North Stars Jake Southgate and Kian Bell, pictured here in the handshake line with Bombers' forwards Zach Cain and Jacob Vockler, following the Stars' championship win in Game 4. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Road to the championship

North Stars Finals recap versus Flin Flon

Apr 25, 2023 | 7:00 PM

The Battlefords North Stars wrapped up their SJHL Finals series with the Flin Flon Bombers in four-straight games over the weekend, to take home their third league championship since 2017, winning the inaugural Canterra Seeds Cup.

Serving as the fifth playoff series between the Stars and Bombers since 2016, while decided in four-straight, the series was another classic installment between the league’s top rivals.

Game 1

The North Stars opened the series on home ice with a 5-2 win on the strength of multi-goal games from forwards Jake Southgate and Colby Bear.

Southgate’s first of the game tied things on the power play following a Bombers’ shorthanded goal from Kylynn Olafson to open the scoring in the series, with the captain’s second of the game serving as the eventual game-winner.

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Bear’s pair came in a three-point effort, that also included an assist on a pivotal goal by Keiton Klein late in the second, on a two-on-one.

Josh Kotai stopped 25/27 to backstop the Stars to the victory, while Harmon Laser-Hume went 32/36 to keep his team in the contest much of the night.

The full story of Game 1 can be found here.

Game 2

Kotai stole the show in Game 2 of the series, stopping all 36 shots he faced on the night, en route to his third shutout of the playoffs, equaling his total from the regular season.

Steven Kesslering added a goal and an assist to lead the way offensively, setting up Jackson Allan for the opening goal and eventual game-winner, and Kian Bell added his SJHL-leading 14^th to put the game out of reach at 3-0 early in the third.

Laser-Hume stopped 26/29 for the Bombers, keeping the game within a pair through the first period, and within two goals through 40 minutes, heading into the third period.

The full story of Game 2 can be found here.

Game 3

The most pivotal game of the series, Game 3 again saw five different goal scorers chip in for the Battlefords to lead the team to a 6-2 final as the series shifted to Flin Flon.

Kesslering scored another pair of goals as the lone Stars’ player to double-dip on the scoresheet, while Tynan Ewart, Keiton Klein, Kian Bell, and Jordan Gibbs each added a goal and an assist apiece.

Ewart was especially at his best, leading the Stars’ onslaught by scoring the opening goal, and setting up the second of the game, on a gorgeous feed to Klein in the slot.

Bombers’ forward Alexi Sylvestre and defenceman Alex Von Sprecken scored the two Flin Flon goals, while Jacob Vockler – who drew the assist on Von Sprecken’s second period tally – was the Bombers’ most dangerous player throughout the evening.

Laser-Hume, who was Flin Flon’s MVP all playoffs, was pulled after allowing five goals on 18 shots and replaced by backup Kenneth Marquart who stopped 26/27 in relief.

The full story of Game 3 is available here.

Game 4

Heading into Game 4 in Flin Flon with their first chance to clinch the league championship, there was no doubt the Stars were bound and determined to fulfill their destiny.

Kesslering again scored a pair of goals in the win to bring his total to four in the series and 14 in just 13 playoff games, to earn Playoff MVP honours, while Battlefords local Jordan Grill also came through with a monster two-goal night to give the Stars a 3-2 lead at the end of the first.

Bear’s fourth of the playoffs, Holden Doell’s fifth, and Bell’s 16^th added to the team’s lead through the final two periods, while Kotai stopped 44/48 Bombers’ shots to backstop the team to the championship.

Alexi Sylvestre (3G hat trick performance) and Jacob Vockler (1G, 3A) did their best to extend the series, while Laser-Hume stopped 29/35, though ultimately the Stars would be too much to handle.

The full story of the North Stars’ Cup-clinching win in Game 4, is available here.

Additional series stats

• The North Stars outscored the Bombers 21-8 over the course of the four-game series, for an average of 5.25 goals per game against the league’s second-stingiest team this year (Flin Flon allowed just 2.7 goals against per game over the regular season, second to the Stars’ 2.46 allowed per game).

• The Stars also held Flin Flon’s fifth best offense from the regular season (averaging 3.57 goals per game) to just 2.0 goals over the four games of the series.

• Ten different North Stars players pitched in at least a single goal over the four games, with six scoring multiple goals: Kesslering (x4), Bear (x3), Bell (x3), Southgate (x2), Klein (x2), and Grill (x2).

• On the playoffs, Bell (25 points), Southgate (22 points), and Holden Doell (20 points) became the first trio of teammates to each finish with 20-plus points on their team’s playoff run since the 2015 Melfort Mustangs’ Adam Fauchoux (23 points), Tristan Frei (23 points), and Travis Mayan (21 points).

What’s next?

Following their SJHL championship, the North Stars will now set their sights on a National Title, advancing on to the 2023 Centennial Cup, held this year in Portage, MB., May 11-21.

All North Stars’ Centennial Cup games will be available on 1050 CJNB, with the schedule to be announced soon. Stay tuned to battlefordsNOW for the latest on the Stars’ Nationals run, feature pieces, and further breakdown of the team’s season for the ages.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1