The Battlefords North Stars beat the Estevan Bruins 4-2 Saturday night, extending their winning streak to six games. The North Stars (14-13-0-2) have a winning record for the first time this season.
Estevan controlled play in the opening moments of the first period, registering the first six shots on net. However, the North Stars opened the scoring seven seconds into Estevan defenseman David Robertson's penalty for cross checking. Nick Fountain collected the rebound from Ryne Keller's shot off the boards, beating Bruins' goalie Matt Gibney.
The lead would not last long. Estevan responded two-and-a-half minutes later when Austin Daae tallied his sixteenth goal on the season, deflecting a centering pass from Tanner Froese into the top of the net past North Stars' goaltender Michael Gudmandson.
The Battlefords answered back on the power play 16 seconds before the end of the period. Captain Kyle Schmidt deflected Jack Petrino's shot into the back of the net to give the Stars a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
In the second period, the North Stars took penalties seven seconds apart, giving the Bruins an almost full two-minute two-man advantage. Estevan would capitalize on the advantage, with Froese beating Gudmandson to tie the game.
The third period opened with a quick pace of play and both teams going end to end, mainly due to no penalties being called for the first 10 minutes.
It was an even period until the North Stars took the lead on a fortunate bounce for the home team. Braden Lacoursiere's shot from the point hit Robertson's skate and found the back of the net to give the Battlefords a 3-2 lead with five minutes to go.
The Bruins' chances for a comeback were derailed when Wyatt Garagan was given a two-minute minor and a game misconduct for boarding. The North Stars made Estevan pay again on the power play. Latrell Charleson's point shot fooled Gibney to give the Stars the 4-2 lead. The shot looked to get deflected in front of the net, but the goal stayed with Charleson.
The win ended a strong November for the North Stars, finishing the month with a record of 10-1-0-2. The Battlefords are third in the Kramer division, five points behind first place Humboldt.
The North Stars' next game is Wednesday night when they travel to Melfort to take on the Mustangs. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. Estevan (10-10-2-2) has now lost four straight.
