The North Stars fell four points behind the Flin Flon Bombers for first place in the SJHL with the 4-3 loss against the Melfort Mustangs. (Image Credit: Byron Hildebrand Photography/Facebook)

By Ryan Lambert

North Stars lose point streak

North Stars fall 4-3 to the Melfort Mustangs, 11-game point streak snapped

Jan 28, 2026 | 12:57 AM

It was a tough night for the Battlefords North Stars who lost in regulation for the first time in 2026, dropping a home contest 4-3 to the Melfort Mustangs. 

In a slow start, the North Stars didn’t get a shot on net until almost halfway through the period. However, they got on the board with their first shot of the game on the power play when Kobe Sawyer put one through the five hole of Mustangs goaltender Kason Kobelka at the 9:02 mark. 

Just 21 seconds later at 9:23, Tao Flory scored his first goal of the season on a delayed penalty when he shot the puck from the post, and it deflected off of a North Stars defenceman and into the net. The score remained knotted up, heading into the second period. 

After one: Tied 1-1 

The Mustangs took the lead at the 2:49 mark when Ethan Hamilton scored his first SJHL goal to give the Mustangs the 2-1 lead. 

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Before the five-minute mark, Adam Konowalchuk responded for the North Stars when he took a pass in front of the net from Sawyer, spun around and backhanded the puck past Kobelka to tie things up at 2-2 at 4:18. 

The North Stars got a powerplay opportunity late in the period, but it was the Mustangs who struck shorthanded. On the two-on-one, Austin Shephard found Kaleb Binner who put it past Spencer Michnik to give the Mustangs a 3-2 lead with less than two minutes to go in the second. 

After two: 3-2 Mustangs 

More than halfway through the third period at 13:48, the Mustangs had their third player score their first of the season when Noel Englot grabbed a rebound from a Zayden Sadlemeyer shot and fired it past Michnik to extend the Mustangs lead to 4-2. 

At the 16:25 mark, Kaleb Dewar scored top shelf to cut the deficit to 4-3. However, the Mustangs shut down the North Stars after that and held on for the victory, taking their fifth win in six games. 

Final score: 4-3 Mustangs 

In the loss, the North Stars had their 11-game point streak snapped. The Flin Flon Bombers beating the Nipawin Hawks 7-4 also put Flin Flon four points ahead of the North Stars for first place in the standings. 

The North Stars will look to get back in the win column when they face off with the Melville Millionaires on the road on Jan. 30. 

— 

Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com