LUCKY 13

They had to work a little overtime, and then some this time around, as the Battlefords North Stars needed a shootout to get past the Melfort Mustangs 2-1 (SO) for their 13th win in a row Friday night.

The game was scoreless until the final minute of the second period, when the Stars’ Keaton Holinaty converted on a powerplay.  Holinaty also added the winner in the shootout.  Dakota Boutin added his 10th of the year for the Mustangs, and also scored Melfort’s only shootout goal.

Melfort goalie Evan Plotnik was the reason the game went to overtime, as the North Stars (21-5-0-0) out-shot the Mustangs (8-11-1-3) 43-18.  Plotnik made 42/43 saves, while Taryn Kotchorek made 17/18 saves in the win.

The Stars will go for their 14th straight win when they host Estevan on Saturday.

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The Yorkton Terriers have a nice winning streak going of their own, picking up their fourth straight victory, 3-2 in La Ronge.

Carson Welke got the Terriers on the board in the first period, and his twin brother McKenzie scored in the second, before Jared Legien scored the winner in the third, his 9th of the season, while Nathan Hargrave made 32/34 saves.

Luke Lush made 27/30 stops at the other end, while Derek Patter (1g-1a) and Tristen Elder scored for the Ice Wolves (4-17-0-3).

The Terriers (9-10-3-0) will stay in La Ronge for another meeting on Saturday afternoon, before finishing their three game road trip in Melfort on Sunday.

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The Flin Flon Bombers scored three unanswered third period goals as they came from behind to edge the Nipawin Hawks 4-3 on the road, and that put the two teams back into a share of the Sherwood Division lead.

Rylee Zimmer scored in the first period, but his Bombers (11-7-2-2) would eventually trail 3-1 after forty minutes.  In the third, Kristian St. Onge (2g-1a) scored twice less than four minutes apart to tie things up, and Greyson Reitmeier added the winner with under three minutes to play.

Chad McCartney, Brett Harasymuk and Keillan Olson scored for the Hawks (12-7-2-0).

That opened a three game road trip for the Bombers, which sees them in Humboldt Saturday and Melville on Sunday, while the Hawks have the rest of the weekend off.

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A wild third period saw the Melville Millionaires go on to force overtime, and win in overtime, 4-3 (OT) over the Notre Dame Hounds at a neutral site game in Grenfell.

The two clubs scored twice each in the third period, before trading goals in the first period.

Damian Bentz provided the OT winner, midway through the extra frame.  Defenseman Taylor Elmy opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game, his first SJHL goal, before Tucker Scantlebury and Dryden Wust added third period goals for the Millionaires (11-10-1-0).  Colby Entz made 19/22 saves in goal.

For the Hounds, Adam Dawe and Ben Duperreault were on the scoresheet again, with Dawe picking up a goal and an assist, and Duperreault adding his 17th goal of the season, and now leads the league in both goals and points.  Chance Longjohn also scored a short-handed goal in the third period, which gave the Hounds (11-8-3-1) the lead with nine minutes remaining.

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Jake Fletcher scored a first period hat trick, three of the five first period goals his Estevan Bruins racked up, as they went on to defeat the Kindersley Klippers 7-4.

The Klippers added three goals of their own in the first period, but couldn’t keep up with a high-scoring Bruins’ attack, which has now put up seven goals in back to back nights on the road.

Along with Fletcher, Hayden Guilderson also had a three point night with a goal and two assists, while Jason Miller added four assists.  Lynnden Pastachak (1g-1a), Matt McNeil and Isaac Embree also scored for Estevan (18-7-0-1).  Nic Tallarico made 30/34 saves in the win.

Jordan Funk had two goals and an assist for Kindersley, while Josh Bly (1g-1a) and Josh Patrician had the others.  The Klippers (9-15-1-0) have now dropped five straight.

The Bruins have two convincing wins to start their three game road trip, and have the tallest task of the three on Saturday when they look to snap the Battlefords North Stars’ 13-game winning streak.