By Nathan Kanter

North Stars push winning streak to 13 after SO win over Mustangs

Nov 18, 2016 | 9:48 PM

On Friday night, the Battlefords North Stars continued their winning ways with a 2-1 shootout win over the Meflort Mustangs to push their winning streak to 13 games.

“That was a hard win. It took everyone to win that game,” North Stars associate coach Braeden Johnson after the game. “I think the guys understand that where we’re at right now, everyone is going to come to play us. They’re going to get up and try to end the streak. But the guys in that dressing room, their closeness, their belief, is something that came through tonight, I felt.”

Although the shots on goal were 43-18 for Battlefords, the game was much closer than that.

It was 0-0 until the end of the second period, when North Stars winger Keaton Holinaty sniped a shot short side over the blocker to give the home side a one-goal lead.

But with just under five minutes remaining in the third, Mustangs centre Dakota Boutin popped in the tying goal after Jaxon Joseph’s shot hit the end boards and landed right on Boutin’s tape.

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“Obviously the shots don’t reflect the game,” Johnson said. “It was a very close game and we have to find ways to win those games, which we did tonight. So again, give guys credit for working and sticking with it and staying positive.”

Overtime was as exciting as ever – thanks to 3-on-3 – but the North Stars just couldn’t buy a goal.

In the shootout, Logan would open the scoring, but Boutin would tie it 1-1. Holinaty would then net one high glove in the shoootout to give the North Stars a 2-1 lead. Taryn Kotchorek stopped Reed Gunville to ensure the win and keep the winning streak alive.

“We practice quite a bit on shootouts,” Kotchorek said, after getting his 11th win of the season. “I’ve got to hand it to our assistant coach Braeden Johnson, who helps out quite a bit on shootouts – shooting on me regularly and same with the players so you just get used to it.”

The North Stars are a perfect 3-0 in the shootout this season, with Kotchorek winning all three.

But Kotchorek also made some big saves in regulation, particularly when it was tied. His record this season is now 11-2 with a 1.98 goals-against-average and .916 save percentage.

“When we have less shots, it helps [me] out a lot,” Kotchorek said. “You really stay focused [and] in the game. Making those big saves, it helps when you don’t have to face 30, 40 shots a game.”

“[Kotchorek] reflects our kind of philosophy here in North Battleford, that he is a fighter,” Johnson added. “He’s obviously a small guy in net but he plays extremely big and it’s definitely a privilege to have him in net and to see him battle.

“Tonight, the team definitely leaned on [Kotchorek] for a lot of it and he played extremely well and we have to be proud of him for holding us in the game.”

Holinaty’s performance – a regulation goal and a shootout goal – also stood out.

It was his 11th goal of the season. Last year for Drumheller of the AJHL, Holinaty only scored three times all season long.

Holinaty said he didn’t even know he was supposed to go in the shootout.

“I didn’t hear the coach,” he said. “I knew what I was doing right away thanks to that [auction] shootout we had there after the game [two weeks ago] and I knew I was going high glove.”

The Estevan Bruins will visit the Civic Centre on Saturday night, hoping to end the North Stars streak. The North Stars last played the Bruins on Oct. 15, winning 10-3.

That 10-3 win was notable for a number of reasons.

First, it was the game Logan Nachtegaele took a knee on knee hit from Josh Rieger that forced him to miss the last month. Ironically, Nachtegaele made his return to the ice the same weekend the Bruins are returning, as he played on Friday against Melfrort.

Reed Delainey also took a high hit from Josh Fletcher in that game, a hit that forced the North Stars forward to miss the next eight games.

Johnson said none of what happened in that game is on the players’ minds.

“Our team is very mature,” he said. “They understand it’s just another game for us and you don’t want to have a team that gets caught up in that kind of stuff. I think we’re playing for bigger things and when you let the emotions get the best of you, your outcomes usually don’t come out as you planned.”

That game is also the first win of the 13-game winning streak the North Stars are currently on.

The Bruins come to town after winning 7-3 against Humboldt on Thgursday and 7-4 over Kindersley on Friday.

Puck drop on Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m., with the Ultra Print pre-game show on CJNB.CJNS getting under way at 7:15 p.m.

Nathan Kanter is battlefordsNOW’s sports reporter and voice of the Battlefords North Stars. He can be reached at Nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca or tweet him @NathanKanter11