Defenceman Jordan Gibbs was a force on the backend for the North Stars throughout their semi-finals series with the Mustangs, logging big minutes in all situations for the team, highlighted by a 30-minute performance in Game 3's double OT win. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Journey to the Finals

North Stars semi-finals recap versus Mustangs

Apr 10, 2023 | 5:00 PM

The Battlefords North Stars are coming off a four-game sweep of the Melfort Mustangs to advance to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Finals to play for the championship.

While the series may have been decided in four-straight, there was no shortage of storylines in the fast-paced action, in the first playoff series between the two sides since the 2019 League Finals.

Game 1

Entering the series as the top seed overall against the fourth-seeded Mustangs, the North Stars came out flying to the tune of a 5-2 win, with four different goal scorers on the night, as each of Steven Kesslering (2G), Jordan Grill, Holden Doell, and Kian Bell scored for the team in the win, and Josh Kotai stopped 26/28.

Jackson Allan was a force in the faceoff dot all series long for the Stars, taking a number of important draws for the team against the Mustangs’ best, while centering the Stars’ second unit. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

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In addition to his pair of goals, Kesslering also dropped the gloves with Melfort’s Wyatt Cook in the final minutes of the third period, bringing the animosity from a tight season series to the forefront once again.

At the other end, Mustangs’ top-liners Ben Tkachuk and Clarke Huxley tallied a goal and assist apiece to also get into the action early, while Joel Favreau stopped 34/38 on the night.

The full story of Game 1 can be found here.

Game 2

Game 2 saw the Battlefords’ superstars take over once again, this time led by a five-point performance (2G, 3A) from captain Jake Southgate. Bell (2G, 1A) and Kesslering (2G) also added a pair each, while Doell (3A) and Tynan Ewart (2A) combined for five assists on the night.

Colby Bear put an exclamation mark on the victory with a beautiful breakaway snipe in the third, and Kotai made 23/24 saves to backstop the Stars to victory.

The full story of Game 2 can be found here.

Game 3

An epic goaltenders’ dual, Game 3 saw both Kotai and Favreau put up a force field in goal through the opening 84 minutes of gameplay, each stopping a number of high-quality chances on the night to keep the game scoreless into double overtime.

Just passed the four-minute mark of the extra frame, Bell then finally broke through for the Battlefords, scoring on a breakaway chance to bring his teammates to the ice in jubilant celebration, giving the team a 3-0 series lead.

Kotai made 44 saves to earn his second shutout of the post-season, while Favreau stopped 42/43 at the other end, to keep his team in the contest to the very end of the night.

The full story of Game 3 can be found here.

Game 4

Another five goals from four different players led the way for the North Stars in their final game of the series. Alex Izyk got the scoring started in the first, followed by goals from Doell and Kesslering to make it a 3-0 Battlefords lead at the end of the first.

Following back-to-back strikes by Melfort in the second to get back to within a single goal, training 3-2, the North Stars locked it down in the third and added another pair from Bell to make it a 5-2 final.

The full story of Game 4 can be found here.

Additional series stats

The North Stars outscored Melfort 18-5 in the series, holding the Mustangs to just 1.25 goals per game while scoring 4.5 of their own per night.

The Stars’ four-headed monster of Kian Bell (6G, 3A), Jake Southgate (2G, 6A), Holden Doell (2G, 5A), and Steven Kesslering (5G) combined for 15 goals and 14 assists over the four games of the series.

Additionally, Jordan Grill added his second of the playoffs, while Colby Bear and Alex Izyk also tallied their first each, to give the Stars a league-high 14 players with at least a single goal through the opening two rounds of the postseason.

To hear from Stars’ captain Jake Southgate following the series, click here.

To hear from Stars’ head coach Brayden Klimosko following the series, click here.

What’s next?

With the series win, the North Stars will now play the Flin Flon Bombers in the League Finals.

Two of the elite teams all season, the North Stars finished atop the league standings, while Flin Flon finished third overall, and is coming off a five-game series win over Humboldt.

Games 1 and 2 of the Championship series will be played in North Battleford Apr. 14^th and 15^th, with all games available via the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast on 1050 CJNB. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin both nights at 7 p.m., with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1