Huge Upset in Melfort! Terriers get by Ice Wolves for Second Straight Win!

I would have to think that after Darrell Mann made the big trade with the Battlefords North Stars on December 1 which brought Jason Walker and Nick Kalnicki to Melfort, he did not envision losing the first matchup between the two teams, particularly on home ice. However, hockey can be a strange game sometimes and that is what happened tonight as the North Stars skated to a 3-2 win over the Mustangs. Shawn McNulty put the Stars up early just 3:27 into the game with former Mustang Colton Graf picking up the lone assist. John Payne would tie things up with a power play goal later in the first to make it 1-1 going into the first intermission. Kalnicki would then give the Mustangs the lead at 3:33 of the second period from Kyle Fraser and Cam Oliphant. McNulty would answer that goal just over six minutes later with Graf and Jesse Lebreton getting the assists and the teams would again go to intermission all tied up. The Stars would take the lead at 2:35 as Nickolaus Dvorak picked up an unassisted marker. This goal would be it for the scoring as the North Stars come away with a stunning 3-2 victory. Adrien Lemay was phenomenal in goal for the Stars has he was forced to make 40 saves. Jesse Trach got a rare start for the Mustangs and stopped 16 of the 19 shots he faced. The Stars finally pick up there fourth win of the season as I am sure the former Mustangs were excited to beat there former team tonight. Should note that Jason Walker has yet to register a point in a Mustangs uniform, this being his third game. This was the first win for the North Stars since a 3-0 decision over Flin Flon on November 13.

In Yorkton, the Terriers were looking for a win on consecutive nights for the first time in awhile. Kyle Block would put the Terriers up 1-0 just 59 seconds into the game from Derek Serdachny. Jarrid Dowhay would tie things up at the 11:48 mark of the first with an unassisted marker. Travis Coghill regained the lead for the Terriers exactly seven minutes later from Evan Neibrandt and Kirk Byczynski. The teams would play a scoreless second period before Jordie Johnston scored his 28th of the season with 7:14 to go in regulation from Dowhay. Overtime would solve nothing and Serdachny was the hero in the seventh round of the shootout as the Terriers pick up the shootout victory. Joel Danyluk got the start for the Terriers after coming in for relief early in last night's game for Lynden Sammartino and made a respectable 18 saves and stood tall in the shootout. Jonathan Jobin made the start for the Ice Wolves and made 28 saves. The Terriers have really tightened things up in the Sherwood Conference with the win as the fifth place Terriers are now only five points back of first place Weyburn in the division. The Ice Wolves move into a second place tie with the Melfort Mustangs in the Itech conference with the single point.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Adrien Lemay - Battlefords North Stars (40 saves performance for Stars rookie goaltender)
** Shaun McNulty - Battlefords North Stars(2 goal performance in huge upset win by Stars)
*** Kyle Block - Yorkton Terriers (only had one goal tonight but Block has been consistently the Terriers best forward throughout the season)

Tomorrow night:

No games scheduled. The league will return with four games on Friday night. The Weyburn Red Wings are next in action in Melville on Saturday night before hosting Humboldt on Sunday evening.

- Brad M.