Scoring early and often was the approach for the Battlefords North Stars Friday at the Civic Centre.
After scoring three times in the opening six minutes of the game, the defending Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champions would then find the net twice in a 41-second span in the final frame to pick up a 5-2 win over the Melville Millionaries.
鈥淚t can be hard sometimes to have a good start when you have the long layoff between games that we鈥檝e had in the first few weeks,鈥� North Stars defenceman Conor Jensen said.
鈥淲ith that said, I felt like we came out of the gates really strong. We kind of fell apart a little bit at the start of the third to get them back into the game, but we bounced back with a strong finish.鈥�
It didn鈥檛 take long for the North Stars to find the back of the net, as Keith Anderson scored just 65 seconds into the game.
Josh Sielsky would slide the puck past Millionaires netminder Connor Dochuk and Connor McIntosh would add a power play marker to complete the first period attack.听
鈥淚 think the key to the start that we had was the preparation we put into this game throughout the week,鈥� Anderson said.听
鈥淲e had some really good practices where we focussed a lot on the little things. To have a start like that was definitely huge.鈥�
Sielsky鈥檚 goal brought an extra sense of relief for the Maidstone product as it was his first as a member of the North Stars.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always been my dream to be a member of the North Stars and when that puck went in the net, it made it more real,鈥� Sielsky said.
The Millionaires, who have lost their last four games and are a point ahead of the Yorkton Terriers for the last playoff spot, clawed their way back early in the third period with goals by Montana Streit and Daniel Liberty.
Any momentum the visitors may have gained was quickly snuffed out near the halfway point of the period, as MacGregor Sinclair and Jensen helped to regain the North Stars鈥� three-goal cushion.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still working on playing a full 60 minutes so that wasn鈥檛 what we wanted to start the period,鈥� Anderson said.
鈥淕ood teams are able to stay composed no matter what鈥檚 happening and we were able to find a way to win tonight.鈥�
Kolby Matthews made 18 saves to earn his second career SJHL victory, while Chaseton Braid picked up an assist in his North Stars debut.
Prior to the game, the North Stars also acquired 19-year-old forward Ryan Gil from the National Collegiate Development Conference's Rochester Monarchs.
Gil, who is from Torrence, Calif., had three points in nine games for the Monarchs after a 39-point campaign with the Anaheim Jr. Ducks U18 program last season.
As a result of Braid and Gil joining the roster, the North Stars have parted ways with forward Ryan Rothenburger and defenceman Sunil Sahota.
Rothenburger, a 20-year-old from Radisson, had no points in four games with the North Stars and is now suiting up for Fort Knox in the Prairie Junior Hockey League.
Sahota, an 18-year-old from Merritt, B.C., played in one game for the team and is expected to play in the Junior B ranks in his home province.
With Friday's win, which was their fourth straight, the North Stars now have a 6-0-1 record and are in a three-way tie for second in the Olympic Buildings Division with the Humboldt Broncos and Kindersley Klippers.
The Notre Dame Hounds are a point ahead of those three teams, though the North Stars have four games in hand.
Next up for the North Stars are a pair of home games this weekend at the Civic Centre.
The Melfort Mustangs, who are the top team in the league, will come to town Friday for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
A night later, the Flin Flon Bombers will take on the North Stars for the first time since the 2017 Canalta Cup championship series.
That game will also start at 7:30 p.m.
Standings
Olympic Buildings Division
- Notre Dame Hounds 鈥� 14 points (6-3-1-1 鈥� 3W)
- Battlefords North Stars 鈥� 13 points (6-0-1 鈥� 4W)
- Humboldt Broncos 鈥� 13 points (6-5-1 鈥� 1W)
- Kindersley Klippers 鈥� 13 points (6-4-1 鈥� 2W)
Sherwood Division
- Melfort Mustangs 鈥� 22 points (10-1-1-1 鈥� 1L)
- Nipawin Hawks 鈥� 14 points (6-1-1-1 鈥� 3W)
- Flin Flon Bombers 鈥� 13 points (5-5-0-3 鈥� 5L)
- La Ronge Ice Wolves 鈥� 3 points (1-10-0-1 鈥� 8L)
Viterra Division
- Estevan Bruins 鈥� 21 points (10-2-1 鈥� 4W)
- Weyburn Red Wings 鈥� 15 points (7-2-1 鈥� 5W)
- Melville Millionaires 鈥� 7 points (3-9-0-1 鈥� 4L)
- Yorkton Terriers 鈥� 6 points (2-8-2 鈥� 2L)
Scoring Race
- Zach Goberis (Estevan) 鈥� 28 points (16 goals and 12 assists)
- Michael McChesney (Estevan) 鈥� 23 points (11 goals and 12 assists)
- Layne Young (Battlefords) 鈥� 18 points (6 goals and 12 assists)
- Jake Fletcher (Estevan) 鈥� 17 points (6 goals and 11 assists)
- Loch Morrison (Melfort) - 16 points (8 goals and 8 assists)
Goals Against Average Leaders
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- Evan Plotnik (Melfort) 鈥� 1.80 (9-1-1-1)
- Jake Anthony (Nipawin) 鈥� 1.91 (2-0-0-1)
- Carter Phair (Weyburn) - 1.95 (2-0-1)
- Taryn Kotchorek (Battlefords) 鈥� 2.34 (4-0-1)
- Brendan Newton (Flin Flon) 鈥� 2.54 (5-4-0-3)
