North Stars teammates Keiton Klein and Jordan Grill swarm Colby Bear following his third period goal to put the game away against the Fighting Walleye, Thursday. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Off and Running

North Stars top Kam River 4-1 to open Centennial Cup

May 11, 2023 | 4:08 PM

Steven Kesslering led the way with a goal and an assist and Josh Kotai stopped 20/21 on the day, as the Battlefords North Stars opened the Centennial Cup with a 4-1 win over the SIJHL champion Kam River Fighting Walleye, Thursday.

Jackson Allan, Colby Bear, and Tanner Gold also scored for the Stars and Jake Southgate had a pair of assists in the win, to start the team off on the right foot, in their first game of the tournament.

Kesslering opened the scoring midway through the first period on a shorthanded breakaway, set up by Southgate to make it 1-0.

Streaking in alone on goal, the Viceroy Rocket snapped a shot through the five-hole on Walleye goalie Eric Vanska, who would keep his team in the game for much of the day.

Kesslering then set up the Stars’ second goal, this time firing a hard wrister on net to generate a rebound for Jackson Allan, who cashed in for his first of the tournament with just 20 seconds to go in the first, to stretch the lead to 2-0 Stars.

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Jackson Allan celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 goal, and eventual game winner, Thursday against Kam River. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Despite a 14-4 shot advantage for the Battlefords through the first third of the game, Kam River’s Jeremy Dunmore would answer back to cut his team’s deficit to just a single goal at 2-1 early in the second.

Firing a shot through traffic from the left point, Dunmore’s long-range offering threaded the needle through a maze of bodies in front, to give the SIJHL champs life.

However, the Stars were not done either, again converting for a late-period tally to end the second on a pin-point accurate shot off the post-and-in from defenceman Tanner Gold, this time set up by Southgate and Holden Doell.

Possessing the puck on a string as he powered his way around the perimeter of the zone with a defender on his hip, Southgate then sliced a pass through the seam to Doell, who quickly bumped it back to Gold, wading in from the left point for the scoring play.

It remained a 3-1 North Stars lead into the third period, when Bear cashed halfway through the final frame to make it 4-1, on the quick release of a rocket wrist shot to ice the game, off a smooth set-up by Keiton Klein.

The North Stars outshot Kam River 36-21 on the day, registering double-digit shots on goal in each of the three periods, while holding the Fighting Walleye to just four shots in each of the first and third periods.

Goalie Josh Kotai was a brick wall, stopping 20/21 Walleye shots to backstop the Stars to victory in their opening win against Kam River. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

With the win, the North Stars open the tournament 1-0, heading into an off-day Friday, before returning to action Saturday morning when the team will again open the day’s action, this time against the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) champion Collingwood Blues.

Saturday’s game will be available on 1050 CJNB, with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 10 a.m. Sask time and puck drop at 10:30 a.m. on the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast.

The North Stars full Centennial Cup schedule can be found here.

Scoring summary

First period:

9:54 BAT Steven Kesslering (1) ASST: Jake Southgate (SH) 1-0 Stars

19:39 BAT Jackson Allan (1) ASST: Steven Kesslering 2-0 Stars

Second period:

6:59 KRW Jeremy Dunmore (1) ASST: Ryan Doucette, Brodie McLeod 2-1 Stars

18:40 BAT Tanner Gold (1) ASST: Holden Doell, Jake Southgate 3-1 Stars

Third period:

10:35 BAT Colby Bear (1) ASST: Keiton Klein 4-1 Stars

4-1 North Stars, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1