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Little trouble for North Stars in game 1 as they take down Wings 5-1

Mar 16, 2018 | 11:51 PM

The Battlefords North Stars physically outmatched a younger Weyburn Red Wings team in a 5-1 win on Friday night to open up their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League quarter-final playoff series at the Civic Centre.

The defending league champions got goals from five different players, and also got one power play goal, one shorthanded goal, and three even strength goals.

“We played a good team game,” North Stars forward Keith Anderson said after the win, who had one of the five goals. “Offence from all four lines is a good indication of that.”

Chaseton Braid opened the scoring at even strength, before Cole Johnson added an unassisted shorthanded marker two and a half minutes later when he took the puck hard to the net and tucked it home.

Just 1:31 after Johnson made it 2-0, captain Layne Young got his first of the playoffs to stretch the lead to three and chase Weyburn goaltender Arik Weersink from the net. Weersink allowed three goals on the first 10 shots of the game.

“We came out pretty strong,” Braid said. “I thought the boys were pretty excited to start the playoffs.”

Battlefords outshot Weyburn 17-7 in the first period and 37-23 overall in the contest.

Anderson’s goal came in the second period on a redirection in front on a power play, which made it 4-1, while Owen Lamb also added a second period goal to make the final 5-1.

Both Anderson and goaltending coach Travis Harrington thought the team’s physicality was a big key in the win, as the Weyburn defenders were beaten to pucks in their own zone and gave the North Stars forwards too much room to operate.

“We were very physical right from the drop of the puck. All four lines were phyiscal,” Harrington said. “We pushed hard into dirty areas. In our own zone, breakouts were really quite clean and movement through the neutral zone was really strong.”

“We knew they were coming in maybe a little banged up and tired from their previous game so we took advantage of being the healthier team,” Anderson added, whose line, along with Troy Gerein and Connor McIntosh, dominated in the corners. “A lot of defencemen give up the puck when we come at them later in games, so it’s a lot of fun. A lot of free space.”

Weyburn’s lone goal came on a power play courtesy of captain Mike Eskra, his first of the playoffs.

Joel Grzybowski started the game in goal and made 22 saves on 23 shots, after it announced veteran Taryn Kotchorek was day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The top line of Braid, Young, and MacGregor Sinclair each had multi-point games for the North Stars.

The teams will meet for game two at the Civic Centre on Saturday night with less than 24 hours rest.

“We just need to make sure that we come out with the same physicality and the same idea that we’re going to get to dirty areas to try to score,” Harrington said when asked if anything needs to change for the rematch at home.

NorSask North Stars gets underway at 7 p.m. on Saturday with the Ultra Print pre-game show on CJNB/CJNS.

 

nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @NathanKanter11