The Battlefords North Stars are now the second team in the SJHL after the Flin Flon Bombers to clinch a playoff birth this season. (Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Ryan Lambert

playoff bound

North Stars clinch playoff spot and division title with 4-2 comeback win vs Kindersley

Feb 16, 2026 | 8:57 PM

The Battlefords North Stars have become the second team in the SJHL to clinch a playoff spot and won the Nutrien Division for the second straight year after a wild come-from-behind win over the Kindersley Klippers in a Family Day affair. 

It was a bit of a slow start for the North Stars. The Klippers outshot them 12-7 in the opening frame. The North Stars got a power play opportunity near the end of the period, but the Klippers killed it off to keep the game scoreless. 

After one: Tied 0-0 

The Klippers got the first goal of the game just 34 seconds into the second period when the puck popped out in front, and Rylan Wieler scored his 10th of the season to give the Klippers a 1-0 advantage. 

Mattias Radke was stellar for the Klippers, but Owen Nelson finally got one past Radke just over halfway through the frame. After Radke made a save on the left side of the net, Nelson recognized that Radke was too far to his post, brought the puck around the net and scored on a wraparound just before Radke was able to get back into position at 10:50. 

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Nelson’s 16th goal of the season tied the game at one, and the North Stars forward extended his goal streak to three games. 

After Eric Marks took a roughing call at 14:56 then Kaleb Dewar went to the box for tripping at 15:36, the Klippers had a lengthy five-on-three power play opportunity. However, the North Stars were able to kill it off led by some big saves by goaltender Kaeden Serpa, and they went into the final frame all knotted up. 

After two: Tied 1-1 

At the 3:47 mark of the third period, Ethan Sautner took a pass from Braydon Vanderbilche on the two-on-one and fired it past Serpa to give the Klippers the 2-1 lead. 

While the North Stars weren’t at their best throughout most of the third period, they turned it on in the last few minutes of the game. At the 17:09 mark when Anthony Campbell had the puck on the left side of the offensive zone, the Klippers defence collapsed in the zone, giving Campell time and space. The North Stars captain fired a puck top shelf past Radke to tie things up. 

Just 30 seconds later at 17:39, Josh Knittig was sprung into the zone on a foot race. He made it to the puck before finding Dewar in front, and Dewar deflected it past Radke to make it a 3-2 game. 

The Klippers pulled the goaltender with about a minute and a half left. At 19:11 after Kindersley was pressuring, Owen Dyck grabbed the puck and sent it all the way down the ice and into the empty net to put the nail in the coffin and put the North Stars up 4-2, which they held onto for the rest of the way. 

Final score: 4-2 North Stars 

With the win, the North Stars clinched a spot in the playoffs and won the Nutrien Division for the second straight season. Serpa stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced in the victory. They are back in action on Feb. 20 when they host the Warman Wolverines as they continue their chase for first place in the SJHL. 

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com