North Stars forward Colby Bear fights for position versus Simon Pollock of the Red Wings. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Road to the semis

North Stars opening round recap versus Weyburn

Mar 27, 2023 | 4:31 PM

The Battlefords North Stars punched their ticket to the semi-finals of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) playoffs over the weekend, with a Game 5 win over Weyburn, Friday.

Taking their best-of-seven series with the Red Wings 4-1, the first playoff meeting between the two sides since 2018 featured no shortage of star power with six of the top eight in points from the regular season heading into play, and excellent goaltending throughout.

Game 1

Entering the playoffs as the #1 seed against the #8 Red Wings, it was Weyburn who opened the series with a 3-2 win in North Battleford.

Led by their big line of Ryley Morgan, Jackson Hassman, and Ty Mason, who each scored a goal in the game, along with a 39-save effort by their goaltender Dazza Mitchell, the Wings carried a 3-1 lead into the final stages of the night’s action.

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A late marker by Keiton Klein got the Stars back to within a single on a late surge from the Battlefords, though that is as close as the team would come.

The full story of Game 1 can be found here.

Game 2

Back on home ice for Game 2, looking to knot the series at a game apiece, the North Stars responded quickly with a 5-2 win, led by a big night from their own offensive juggernauts.

Kian Bell scored four goals on the night in an epic performance that included two goals in the first period and another in the second to make it 3-1, before icing the victory with the added empty netter.

Steven Kesslering scored the other goal for the Battlefords, Holden Doell (3A) and Jake Southgate (2A) combined for five assists, and Josh Kotai stopped 33/35 between the pipes.

The full story of Game 2 can be found here.

Game 3

The first game of the series in Weyburn, Game 3 saw Kotai again lead the way for the Stars, making 34 saves for his first career playoff shutout in the Battlefords’ 3-0 win.

The Stars fired 20 shots on goal in a scoreless first, prior to opening the scoring in the second, courtesy of a big goal from their fourth line, scored by Evan Waldie.

Tynan Ewart added a power play goal and Bell punctuated the victory with his sixth into the empty net, before a late hit from Wings’ forward Max Monette brought about a melee to end the contest. The altercation amped up the animosity between the two teams, and lead to 166 minutes in penalties over the final 1:09 of the third period.

The full story of Game 3 can be found here.

Game 4

The Wings’ split their top unit of Morgan, Hassman, and Mason for the first time in Game 4, leading to a more balanced attack through the early part of the contest. However, the Stars’ depth of scoring, and sound goaltending would prove too much to overcome.

Six different players pitched in with a goal in the Battlefords’ 6-1 victory, as Wilson Steele, Jordan Grill, Doell and Southgate each added their first of the playoffs, and Bell and Kesslering added to their totals with a tally apiece.

In net, Kotai made another 31 saves on 32 shots to bring the team within a win of advancing, heading back to North Battleford for game five.

The full story of Game 4 can be found here.

Game 5

Returning home Friday for Game 5, the North Stars made good on their first opportunity to close out the series, taking a 7-4 win to advance to the semis.

The captain got the team on the board early as Southgate scored his second in as many games, while Kesslering added a pair as another of the six different North Stars to chip in with a goal in the clinching victory.

Doell also scored his second in as many games, while Brad Blake, Jackson Allan, and Tanner Gold added their first of the postseason apiece.

The full story of Game 5 can be found here.

Additional series stats

Twelve different North Stars scored for the team over the five games of the series, with each of the four forward lines and three defensive pairings cashing in with at least a single goal.

Southgate (10 points), Doell (nine points), and Bell (eight points) sit 1-2-3 in playoff scoring through the opening round. Both Southgate and Doell tallied multi-point efforts in four of the five games, while Bell scored at least a single goal in four of the five, to lead the playoffs with seven goals in just five games.

The Stars also received three goals and 16 points from their blue line, not including the additional goal and three points from Jordan Grill, who played primarily forward through the series.

Defensively, the North Stars limited the Wings to just 10 goals total over the five games (2.0 per game), including just five at even strength (or 1.0 per game).

What’s next?

The North Stars now await the result of Tuesday night’s Game 7 between the #3 Flin Flon Bombers and #6 Estevan Bruins, to determine if it is Estevan or Melfort they will play in the semis.

If Estevan wins, the Stars will play them and Humboldt will play Melfort. If Flin Flon wins, the Stars will play the Mustangs and the Broncos will get the Bombers.

No matter the opponent, because the North Stars are the top seed overall the team will open their series on home ice either way, with Games 1 and 2 this Friday and Saturday night at the ACC.

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. on the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1