Stars take fourth straight with 6-2 win over Hounds

With two points total on the night (1G, 1A), Ewart now has 51 points in 50 games, becoming the first North Stars defenceman to reach the 50-point plateau since Fraser Allan posted 52 in 58 games during the 2006-07 season.

After Hounds’ forward Dane Probe knotted the game 1-1 midway through the first, Tanner Gold re-established the Stars’ lead at 2-1 on a dart from the top of the right circle through traffic, for his seventh of the year.

The score remained 2-1 into the second intermission, despite 48 shots combined (26-22 shots for the Stars) through 40 minutes. Kotai saved 21 through two periods on his way to 29/31 in the win, while Johann Tremblay-Kau stopped 24 on his way to 32/37, to keep his team in the game into the third.

Just 15 seconds into the third period, Jake Southgate’s 23^rd stretched the lead to 3-1 Battlefords. Serving as his fourth goal of the weekend, the tally also matches the captain’s previous career-high set last season, doing so in six fewer games this time around.

Stars’ captain Jake Southgate is swarmed by teammates after scoring his fourth of the weekend and 23rd of the season, Saturday. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Southgate then set up Kesslering’s 31^st to make it 4-1, driving the puck hard to the net shorthanded for a chance in front, cleaned up on the rebound by #24. Kesslering’s marker was his second in as many nights, and gives him 10 goals and 16 points in six games against Notre Dame this season.

Kian Bell’s 51^st made it 5-1 on an unbelievable move by Doell to win the puck out of the corner, cruise to the front of the goal and dish a slick feed right in the wheelhouse for the league’s most dangerous sniper.

Bell’s 51^st goal of the season ties his uncle Martin Smith’s career-high single season mark, set the last time a Stars’ player hit 50-plus back in 1991-92.

Luke Helgeson’s second of the season made it 5-2, giving Notre Dame their second of the night, though that is as close as they would come in their comeback bid.

Doell iced the victory for the Stars with his 28^thof the season into the empty net, for his third point of the night, and seventh of the weekend (2G, 5A), to make it a 6-2 Battlefords final.

The North Stars will now get a week off, before returning to play next weekend for a home-and-home against the rival Humboldt Broncos, Friday and Saturday night. Both games 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:

19:01 BAT Tynan Ewart (7) ASST: Holden Doell, Jake Southgate 1-0 Stars

Second period:

10:34 ND Dane Probe (12) ASST: Isaiah Peters, Vincent Palmarin 1-1 Tie

12:05 BAT Tanner Gold (7) ASST: Jake Southgate, Kian Bell 2-1 Stars

Third period:

0:15 BAT Jake Southgate (23) ASST: Tynan Ewart, Kian Bell 3-1 Stars

2:24 BAT Steven Kesslering (31) ASST: Jake Southgate (SH) 4-1 Stars

15:19 BAT Kian Bell (51) ASST: Holden Doell 5-1 Stars

15:47 ND Luke Helgeson (2) ASST: Carson Baylis, Dane Pobe (PP) 5-2 Stars

18:04 BAT Holden Doell (28) ASST: Jordan Gibbs, Kian Bell (EN) 6-2 Stars

6-2 North Stars, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

Stars take fourth straight with 6-2 win over Hounds

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