Alex Izyk pictured postgame, after scoring his first career hat trick Wednesday night at the ACC. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Third straight win

Izyk’s hat trick leads way as North Stars top Hounds 8-2

Nov 30, 2023 | 12:44 AM

Defenceman Alex Izyk tallied his first career hat trick, as one of six different players to light the lamp for the Battlefords North Stars, in an 8-2 win over Notre Dame Wednesday night in North Battleford.

Scoring a goal in each of the three periods on his way to the milestone, Izyk’s first of the game came on the rebound of a nice give-and-go play with Jackson Allan, with his second also coming off an Allan rebound chance, before capping the evening with a rocket one-timer to bring the hats out of the stands.

“I went to the net on the first two, as you’ve got to go there sometimes to score, and got lucky enough the puck came my way and the guys were helping me out by getting it there,” Izyk said postgame. “Then on that last one, I was just hoping it’d go… I saw a lane and just shot for it and was lucky enough to put it in.”

Named the first star of the game, Izyk’s night was then capped in true brotherly fashion, as he entered the dressing room ambushed by cheering teammates who doused him with a celebratory shower of water thrown his way out of cups and water bottles from all angles.

“Those guys are great, I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world,” he said with a smile, recounting his teammates’ antics. “I walk in and I see the guys smirk and they all start spraying me with water, so it was a good time and they made it special for me, for sure.”

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In addition to Izyk’s hat trick performance, Kian Bell scored another three points (one goal, two assists) to continue his rapid ascent up the SJHL scoring race, now with 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in just 14 games to sit just four back of Flin Flon’s Justin Lies (41 points in 23 games) for the league lead.

Jackson Allan had three assists in his return to the North Stars’ lineup Wednesday, after missing the last game due to injury. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Rylan Williams scored his 10^th of the year to become the first North Stars’ rookie to hit double-digits in goals, while Ben Portner cashed for his ninth, Carson Olsen added his sixth, and Marshall Light tallied his fourth on a power play late, to solidify the win for the team.

North Stars’ goalie Ben Dardis stopped 18-of-20 for the win, while Notre Dame’s Jesse Pye was under duress throughout the night stopping 42-of-50 Battlefords’ shots at the other end.

With the win, the North Stars are now 19-7-0-1 through 27 games, and with 39 points remain just five back of first-place Flin Flon.

The North Stars will now get a night off to rest up and prepare for back-to-backs this weekend on home ice, against Estevan Friday and Melville Saturday. The NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Broadcast will be available both nights on 1050 CJNB, with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 7 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

4:55 BAT Rylan Williams (10) ASST: Josh Medernach, Riley Girod 1-0 BAT

13:26 BAT Ben Portner (9) ASST: Kian Bell, Brayden Sinclair 2-0 BAT

16:00 BAT Kian Bell (16) ASST: None 3-0 BAT

16:13 ND Matteo Speranza (7) ASST: Cole Wirun, Ashton Breyer 3-1 BAT

17:37 BAT Alex Izyk (5) ASST: Jackson Allan 4-1 BAT

Second period:

3:15 ND Matteo Speranza (8) ASST: DJ Freigang 4-2 BAT

17:08 BAT Alex Izyk (6) ASST: Jackson Allan, Rylan Williams 5-2 BAT

17:21 BAT Carson Olsen (7) ASST: Hunter Burgeson 6-2 BAT

Third period:

16:43 BAT Marshall Light (4) ASST: Evan Waldie, Kian Bell 7-2 BAT

17:41 BAT Alex Izyk (7) ASST: Jackson Allan, Riley Girod 8-2 BAT

8-2 BAT, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

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