The midget AAA Norman Northstars picked up one point in a three-game road trip Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, courtesy of an overtime loss to the Pembina Valley Hawks on Saturday.
Henry Muchikekwanape had a hat trick Dec. 1, including the game-tying goal with 23 seconds left in regulation time as the Northstars fell 6-5 to the Hawks in overtime. Jamie Valentino opened the scoring in the first period before Roux Bazin and Riley Goertzen made it 2-1 by the first intermission. Bazin’s second goal stretched the Hawks’ lead to two early in the second period before Muchikekwanape trimmed it to a single goal with his first tally. Goertzen made it 4-2 but Muchikekwanape scored on the power play to make it a one-goal Pembina Valley lead heading into the third period. Tyson Allison extended the Hawks’ lead once more before Blake Lahonen scored for the Northstars to make it 5-4 and set up Muchikekwanape’s late-game heroics but Pembina Valley captured the win on a goal by Campbell Ens 1:21 into overtime. Rylan Potkonjak made 39 saves for the Northstars, who were outshot 45-29.
The road trip started with a more lopsided game that ended up 7-2 for the Hawks, who scored four times in the second period Nov. 30. Bazin and Goertzen had the first two goals of the middle frame to make it 3-0 for the home team, and Hayden Couling and Cameron Brunn responded after Valentino got the Northstars’ first goal near the game’s midway mark on a power play. Couling had also recorded the only goal of the first period. Muchikekwanape made it 5-2 about 13 minutes into the third period but Brunn and Andrew Boucher closed out the scoring with power play goals in the late stages. Braedin Melsted made 32 saves as Pembina Valley outshot the Northstars 39-35.
The road trip closed with an 8-4 loss to the Winnipeg Bruins on Sunday. Luc Masse scored twice in the first period and Brayden Clark once while Branden Hill and Hunter Rambow had goals for the Northstars. The second period proved decisive with the Bruins getting goals from Clark, Will Highet and Bryden Kiesman with Mikey Baron responding for the Northstars. Kiesman got his second and Masse his third for the Bruins in the third period before Rambow notched his second goal of the game. Shots were 65-34 in the Bruins’ favour and Potkonjak made 57 saves in a losing cause.
The Northstars are back on home ice at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena Dec. 8-9 to take on the Eastman Selects.
