With another four points Wednesday night, Kian Bell is once again tied for the SJHL scoring lead with 55 points, despite having played just 23 games. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

North Stars Rolling

Bell rings in four-point night, leads North Stars to seventh straight

Jan 18, 2024 | 1:05 AM

Kian Bell snapped a three-game scoring slump in electrifying fashion Wednesday, scoring a goal and setting up three more in a four-point performance, to lead the Battlefords North Stars to a 5-3 victory over Estevan at the ACC, and extend their winning streak to seven straight.

The North Stars’ top line of Bell (one goal, three assists), Ben Portner (two goals, one assist), and Brad Blake (one goal, one assist) combined for four goals and eight points on the night as a unit, while Treycen Wuttunee added his first in the SJHL, and goalie Matthew MacArthur backstopped the team with 30 saves.

Wuttunee’s first in a North Stars’ sweater opened the scoring just under three minutes into the first period, to make it 1-0, coming in just his second game since joining the team.

However, Wednesday’s contest wasn’t without its adversity. Midway through the first, Bruins’ forwards Brady Wilson and Gabriel Filion would answer back with back-to-back goals just over a minute apart to reverse the lead entirely prior to the intermission, to make it 2-1 Bruins after 20 minutes.

In the second, the North Stars truly came alive, outshooting Estevan 19-11 on their way to three-unanswered goals. Portner’s 13^th and 14^th of the season sandwiched Blake’s 15^th on a quick wraparound, to again reverse the lead and make it 4-2 Battlefords at the end of two periods.

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Drawing an assist on Portner’s second goal of the game, North Stars’ affiliated player call-up, Linken Fisher also tallied his first career SJHL point, as it was his shot from the blue line that found Portner at the front of the net.

In the third, Owen Barrow got Estevan back to within a single goal just 1:40 into the period – though despite some feverish pressure late with a 6-on-4 with the goalie pulled on the power play – that is as close as the visitors would come.

The North Stars’ penalty killing efforts were led by their goaltender MacArthur, and by Tanner Gold and Riley Girod, who each blocked rocket-shots from the blue line late, to preserve the team’s lead.

Kian Bell iced the game, scoring his 24^th of the season into the empty net to cap his monster four-point night, and bring him back into a tie for the league lead in scoring with Flin Flon’s Justin Lies (55 points in 33 games), with 55 in 23 games.

With the victory, the North Stars are now 26-7-2-1 through 36 games, and now sit two points up on third-place Melfort, and three up on fourth-place Humboldt, for second overall in the league standings.

The North Stars will now get a night off Thursday to rest up and regroup ahead of their return to action this weekend, for a home-and-home with the division rival, Humboldt Broncos. Friday’s game will be a 7:30 p.m. start in North Battleford, with Saturday’s a 7 p.m. puck drop in Humboldt.

Both nights, the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Broadcast will be available on 1050 CJNB, with the Ultra Print Pregame Show starting 30 minutes prior to puck drop (7 p.m. Friday, and 6:30 p.m. Saturday).

Scoring summary

First period:

2:48 BAT Treycen Wuttunee (1) ASST: Kian Bell, Kobie Anderson 1-0 BAT

9:43 EST Brady Wilson (3) ASST: Dillon Jackson, Ben Wright 1-1 Tie

10:58 EST Gabriel Filion (5) ASST: Keagon Little 2-1 EST

Second period:

12:58 BAT Ben Portner (13) ASST: Brayden Sinclair, Brad Blake (PP) 2-2 Tie

16:35 BAT Brad Blake (15) ASST: Kian Bell, Ben Portner 3-2 BAT

17:04 BAT Ben Portner (14) ASST: Linken Fischer, Kian Bell 4-2 BAT

Third period:

1:40 EST Owen Barrow (14) ASST: Raine Hodge 4-3 BAT

19:02 BAT Kian Bell (24) ASST: None 5-3 BAT

5-3 BAT, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1