The North Stars celebrate their SJHL championship win Apr. 22, 2023, hoisting high the Canterra Seeds Cup. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Sharing memories

North Stars reflect on one-year anniversary of 2023 championship

Apr 22, 2024 | 6:39 PM

One year ago today, the Battlefords North Stars capped off their winningest season in franchise history, with their fourth Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) championship in franchise history.

Setting numerous franchise and SJHL records during the 2022-23 regular season, the team became the first in league history to go undefeated in regulation into the New Year, on their way to a 48-5-3 record to set a new franchise-best for wins (48), total points (99), and fewest regulation losses (five) in a season, before continuing their dominance with a commanding 12-1 playoff record on their road to the Canterra Seeds Cup championship.

Reflecting back on the magical run, the team to a man, credits their lone loss – which came in Game 1 of their first-round series with Weyburn – as having played a vital role in their success that followed going on to take the series in five games, followed by four-game sweeps over both the Melfort Mustangs in the semi-finals and Flin Flon Bombers in the finals.

“To be honest, I think it was the best thing for us, just to lose that first game, as it kind of set a fire into everyone and I think that’s how we went on to win the 12-straight after that,” 2023 playoff scoring leader, Kian Bell said.

“I remember coming in the room after that first loss, looking around the room and just thinking we’re probably not going to lose another game,” added hometown captain, Jake Southgate. “We took that loss so personally, and we were ready to play all the rest of the games.”

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L-R: Holden Doell, Kian Bell, and Jake Southgate finished top three in regular season and playoff scoring on the North Stars’ run to the league championship. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The biggest win of the semis followed in Game 3 against Melfort, as the North Stars and Mustangs would battle it out into not one, but two overtime periods in a scoreless tie, until Bell’s double-OT winner clinched the contest 1-0 at the 4:15 mark of the second sudden-death period.

“I just remember being so exhausted, just thinking in the room like ‘how is it still 0-0 going into the fifth period of play?!’” Bell recalled with a laugh.

“It was such a long but fun game with chances both ways, and then on the overtime goal I saw the defenceman fumble the puck a bit and he put it just by me, but right onto Holden [Doell’s] stick, so I just kept skating and Doeller put it right on my tape. It’s such a big difference between going up 3-0 or 2-1 [in the series], so that was a big goal at the time.”

North Stars’ goaltender, Josh Kotai, who made an incredible 44 saves to earn the shutout in the victory, said even in the tightest games like that one, the team embodied a real calmness and self-belief against what was a strong Mustangs’ squad.

“That was a huge game and that Melfort team was such a good team too, and had a tough goalie in Joel Favreau,” Kotai recalled. “I think just our willingness to be consistent when goals were hard to come by, we just stuck with it and that gave us our success there.

“There was no worry in our dressing room, and I think all the guys were confident we would come away with it,” the SJHL Top Goaltender Award winner continued. “We were just having fun in that experience of overtime hockey, knowing one shot could change everything.”

Finishing off their series with Melfort the following night with a 5-2 win to clinch the best-of-seven, from there the team advanced to the league finals to face their final hurdle against Flin Flon.

Pulling off a thought-to-be-impossible second-straight series sweep to claim the championship following a decisive 7-4 win in Game 4 in Flin Flon, Southgate said he still gets chills when he thinks back to those final minutes with the clock counting down.

“I just remember being on the bench looking at the guys and starting to tear up… and then you hop the boards, and celebrate with the team,” Southgate said. “I remember receiving the trophy from the commissioner and getting to lift it with all the boys around touching the trophy, that was really cool.”

Zane Florence, who along with Southgate, and Jordan Grill made up the Battlefords’ hometown contingent of the championship team, said more than any specific goals or plays, it’s the overall character of the group that really stands out as he looks back.

“Just the way the team was so close, you could talk to anyone, joke around with anyone, and that was the main thing,” Florence said. “Just the close-knit nature of the team was what really led us to be such a great team.”

Childhood friends and longtime teammates, Jake Southgate and Zane Florence give a smile and wave to the camera postgame, while awaiting the presentation of the Canterra Seeds Cup. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

North Stars’ run to the championship at a glance:

Quarter-finals: 4-1 series win vs. Weyburn Red Wings

Semi-finals: 4-0 series win vs. Melfort Mustangs

Finals: 4-0 series win vs. Flin Flon Bombers

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1