The Norman Northstars’ winless drought at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena came to an end on Saturday, Nov. 10 after they edged out the Kenora Thistles by a final score of 4−3.
Despite this favourable result, the Northstars didn’t start out this latest weekend series on the right foot, getting beaten 4−1 by Kenora during their opening game on Friday.
During Saturday's contest, the Thistles continued to dominate by drawing first blood just under four minutes into the first period after the Northstars coughed up the puck in their own zone. However, forward Jamie Valentino tied the game up at 1−1 in the second period after scoring a shorthanded goal.
The Thistles answered back several minutes later to give themselves a slight 2−1 lead heading into the final 20 minutes of the game.
Even though Kenora would increase their lead to 3−1 seven minutes into the third period, the Northstars were still playing a very competitive game of hockey, garnering tons of scoring opportunities due to their aggressive forecheck.
This hustle eventually paid off halfway through the third, since Branden Hill and Albert Sinclair scored two goals within 20 seconds of each other to tie the game at 3−3.
Just when it seemed like the game was headed into overtime, Hill buried a slapshot from the point to give his team a 4−3 lead with only 1:23 left to go in the game.
While the Thistles put in a valiant effort to even the score, the Northstars managed to hold onto to their lead and pick up their first win at home this season.
However, this victory was slightly soured by what took place after the buzzer, since a massive brawl broke out between the two teams as they were about to shake hands.
As a result, both Valentino and Sinclair received a five-minute major for fighting and a game misconduct.
Despite this ugly ending, Northstars coach Murray Nychyporuk said the team was really happy to finally get that monkey off their back and tally a win for the hometown crowd.
“It feels really good for the boys,” he said. “They battled hard, they got back into the game, we have some discipline issues, but at the end of the day we overcame it and managed to win the hockey game.”
According to Hill, who scored Saturday’s game-winning goal, his team should be able to keep this momentum alive next weekend as long as they skate hard and reduce their time in the penalty box.
“We have enough talent on this team that we can win if we are disciplined and stuff like that. So that’s what we should be doing,” he said.
With this first home win in the bag, the Northstars are sitting at a 2−15 win-loss record and are hoping to pick up some more points on the road next weekend with a triple-header against the Southwest Cougars, Brandon Wheat Kings and Yellowhead Chiefs.
Following that road series, the Northstars will return home Nov. 24−25 for what’s bound to be a tough pair of match-ups against the top-ranked Winnipeg Wild.
