Redwings to face defending champion Stars for Cross Roads title

By David McIver

The Rosetown Redwings will play the Dodsland Stars, the defending champions, for the Cross Roads Hockey League championship.

Last Friday night, the Redwings defeated the Kindersley Kodiaks 5-2 in Kindersley, while the Stars edged the Unity Miners 3-2 in overtime in Unity, with both games serving as the third and deciding contests of their respective best-of-three series.

Having gotten past defenceman Jonathan Allen on a breakaway, Kane Dubé of the Rosetown Redwings shoots on the Kindersley Kodiak goal. It got past goalie Kaden Ellott for the Redwings’ final goal with two and a half minutes left in the game. They defeated the Kodiaks 5-2 in Kindersley on Friday to face the Dodsland Stars in the Cross Roads Hockey League final series. Photo by David McIver

Game dates had not been determined as of press time Saturday morning.

In the 2024-25 playoffs, the Stars defeated the Redwings 2-0 in a semifinal series before going on to face the Luseland Mallards in the final.

Last Friday, the Redwings led 3-0 after the first period and 3-2 after the second. The Kodiaks held a slight edge in shots on goal, 29-28 overall, but the Redwings outshot them 13-5 in the first period. The Kodiaks responded by outshooting Rosetown 16-8 in the second.

The Redwings scored all three of their first-period goals on the power play. Jared Jagow, John Hill and Eric Robbie — who assisted on three other goals — provided the offence.

Jeff Hill and Kane Dubé added third-period markers. With the game out of reach, the Kodiaks did not attempt to pull goaltender Kaden Elliott for an extra attacker in the late moments.

Elliott stopped 23 Redwings shots.

Noah Martens made 27 saves in the Rosetown net.

In Unity, Jaxon Walz of the Stars scored unassisted just 11 seconds into the first overtime period.

The first period was scoreless and the second ended in a 1-1 tie.

Brad Buckingham scored unassisted with less than four minutes remaining in the second period to tie the game after Colby Ralston had given the Miners the lead.

Ralston scored again in the third period, but Adam Bradley matched it with just over three-and-a-half minutes left, sending the game into overtime.

Conner Kidd made 34 saves in the Stars’ net.

Miner netminder Ryan Rewerts stopped 35 Stars shots.