Friday's game between the North Stars and Bombers was a fast-paced contest with a playoff-like feel. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Rivalry Night

North Stars fall 5-4 to Bombers in epic OT clash

Jan 27, 2024 | 1:51 AM

For all the hype surrounding Friday night’s opening game of the season series between the Battlefords North Stars and Flin Flon Bombers, the game itself delivered on all fronts, with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League heavyweights going blow-for-blow on the way to a 5-4 Flin Flon victory in overtime.

Taking place in front of a season-high attendance of over 1,300 at North Battleford’s Access Communications Centre, the pace was frantic and the atmosphere electric from the drop of the opening faceoff.

Hunter Burgeson brought the hometown crowed to their feet, making it 1-0 Battlefords just over seven minutes into the first, firing home a one-touch pass from Josh Medernach for his 10^th of the year.

However just three minutes later, Bombers’ captain Justin Lies answered right back, with a sizzling wrister from the high slot on the power play to extend his league-leading goal total to 31, and knot the score 1-1.

Ben Portner’s 21^st of the season – and first of two on the night for a sixth straight multi-goal game – re-established the North Stars’ lead at 2-1 prior to the end of the period, cleaning up a Tanner Gold rebound in front, off the goalie’s pad.

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After Alexi Sylvestre’s 20^th again knotted the score, 2-2 early in the second, Kian Bell’s 27^th of the season nearly blew the roof off the building late in the frame. Beating the goalie on an incredible breakaway dash sprung by Brad Blake, the goal made it 3-2 Stars with just 2:10 to go until the intermission.

As was the case all night, neither team could take more than an inch at a time before an answer.

In the final minute of the second, Anthony Bax tallied a seeing-eye wrister from the point, followed early in the third by an Anthony Piccininno strike to give Flin Flon their first lead of the night in the final period of regulation.

Though this time, it was the North Stars’ turn to answer. Portner’s second of the night came off a savvy pickpocket by Bell to strip the defenceman behind the net and feed Portner in front for the quick-release to make it a 4-4 game, eventually leading to 3-on-3 sudden death overtime.

Adam McNutt’s winner capped the night on a rush to the front of the net late in OT, with just over a minute to go in the extra session.

Both goaltenders were nothing short of incredible throughout the night, as Matthew MacArthur made 46 saves for the Battlefords, none better than his cross-crease robbery of Sylvestre point-blank on a Bombers’ power play in the first.

Bombers’ goalie Harmon Laser-Hume stopped 31 at the other end, with his best featuring a glove stop on a Blake one-timer to the side of the goal that left the crowd in disbelief.

With the loss, the North Stars see their 10-game winning streak snapped, though they do still pick up a single point for taking the game to overtime, extending their point-streak to 16 straight.

Now 29-7-3-1 through 40 games, the North Stars’ 62 points are now six back of Flin Flon for tops in the league standings.

The North Stars will get another crack at the Bombers Saturday night across the bridge at Battleford Arena, for the second game of the teams’ weekend series in the Battlefords. Saturday’s game will be available 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:

7:24 BAT Hunter Burgeson (10) ASST: Josh Medernach, Easton Rask 1-0 BAT

12:04 FF Justin Lies (31) ASST: Noah Houle, Jacob Vockler (PP) 1-1 Tie

17:37 BAT Ben Portner (21) ASST: Kian Bell, Tanner Gold 2-1 BAT

Second period:

5:21 FF Alexi Sylvestre (20) ASST: Justin Lies 2-2 Tie

17:50 BAT Kian Bell (27) ASST: Brad Blake, Josh Karman 3-2 BAT

19:18 FF Anthony Bax (4) ASST: Alexi Sylvestre, Anthony Piccininno 3-3 Tie

Third period:

4:32 FF Anthony Piccininno (13) ASST: Alexi Sylvestre, Noah Houle 4-3 FF

10:44 BAT Ben Portner (22) ASST: Kian Bell 4-4 Tie

Overtime:

3:39 FF Adam McNutt (5) ASST: Carter Anderson, Jacob Vockler 5-4 FF

5-4 FF, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1