With their win Friday night, the Battlefords North Stars improve to 16-1 on the season, having won nine straight games. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

down to the wire

Stars chill Ice Wolves, stay hot with 4-3 win

Oct 25, 2019 | 11:18 PM

The Battlefords North Stars defeated the La Ronge Ice Wolves 4-3 Friday night, as the team improved to 16-1 on the season in front of their hometown crowd at the Civic Centre.

Stars’ rookie, Hunter Partsch led the way for the team, opening the scoring with a goal just 4:30 into his SJHL debut.

A quick catch and release shot from the mid-slot area, Partsch’s tally not only gave the Stars a lead, but provided a spark that would continue to drive the team forward through the period.

Rylan Nivon made it 2-0 Battlefords about seven minutes later on a tip play in front of the La Ronge goal.

The scoring play resulted off a nice cycle sequence, that moved the puck up high to Mathew Fletcher, who then flung a pass to Seth Summers jumping in from the point. Carrying the puck down the halfboards, Summers then spotted his man Nivon at the side of the cage, for a deflection past the goaltender.

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Pleased with the go-ahead goal, but still hungry for more, the Stars would strike once more in the opening period, this time courtesy of Ryland McNinch.

McNinch’s third of the season came after Kaden Boser was robbed on a breakaway opportunity, only for the 18-year-old to pot home on the rebound lying in front.

The goal made it 3-0 North Stars at the end of the first.

In the second, it looked as though the Stars’ onslaught would continue, as it took just 22 seconds for forward Brett Gammer to etch his name on the scorecard, with a short-handed tally, no less.

Coming off a quick snapshot from in tight on a partial break, Gammer’s goal served as the forward’s sixth of the season and made it a 4-0 contest.

The tide did shift shortly after however, as the Ice Wolves bounced back just minutes later with a goal of their own.

Jake Gudjonson was the man to light the spark the other direction, cashing in on his fourth of the year to nullify the goose egg on the La Ronge side of the board, and make it a 4-1 game.

After La Ronge goalie, Steven Bacovsky stopped Gammer on a short-handed penalty shot opportunity at the 9:59 mark of the second, the Ice Wolves again bounced back with a goal, this time on the power play.

The man-advantage goal was the Wolves’ lone power play tally on nine opportunities on the night. Scored by captain, Ben Manson, the goal marked the blue liner’s first of the year and made it a 4-2 game heading into the third.

While the third period was always going to be interesting, the game took a turn for the dramatic when – just 3:37 into the final frame – Ice Wolves’ forward Zach Bannister registered his sixth of the season, pulling his team to within a goal on the night at 4-3 Stars.

Despite a late two-man advantage, La Ronge could not, however, find the final strike needed to knot the game late in the third, as the Stars bent but did not break, holding on for the 4-3 win.

North Stars’ goalie Adam Dmyterko was solid on the night, and particularly down the stretch, stopping 35 of 38 La Ronge shots on the night to earn the victory.

With the win, Dmyterko improves to a perfect 11-0 on the season, while sporting a shimmering 2.25 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in the process.

For La Ronge, Bacovsky meanwhile, stopped 20 of 24 shots in the loss.

The North Stars and Ice Wolves will now get a brief rest before the two sides hit the replay button to face off once again Saturday night for round two at the Civic Centre.

Saturday’s game will be broadcast on 93.3 The Rock. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7:15 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. on NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey.

Scoring summary

First period:

4:30 BAT Hunter Partsch (1) ASST: B. Gammer (9), Dylan McCabe (7)

11:36 BAT Rylan Nivon (6) ASST: Seth Summers (10), Matthew Fletcher (14)

17:47 BAT Ryland McNinch (3) ASST: Kaden Boser (7), Dylan McCabe (8)

Second period:

0:22 BAT Brett Gammer (6) ASST: Noah Form (8) (SH)

5:10 LAR Jake Gudjonson (4) ASST: Zach Bannister (9)

12:24 LAR Ben Manson (1) ASST: Logan Holm (5), Jake Gudjonson (9) (PP)

Third period:

3:37 LAR Zach Bannister (6) ASST: Daylon Mannon (18), Kyle Ford (11)

4-3 North Stars, the Final.

—

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1