While the junior North Stars are off to a hot start to their SJHL season, the AAA midget Battlefords Stars are going in the opposite direction.
The Stars are off to a 0-4 start, losing all of their contests on the road. But the games were close, with two of the games going to shootouts.
The team hopes to turn it around this weekend at the North Battleford Civic Centre against the Yorkton Secon Maulers in what will be their first two home games of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League season.
The Stars began their campaign Sept. 21 at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, with the Prince Albert Mintos winning 5-4 in a shootout. The Stars took a 2-1 lead in that game on goals from Vaughn Watterodt and Mason Bueckert, but Prince Albert scored two to take a 3-2 lead though one. The Stars scored two more from Jake Southgate from Carson Dobson in the second before the Mintos tied it. In the shootout Dawson Springer beat the Stars’ Jackson Fellner to win the game,
The Stars’ next action was Wednesday at the Rod Hamm Memorial Arena in Saskatoon against the Saskatoon Blazers. Again, it was the home Blazers who prevailed, 4-1.The lone Stars goal again came from Southgate for his third goal of the season.
This past weekend saw the Stars head to Warman for the Showcase, with games against Swift Current Legionnaires and Notre Dame Hounds.
Against the Legionnaires Saturday. the Stars took a 2-0 lead nwith goals from Colby Ralston in the first period and Mason Bueckert in the second. But Swift Current got five unanswered to win the game 5-2.
Against the Hounds Sunday, the Stars only goal came from Carson Dobson in the third priod from Colby Ralston and Ethan Grabowski to tie the game at 1-1. Fellner stopped 40 of 41 shots in net to force the game into a shootout.
But the AAA Stars again ran short of luck in that frame, as Kevin Anderson and Jhett Larson each scored shootout goals to win the game 2-1.
Now the Stars prepare for their first home games at the Civic Centre this season. Game times against Yorkton are 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. Sunday.
