North Stars teammates gather around goaltender Josh Kotai following Wednesday night's Game 4 win in Weyburn. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Take 3-1 series lead

Stars top Wings 6-1 in Game 4 to take series stranglehold

Mar 23, 2023 | 12:57 AM

The Battlefords North Stars exploded for three goals in the first 4:07 of the second period Wednesday night, on their way to a 6-1 win in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series with the Weyburn Red Wings.

Six different players chipped in with goals in the victory, that gives the Stars a 3-1 series lead and moves the team just a single win away from advancing to the semi-finals of the playoffs, setting up a chance to do so Friday.

While a lopsided final by night’s end, the first period was amongst the best back-and-forth play of the series, with plenty of scoring chances at either end and both teams coming out flying.

However, the goaltenders once again stole the show for the most part early, as Josh Kotai stoned Matteo Turrin on a chance in-tight with his glove on his way to 12/12 saves in the opening period; while Wings’ ‘tender Dazza Mitchell stopped 13/14, including a pair of excellent saves on Jake Southgate one-timers.

Josh Kotai stopped 31/32 shots he faced Wednesday to backstop the Stars to their 6-1 win. On the series, Kotai is now 3-1 with a 1.51 goals against average and .953 save percentage. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

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The lone goal for either side in the opening frame was Holden Doell’s first of the playoffs, on a net-drive to the front of the goal on the power play. Swift to pick up his own rebound and cash in for the 1-0 Battlefords lead, the tally came just over 5:30 into the first.

In the second, Kian Bell’s league-leading seventh of the postseason made it a 2-0 game, again on a Stars’ man advantage. Receiving a relay feed at the side of the goal from Doell, Bell picked his spot and snapped home a dart to the top shelf short-side to give the Battlefords an insurance marker.

Just one minute later, Wilson Steele extended the lead to 3-0 North Stars on his first of the playoffs, encroaching from the point to fire home a Riley Girod feed to stretch the lead; before Jordan Grill also added his first of the playoffs to make it 4-0 on a quick release to the right of the goal just one minute after that.

The flurry of quick-strikes served as a sort of scoring dam burst as it followed 39, 39, and 43-save efforts from Mitchell in the Wings’ crease through the first three games of the series, that included a number of high-danger stops.

Following the Grill tally to make it 4-0, Mitchell was replaced by Weyburn backup Eric Kahl for the remainder of the night, giving the Wings’ series MVP the rest of the night off to get ready for Friday’s Game 5.

Kian Bell and Holden Doell each scored power play goals Wednesday night to keep the Battlefords’ man advantage red-hot clicking at over 26 percent in the playoffs. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Steven Kesslering added to the lead with his second of the series just ahead of the midway mark of the middle frame, on a shot through the five-hole on Kahl to make it 5-0 Stars into the second intermission.

In the third, Weyburn did snap a potential second-straight shutout bid for Kotai, when Ty Mason tallied his second of the playoffs to get the Wings on the board trailing 5-1, though the celebration was short-lived.

With a 4:00 power play midway through the third period, the Red Wings pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, leading to Jake Southgate’s first goal of the playoffs into the empty net to make it a 6-1 final.

Kesslering set up the final goal by sealing off the right-side boards as the left-side defenceman tried to fire the puck deep to keep the pressure on in the zone. Number 24 then placed a perfect pass into an area for Southgate to race onto, to convert the empty-netter on a breakaway to cap off the night.

With the win, the Stars now have a shot to clinch the series in front of their home crowd Friday night at the ACC. Game 5 in North Battleford 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.

The North Stars’ full first round schedule can be found here.

In other Game 4 action across the SJHL, Humboldt topped Nipawin 4-2 (HUM lead series 3-1); Estevan beat Flin Flon 3-0 (series tied 2-2); and Melfort topped La Ronge 3-1 (series tied 2-2).

Scoring summary

First period:

5:36 BAT Holden Doell (1) ASST: Jake Southgate, Tynan Ewart (PP) 1-0 Stars

Second period:

1:58 BAT Kian Bell (7) ASST: Holden Doell, Jake Southgate (PP) 2-0 Stars

2:59 BAT Wilson Steele (1) ASST: Riley Girod, Colby Bear 3-0 Stars

4:07 BAT Jordan Grill (1) ASST: Zane Florence, Emmett Wurst 4-0 Stars

8:58 BAT Steven Kesslering (2) ASST: Brad Blake, Jackson Allan 5-0 Stars

Third period:

4:04 WEY Ty Mason (2) ASST: Simon Pollock, Braigh LeGrandeur 5-1 Stars

10:50 BAT Jake Southgate (1) ASST: Steven Kesslering 6-1 Stars

6-1 North Stars, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1