The back-and-forth battle between the Humboldt Broncos and Battlefords North Stars ended in favour of the North Stars, as the Broncos suffered a 5-4 loss. Avery Lowe opened the scoring for the second straight game, giving the Broncos an early advantage. Battlefords responded late in the first period, with Adam Konowalchuk finding the back of the net to tie the game. However, with just 40 seconds left in the opening frame, Jacob Strizzi scored his first goal of the night on a short breakaway, giving Humboldt a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. The only goal of the second period came from Carter Geysen, who used a screen effectively to tie the game 2-2 after 40 minutes. The North Stars came out strong to start the third, capitalizing on a Broncos turnover just 12 seconds in, as Linken Fisher put them ahead 3-2. Strizzi answered back, pulling the Broncos into the lead with two quick goals just 48 seconds apart — including one on the power play — to make it 4-3 Humboldt. Unfortunately, the lead didn’t last. Kobe Sawyer tied the game for Battlefords shortly after. It looked like the game was heading to overtime, but with just over three minutes remaining, Kaleb Dewar scored the game-winner for the North Stars. Despite a late push from the Broncos, the green and gold couldn’t find the equalizer, and Battlefords emerged with a 5-4 victory. Ryder Knutson and Kristian Lacelle each picked up two assists in the loss. Nick Kotai made 35 saves in net for the Broncos. Humboldt went 1-for-4 on the power play. The Broncos won’t have to wait long for a chance at redemption, as they’ll face the North Stars again tonight at the Elgar Petersen Arena. If you can’t make it to the game, you can catch all the action on Bolt FM and DiscoverHumboldt.com. The pregame show starts at 7:15 p.m., with puck drop at 7:30.