In the standings it was a meaningless game, but tell that to the players on the ice.
By all indications the Battlefords North Stars and Kindersley Klippers gave every indication of treating the Stars' home finale at the Civic Centre with the usual intensity of a regular season matchup.
The game served as a tune up for both teams going into the playoffs. Unfortunately for Stars fans, though, it was the Klippers who came from behind to prevail 5-3.
The game featured the usual grit and determination that fans have come to expect from meetings between these two rivals. The game featured a much faster pace and fewer penalties than their infamous fight-filled matchup back in December, a 5-4 Stars loss at home that saw Stars coach Ken Pearson suspended by the league for two games for throwing sticks onto the ice.
Last Friday's game, before a good crowd of over 1,400 fans, started off on the wrong note quickly for the Stars as Johnny Calkins scored from Andrew Dommett and Braeden Adamyk at the 6:46 mark to make it 1-0 Klippers.
But the North Stars came back at the 7:56 mark as Blake Tatchell scored from Colin Phaneuf and Cole Gibson to make it 1-1, and that would be the score after one period.
In the second, the North Stars seemed to take command of the game. Kyle Hall scored from Boyd Wakelin at the 1:33 mark to make it 2-1 and then Tanner Schwab scored at the 4:24 mark to make it 3-1, with Mitch Galbraith and Tim Rollins making the assists.
But Wheaton King scored from Sanfred King and Adamyk to cut the margin to 3-2 at the 11:27 mark.
That set the stage for Kindersley to complete the comeback in the third period. Braeden Adamyk got his first goal of the night - and third point - just 53 seconds into the third with the assist from Dommett.
Then late in the third, Wheaton King got his second of the game from Sanfred King to make it a 4-3 game. That proved to be the game-winner.
At 19:43 Adamyk wrapped up the scoring with an empty netter for the Klippers to wrap up a 5-3 win over the Stars.
The Klippers outshot the Stars most of the night but the North Stars had come on in the third period. Justin McDonald ended up stopping 16 North Stars shots compared to the eight that North Stars netminder Kyle Birch stopped in the same period. In the end the Klippers outshot BNS 47-43 on the night.
In the contest, the Klippers took five penalties to the North Stars' three. Robbie Newton of the North Stars and Taylor Wasden of the Klippers both got five minute majors for fighting after a spirited tilt between the two in the second period. Otherwise, penalties were not a major factor in the game.
The two teams were due to take each other on one more time before the start of the playoffs, with the Klippers and Stars tangling Tuesday night in Kindersley at the West Central Events Centre to wrap up the regular season in the SJHL.
Then it is on to the playoffs for the fourth-place North Stars on Friday night, as they take on the Flin Flon Bombers in the first-round Survivor Series. The series is a best three-out-of-five affair.
The Stars host the Bombers in the first two games Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. before heading to Flin Flon on Monday and Tuesday nights for 7:30 p.m. games there. The deciding Game Five, if needed, would be next Thursday night in North Battleford at 7:30 p.m.
