Friday’s victory was the Stars’ fourth straight, as the team picked up right where they left off prior to Christmas, with another solid team effort that saw five different players chip in with a goal on the night. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Fourth straight

North Stars ‘Klip’ Kindersley, stay hot with 5-2 win

Jan 4, 2020 | 12:26 AM

It was a joyous kick-start to the New Year for the Battlefords North Stars Friday, as the team downed the rival, Kindersley Klippers 5-2 at the West Central Events Centre in Kindersley.

Five different players scored on the night to lead the team to success, as Ben Hiltz, Logan Spence, Austin Becker, Seth Summers and Rylan Nivon each chipped in a goal in the outing. Austin Schwab stopped 27 of 29 Klippers’ shots on the night for the win.

Kindersley’s Liam Fraser and Michael Neumeier pitched in for the Klippers on the night in the losing effort, while Matt Sankner made 19 saves on 24 shots against.

Hiltz opened the scoring for the Stars, cashing in for his 14^th of the season on the power play to make it 1-0 Stars.

Coming on the team’s initial man advantage opportunity of the night, the goal served as the finishing touch on a tick-tack-toe passing play that concluded with a Nivon cross-crease pass being hammered home by Hiltz in front.

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Spence made it 2-0 Battlefords about six minutes later on another gorgeous play. Sprung on a breakaway rush chance, Spence showed zero hesitation as he slung the puck off the crossbar and in for his third of the season.

Kindersley’s Liam Fraser cut his team’s deficit in half, making it 2-1 as the forward deposited his team leading 20^th of the campaign prior to the first intermission.

In the second, it didn’t take long for the Klippers to tie things up, 2-2. Michael Neumeier’s first of the season and first career SJHL goal came on a shot from the high slot through traffic. With the strike, the game was back on even footing.

Austin Becker did reestablish the Battlefords’ lead though, prior to the second intermission.

Receiving a feed at the side of the goal from Liam Antoniuk, Becker froze the Klippers’ goalie with aa couple of memorizing stickhandle moves, before backhanding one top shelf for his 14^th to make it 3-2 Stars heading into the third.

In the third, Summers registered his eighth of the campaign to make it 4-2, and provide his team an insurance marker off a quick release from the mid slot, creeping down from the point.

Nivon’s 11^th sealed the deal and capped the night’s scoring, serving as the forward’s third point of the night while making it 5-2, the final.

With the win, the Stars improve to 31-6-2 on the season. With 64 points, the team now sits a commanding 13 points up on second place Flin Flon in the league standings.

Meanwhile, with their loss, Kindersley fall to 14-18-6 on the year, and sit just back of Notre Dame for the eighth and final playoff spot with 34 points.

Part two of the teams’ home-and-home series this weekend will be played Saturday night at the North Battleford Civic Centre.

Saturday’s game will be broadcast on NAPA Auto Parts Hockey on 1050 CJNB. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7:15 p.m. with puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

6:23 BAT Ben Hiltz (14) ASST: Rylan Nivon (32), Jaxon Steele (6) (PP)

12:45 BAT Logan Spence (3) ASST: Carson Reagan (4), Austin Schwab (1)

15:39 KIN Liam Fraser (20) ASST: Brett Neumeier (4), Michael Nieumeier (4)

Second period:

1:03 KIN Michael Neumeier (1) ASST: Tyler Traptow (12), Brendon Borbely (10) (PP)

10:03 BAT Austin Becker (14) ASST: Liam Antoniuk (5), Rylan Nivon (33)

Third period:

10:51 BAT Seth Summers (8) ASST: Austin Becker (21), Matthew Fletcher (27)

12:42 BAT Rylan Nivon (11) ASST: Quintin Loon-Stewardson (18), Austin Becker (22)

5-2 North Stars, the final.

—

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1