North Stars respond, top Bombers 8-6 in Saturday night barn burner

In the second, Jackson Allan’s 16th of the year re-established the Battlefords’ two-goal lead at 3-1 early, coming on the power play. Though once again, the Bombers were quick to answer, this time with a pair, the second of which would be a point of heated contention.

After Jacob Vockler’s 21st got the Bombers back to within a single, trailing 3-2, Noah Houle fired a shot that appeared to be off the post and that was waived off emphatically by the official on the play. However, over a minute later the officials conferred and overturned the call to a good goal on the play in unprecedented fashion. At that, the game was tied.

Despite the blow, the North Stars remained focused. Less than a minute later, Josh Karman lasered a wrister from the point for the go-ahead goal once again at 4-3 Battlefords.

After back-to-back goals by Alexei Sylvestre reversed the lead entirely to 5-4 Bombers, with the second coming with just 2:15 to go in the middle period, Ben Portner’s 25^th came with just a minute later. Picking the pocket of a defender on the forecheck, #18 then scored on a wraparound in tight to knot the game again at 5-5 heading into the third.

North Stars’ forward, Josh Medernach lines up opposite Flin Flon’s Justin Lies on the faceoff Saturday, in a game fueled by playoff-like intensity from both sides. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

In the final period, Hunter Burgeson’s 12^th of the season – and second in as many nights – made it 6-5 Battlefords on a quick release in tight. The goal was followed less than 30 seconds later by Izyk’s 15^th on a dart of a wrist shot set up by Brad Blake to find him as the trailer.

Suddenly in the blink of an eye, it was a 7-5 North Stars’ lead.

Lies’s second of the night and 38^th of the season got the Bombers back to within one, trailing 7-6, though that is as close as the Stars would let them. Josh Medernach’s sixth of the year into the empty net sealed the night’s contest, icing the game as an 8-6 Battlefords win.

With the victory the North Stars are now 33-10-4 on the season through 47 games, with just nine remaining on their regular season schedule.

The team will now get nearly a full week off to rest up and regroup, ahead of their return to play next Friday for a three-games in three-nights road trip to Yorkton, Melville, and Notre Dame. Friday’s NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Broadcast will be available on 1050 CJNB, with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 7 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

0:35 BAT Evan Waldie (4) ASST: Hunter Burgeson, Tanner Gold 1-0 BAT

4:05 BAT Kian Bell (32) ASST: Gavin Granger, Josh Medernach 2-0 BAT

16:36 FF Justin Lies (37) ASST: Noah Houle, Jacob Vockler (PP) 2-1 BAT

Second period:

3:52 BAT Jackson Allan (16) ASST: Tanner Gold, Hunter Burgeson (PP) 3-1 BAT

12:24 FF Jacob Vockler (21) ASST: Justin Lies, Carter Anderson (PP) 3-2 BAT

13:52 FF Noah Houle (11) ASST: Carter Anderson (PP) 3-3 Tie

14:08 BAT Josh Karman (3) ASST: Kian Bell, Ben Portner 4-3 BAT

14:19 FF Alexi Sylvestre (24) ASST: Koen Senft, Jacob Vockler 4-4 Tie

17:45 FF Alexi Sylvestre (25) ASST: Ben Portner (25) ASST: None 5-4 FF

19:00 BAT Ben Portner (25) ASST: None 5-5 Tie

Third period:

9:04 BAT Hunter Burgeson (12) ASST: Evan Waldie 6-5 BAT

9:32 BAT Alex Izyk (15) ASST: Brad Blake, Jackson Allan 7-5 BAT

10:18 FF Justin Lies (38) ASST: Noah Houle, Carter Anderson (PP) 7-6 BAT

18:40 BAT Josh Medernach (6) ASST: Ben Portner, Kian Bell (EN) 8-6 BAT

8-6 BAT, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

North Stars respond, top Bombers 8-6 in Saturday night barn burner

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