Kian Bell scored his 50th of the season and Jake Southgate netted his first career SJHL hat trick to lead the Stars to victory Friday night. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

9-2 win over Melville

Bell hits 50, Southgate nets hat trick in milestone night for Stars

Feb 25, 2023 | 3:33 AM

It was a night of many milestones for the Battlefords North Stars Friday, on their way to officially clinching first place overall in the league standings with a 9-2 win over Melville, in North Battleford.

Kian Bell headlined the night, wiring home his 50^th of the season not-quite five minutes into the action to become just the sixth player in franchise history to hit the 50-goal mark, and fourth since the team changed their monicker from the Battlefords ‘Barons’ to ‘North Stars’ back in 1983.

Bell is the first North Star to hit 50 goals since his uncle Martin Smith did so over 30 years ago during the ’91-92 season.

Darren Nauss (58 goals in ’86-87), and Grant Paranica (74 goals in ’84-85) were the lone others to do so in a Stars’ uniform, after Ron Boskill (68 in ’74-75) and David George were the first to hit the elusive mark with the franchise when the team was still the Barons.

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Bell’s milestone goal was one of three by the Battlefords in the opening period, sandwiched between a pair of Jake Southgate tallies on the captain’s way to scoring the first hat trick of his SJHL career.

Notching his 20th, 21st and 22nd of the season, the performance also brings Southgate within a single goal of matching his career-high of 23, set last season.

Steven Kesslering also hit a new milestone with his 30^th goal of the season, becoming just the fourth North Star in the last five years to hit the 30-goal mark, joining Bell this season, Quintin Loon-Stewardson (‘19-20), and Owen Lamb (‘18-19).

Holden Doell had a goal and three assists, while Colby Bear added a pair of goals, and Brad Blake also scored with family in town for parent/billet weekend from the country’s east coast to take in the action.

Between the pipes Justen Maric stopped 30/32 for the win, including 18/19 in the first period alone, to weather an early storm from the Mills allowing his team to regain their footing.

Southgate’s first of the night opened the scoring just 3:53 into the first period on a snipe from the mid-slot short-side, set up by a nice keep-in at the blue line by Jordan Grill.

Bell’s 50^th of the season then came just under a minute later, bringing everyone in the building to their feet in a show of appreciation for the historic marker.

Southgate’s 21^st made it 3-0 Stars with five minute to go in the period, on a set-up in front of the goal to the weak side, where he one-timed it home.

Despite the setback, Melville did well to hang around early, getting an answer back in the final seconds from Issac Suppin on a post-and-in wrister on the power play to make it 3-1 Battlefords at the first intermission.

In the second, Caden Drury added another for the visitors, making it a one-goal game again at 3-2 Stars on a highlight-reel shorthanded breakaway to the backhand.

However, that is as close as the Millionaires would come.

Brad Blake tangles with Melville’s Nathan Fox. With another goal Friday, Blake has now scored eight goals and 12 points over his last 15 games. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Brad Blake’s 11^th of the year re-established the Stars’ insurance marker, converting on another Grill setup in front to make it 4-2, as the first of six unanswered by the Battlefords to cap the night.

Doell’s 27^th came on a gorgeous no-look pass from Tynan Ewart for a tap-in to the empty net, followed by Southgate’s hat trick completing third of the game on a setup from Doell just five minutes later to make it 6-2 at the end of two periods.

In the third, Bear struck for two straight, first deflecting home his 12^th of the year on a Riley Girod shot from the point, before firing a dart off the rush just eight minutes later, that was past the goaltender and in the net before he saw it coming.

Colby Bear leans in for the faceoff against Melville’s Jaxon Martens Friday night at the ACC. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Kesslering’s 30^th bookended the scoring, capping the night at 9-2 Battlefords with his 10^th goal in his last 12 games.

With the win, the North Stars extend their league-leading record to 43-4-2-1 this season. Their 89 points are just eight back of the franchise-record 97, set back in the 2016-17 season, over a 58-game schedule.

The North Stars will return to action Saturday night to close out the weekend against the Notre Dame Hounds. Saturday’s game will be available on 1050 CJNB, with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 7 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

3:53 BAT Jake Southgate (20) ASST: Jordan Grill 1-0 Stars

4:40 BAT Kian Bell (50) ASST: Holden Doell, Jake Southgate 2-0 Stars

15:01 BAT Jake Southgate (21) ASST: Holden Doell, Kian Bell 3-0 Stars

19:44 MLV Isaac Suppin (6) ASST: Nathan Fox (PP) 3-1 Stars

Second period:

2:51 MLV Caden Drury (4) ASST: None (SH) 3-2 Stars

8:16 BAT Bradley Blake (11) ASST: Jordan Grill, Jackson Allan 4-2 Stars

9:23 BAT Holden Doell (27) ASST: Tynan Ewart, Kian Bell 5-2 Stars

14:11 BAT Jake Southgate (22) ASST: Holden Doell (PP) 6-2 Stars

Third period:

2:18 BAT Colby Bear (12) ASST: RIley Girod 7-2 Stars

10:51 BAT Colby Bear (13) ASST: Riley Girod 8-2 Stars

11:39 BAT Steven Kesslering (30) ASST: Jackson Allan 9-2 Stars

9-2 North Stars, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1