The Battlefords North Stars salute their hometown crowd following the team’s 6-3 final over the rival Notre Dame Hounds Friday night at the Civic Centre. With the victory, the team will enter the holiday break on a roll, having won three-straight. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Rolling into the holidays

Stars cap calendar year with third straight win in 6-3 thumping of Hounds

Dec 20, 2019 | 11:44 PM

The North Battleford Civic Centre was a buzz Friday night, as the Battlefords North Stars capped the first half of their schedule with a 6-3 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds in front of the hometown faithful.

With the victory the Stars will now carry a three-game winning streak into the New Year, while sitting on a league-best 62 points, thanks to a sterling 30-6-2 record through their opening 38 games this year.

With the defeat, the Hounds move to 15-19-3 on the year. Still with 37 points, the team falls just back of the eighth and final playoff spot heading into Christmas, as Kindersley also has 37 points while holding a single game in hand.

Elijah Loon-Stewardson led the way for the Stars on the night, scoring a pair of goals while Jaxon Steele, Timon Prexler, Ryland McNinch and Steven Kesslering each potted a single apiece as well.

In goal, 19-year-old, Parker Rey stopped 26 of the 29 shots sent his way on the night, to secure the victory for his team. Through 13 games this season, Rey has now posted a 9-2 record to go along with a 2.32 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.

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Notre Dame’s Olivier Lepine and Ben Hamilton scored the Hounds’ two goals in the loss, while starting netminder, Riley Kohonick was pulled after allowing four goals on eight shots. Logan Dyck made 31 saves on 33 Stars’ shots in relief.

Steele opened the scoring for the Battlefords on the evening, notching his fifth goal of the season just 3:39 into the first period.

Upon receiving a tremendous stretch-pass from defenceman Noah Form, Steele broke in solo on the Notre Dame goal, before tucking the puck home on a gorgeous backhand deke move for the early icebreaker. Making it 1-0, the goal served as Steele’s fifth since joining the North Stars, with each of the five coming over his last five games.

Prexler’s fifth of the season made it 2-0 Stars, on a shot from the line through traffic, just 16 seconds later. Also carrying on his hot play of late, Prexler’s goal was the defenceman’s fourth in his last three games.

Still far from done, the Stars then cashed in for two more before the midway mark of the frame, making it 4-0 Battlefords just nine minutes into the first. First McNinch snapped home snipe for his fourth of the campaign, followed by a Kesslering tip in front for his fifth.

To their credit, the Hounds did bounce back with two of their own prior to the conclusion of a wild opening period.

Lepine’s second of the year and Hamilton’s first, came just four minutes apart to cut Notre Dame’s deficit in half, at 4-2 to end the first.

In the second, things predictably tightened up, with just a single goal between the two sides. That strike came just 33 seconds into the return to action.

Busting in on a two-on-one shorthanded, Matthias Urbanski found Elijah Loon-Stewardson, who then proceeded to wire a shot home for his first of the game and 12^th goal of the season. At that, it was 5-2 Stars.

Loon-Stewardson’s second of the night and 13^th of the year came midway through the third to make it 6-2, and all but finish the game off.

Despite a late tally from the Hounds’ Kevin Anderson, the game’s ultimate fate was decided, 6-3 North Stars, the final.

The Stars will now get a couple of weeks off over the holiday break, before returning to action Jan. 3 for the first of what will be a home-and-home with the division-rival, Kinderlsey Klippers to kick off the new year.

The game on Jan. 3 will be played at the West Central Events Centre in Kindersley. It will also be broadcast on NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey on 1050 CJNB. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7:15 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

3:39 BAT Jaxon Steele (5) ASST: Noah Form (15)

3:55 Timon Prexler (5) ASST: Jaxon Steele (5), Rylan Nivon (30)

5:38 BAT Ryland McNinch (4) ASST: Carson Reagan (3), Matthew Fletcher (27)

9:00 BAT Steven Kesslering (5) ASST: Seth Summers (23), Austin Becker (21)

12:14 ND Olivier Lepine (2) ASST: Cody Lehner (9), Jared Hamm (15) (PP)

16:11 ND Ben Hamilton (1) ASST: Kenzie MacKinnon (1)

Second period:

0:33 BAT Elijah Loon-Stewardson (12) ASST: Matthias Uranski (23) (SH)

Third period:

12:25 BAT Elijah Loon-Stewardson (13) ASST: Ben Hiltz (17), Rylan Nivon (31)

18:28 ND Kevin Anderson (2) ASST: Jared Hamm (16), Zackary Whittaker (6)

6-3 North Stars, the final.

—

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1