Will Kirwan's first SJHL goal was the eventual game winner in the North Stars 3-2 win over the Humboldt Broncos. (Image Credit: Byron Hildebrand Photography/Facebook)

By Ryan Lambert

North Stars beat broncos

North Stars take down the Humboldt Broncos 3-2 to snap losing skid

Feb 4, 2026 | 1:16 AM

The Battlefords North Stars survived a third-period comeback attempt by the Humboldt Broncos for the 3-2 victory. In a game where they got off to a good start, faced some adversity and were still able to hold on, it was a good game for the team to get back to the right mentality. 

“It was pretty much what we were looking for. I thought the first period was a little bit back and forth. Both teams came out with a lot of energy. Then the second period came around, I thought we really took control there. We did a great job with just chipping pucks, winning races, really cycling, and (taking) control,” said North Stars assistant coach Owen Lamb postgame.  

The game started with a near immediate delay when Morgan Hackman hit Alex Coventry into the boards, shattering the glass and putting the North Stars defenceman through the glass and into the first row of the stands.  

Coventry wasn’t hurt on the play but had to take some time to ensure he got all of the glass out of his equipment before rejoining the game. The game was delayed around 15 minutes while the maintenance staff had to get a new glass pane in place. 

“Kind of like an extra TV timeout. We used it to make a little gameplan…Just made sure that we stayed mentally focused and ready to go when we did get back on the ice,” said Lamb. 

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The North Stars got on the board first when Kaleb Dewar passed the puck up to Raiden Zacharias along the left side boards. Zacharias brought the puck wide past Cameron Grande before cutting in and sliding it through the five hole of Broncos goaltender Brady Holtvogt to give the North Stars a 1-0 lead at the 13:58 mark.  

That was the only goal of the first period, and the North Stars took the lead into the intermission. 

After one: 1-0 North Stars 

At the 8:39 mark of the second period, a shot on net hit a couple of bodies before finding the stick of Kobe Sawyer. Sawyer scored low blocker for his 14th goal of the season to make it 2-0. 

Later at 16:34, the North Stars had a 3-on-1 break when Owen Nelson found a streaking Will Kirwan. The North Stars blueliner scored on a one-timer for his first SJHL goal to extend the North Stars lead to 3-0. 

“It was a great one for him. I know he’s been really hungry for that one, especially (lately)… I thought today he was just playing unbelievable. He earned that goal and that opportunity, and he made the most of it,” Lamb said. 

After two: 3-0 North Stars 

The Broncos stormed back in the third to make it a one-goal game. At 5:26, Rylan Hue had a shot saved by Kaeden Serpa’s pad before Tyce Penrod scored on the rebound. 

Just under five minutes later, a shot hit Serpa’s shoulder before popping up in the air, and Oliver Phillips batted the puck out of midair into the net to cut the North Stars lead to 3-2. 

After that, the North Stars were able to shut things down and hold on for the win. Kaeden Serpa turned away 38 of 40 shots in the victory.

Final score: 3-2 North Stars 

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the North Stars, who now hold sole possession for second place in the SJHL. 

The North Stars next game comes on Feb. 6 when they head to Warman to take on the Wolverines. 

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com