb.

Scoring the Stars a power play goal of their own to pull ahead by one once again, Lamb’s 27^th of the year marked not only his second of the night, but his eighth goal in his last nine games; 3-2 North Stars.

Following up Lamb’s tally, and almost as if taking the veteran’s que, Quintin Loon-Stewardson also scored his second of the game, and thirteenth of the season before the end of the period.

All four North Stars’ lines chipped with at least a single goal Friday night. Dayton Heino is pictured here (#14) after potting his sixth of the season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

In the third, the Stars saw their wealth of depth scoring continue to shine, thanks to Dayton Heino’s sixth of the year, with the forward capitalizing off the rush.

Then, just a minute later, Meadow Lake’s own, Dylan Esau also got his forward line in on the party, capitalizing on his fourth goal of the year.

Esau’s tally also served as an early birthday gift of sorts, with the youngest Star cashing in just two days prior to celebrating his 18^th birthday (Mar. 3).

After the two back-to-back goals, the score stood 6-2 Battlefords just over five minutes into the third period.

No doubt feeling the game slipping away, the Hounds began to let frustrations boil over. Ultimately all the pushing and shoving after whistles would come to a head nearly seven minutes into the final frame of action, with Hounds’ forward Curtis Wiebe dropping the gloves with Stars’ veteran, MacGregor Sinclair.

Although no doubt looking to vent his frustrations in the bout, one thing was clear very quickly upon the two forwards dropping the gloves; Wiebe had very likely made a big mistake.

Although not often one to drop the gloves, Sinclair showcased excellently his proficiency in the art of fisticuffs, landing several devastating blows to earn the decision in his favor, much to the delight of the Battlefords’ crowd.

Although Tanner Tarbell did pot a late goal to make it 6-3, that is as close as the Hounds would fare in their comeback bid; 6-3 North Stars, the final.

Stars’ goalie Chad Duran made 33 stops in the win, to improve his record with the Battlefords to 6-1-1, while sporting a 2.09 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in the process.

At the other end, 21-year-old Matt Lukacs allowed six goals on the 31 shots he faced, before being replaced by rookie netminder, Riley Kohonick. Kohonick stopped all six of the pucks sent his way.

The Stars will return to the road tomorrow, as the team travels to Humboldt to take on the division-rival Broncos at the Elgar Peterson Arena in Humboldt.

The Ultra Print Pregame Show begins Saturday at 7:15 p.m. with puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m. on NAPA North Stars hockey on 1050 CJNB.

Scoring summary

First period:

0:43 BAT Owen Lamb (26) ASST: Quintin Loon-Stewardson (14)

7:33 ND Nolan Renwick (10) ASST: None (PP)

19:41 BAT Quintin Loon-Stewardson (12) ASST: Braydon Buziak (29)

Second period:

6:16 ND Jarrett Penner (22) ASST: Marshall Wilton (46), Charles Martin (27) (PP)

10:25 BAT Owen Lamb (27) ASST: Austin Becker (11), Brett Gammer (17) (PP)

15:40 BAT Elijah Loon-Stewardson (13) ASST: Matthew Fletcher (18), Elijah Loon-Stewardson (21)

Third period:

4:05 BAT Dayton Heino (6) ASST: Kaden Boser (3), Noah Form (10)

5:09 BAT Dylan Esau (4) ASST: Matthew Fletcher (19)

8:54 ND Tanner Tarbell (11) ASST: Cole Golden (11), Kyle Robinson (19)

6-3 North Stars, the Final.

–

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1