North Stars’ teammates swarm rookie Dace Prymak in jubilation, just moments after the forward scored the overtime winner over La Ronge in highlight-reel fashion. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Howlin' to the moon

North Stars edge Ice Wolves in OT thriller

Oct 17, 2019 | 12:53 AM

It was a happy bus ride back to North Battleford Wednesday night, as the Battlefords North Stars edged out the La Ronge Ice Wolves 4-3 in thrilling overtime fashion, to improve to 13-1 on the season.

Rookie standout Dace Prymak scored the overtime winner for the Stars, while Dylan McCabe, Noah Form and Austin Becker also pitched in for the team.

Goaltender Austin Schwab stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced in the win, improving to 2-0 in the process this season.

In addition to his perfect record, Schwab has posted a shimmering 1.95 goals-against average and .925 save percentage through his opening two starts.

On the other side, blue liner Dylan Thackeray, and forwards Daylon Mannon and Kyle Ford scored for the Ice Wolves, while Liam McGarva stopped 43 of 47 shots in the loss.

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With the loss, the Ice Wolves fall to 6-8-1 on the year.

Thackeray opened the scoring for La Ronge midway through the first period.

Notching his second of the season on a two-on-one rush chance, Thackeray deposited a cross-crease feed from La Ronge forward Jordan Mish to put the homeside ahead with the first strike of the night.

Just about two minutes after the goal though, perhaps the real story of the opening period was written with the extra curriculars.

An intense battle from puck drop, it did not take long for tensions to boil to a head between the Stars and Ice Wolves in the opening frame.

What started as a scurmish turned into an all-out line brawl at the 12:09 mark of the first, with three sperate bouts taking place.

When the dust settled, the old time hockey resulted in each of Elijah Loon-Stewardson, Quintin Loon-Stewardson and Seth Summers being ejected from the game for the Stars, while Max Kleiner, Ben Manson and Macrea Setoguchi were given five-and-a-game on the Ice Wolves’ side of things.

Out of the madness, while it looked like La Ronge’s lead was going to survive to the first intermission, the Battlefords responded with one of their own late, as McCabe knotted things up with just two seconds and change left in the period.

The goal was also McCabe’s second of the campaign, and made it a 1-1 tie after the first.

In the second, Daylon Mannon, who entered play atop the league scoring race, chipped in once again for his team. Notching his tenth of the season, and league-best 25^th point. Coming at the 8:06 mark, the goal reestablished the Ice Wolves’ lead, but only for a literal minute.

At the 9:07 mark, the Stars again struck back to tie the contest, courtesy of a blue liner.

Becoming the third defenceman to pitch in on the night, Noah Form’s goal was also the rearguard’s second of the season. The scoring play came when the Saskatoon product jumped in the rush to cash in at the side of the goal.

At the end of two periods, it was 2-2.

The Stars didn’t take long to establish their first lead of the hockey game come the third. Austin Becker, who entered play as the team scoring leader with 18 points, fired home his ninth of the season to pull to a tie for the team lead in goals as well.

Coming on the power play, Becker’s tally was a quick release from the right side half-wall, making it 3-2 Stars.

While the Battlefords would hold their lead for much of the period, the Ice Wolves did eventually snap back with a tying marker of their own.

Defending SJHL Rookie of the Week, Kyle Ford delivered his team the equalizer at the 11:59 mark of the third. The goal served as the 19-year-old’s seventh over his last six games, and more importantly, determined that the game was destined for extra time.

Sticking with a familiar trend from the two periods prior, at the end of the third, the score was 3-3.

Overtime was decided at just about the half-way mark of the extra session, thanks to Stars’ rookie, Dace Prymak.

Prymak, who entered play with five points through his first nine games, scored the game winner in dramatic, if not epic fashion.

Blazing in on goal with the puck on a string, the clever forward faked a forehand shot before pulling the puck to his backhand and laying it into the empty cage where the desperate goalie once stood.

A fantastic deke move, the goal served as the 18-year-old’s third of the season, and the decider on the night, 4-3 Stars the final.

The North Stars will now get a day off to rest and regroup before returning to action for a home-and-home Friday and Saturday night with the Nipawin Hawks this weekend.

Friday’s game will be broadcast on NAPA North Stars Hockey on 1050 CJNB-CJNS. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7:15 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

10:49 LAR Dylan Thackeray (2) ASST: Jordan Mish (4), Ben Manson (2)

19:58 BAT Dylan McCabe (2) ASST: Matthew Fletcher (12), Rylan Nivon (10)

Second period:

8:06 LAR Daylon Mannon (10) ASST: Kyle Ford (9), Kalem Hanlon (2)

9:07 BAT Noah Form (2) ASST: Dylan Esau (3), Dace Prymak (4)

Third period:

0:34 BAT Austin Becker (9) ASST: Matthew Fletcher (13) Rylan Nivon (11)

11:59 LAR Kyle Ford (11) ASST: Jordan Mish (5), Daylon Mannon (16)

Overtime:

2:55 BAT Dace Prymak (3) ASST: Dylan McCabe (5), Rylan Nivon (12)

4-3 North Stars, the Final.

—

Martin.Martinson@Jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1