http://www.northstars.ca/news_article/show/250419?referrer_id=618157

I had a chance to speak with Kyle’s dad during the Stars recent Spring Camp and so I knew this announcement was on the way. I am pleased to finally get to write about it. Kyle Hall has committed to Plattsburgh University in upstate New York. There is more info on the North Stars website and the link is at the top of this post.

What I want to talk about is how happy I am for Kyle. First of all the location of Plattsburgh is pretty cool. Close to some really amazing Eastern cities and Hallzy will get a chance to see a lot of New York and the surrounding areas. Not to mention get himself a quality education while playing hockey. It’s an exciting time for Kyle and it is well deserved.

In my time covering the North Stars I have met a lot of really quality hockey players and even better young men. I won’t name them all because there’s about 40 of them and it would take a while. Kyle Hall is one of the nicest young men you will ever meet. He is respectful, intelligent and hard working. I like his family and I am really happy for all of them.

Plattsburgh University is getting a great hockey player with incredible speed, a very good wrist shot and a lot of defensive qualities. You know Hallzy will be winning a bunch of face-offs in the State University of New York Athletic Conference. More importantly the Plattsburgh Business program is getting a smart young student who I am sure will make the school a better place.

Congratulations Kyle and best of luck next season.

Hey so first of all I should say a quick congratulations to the Yorkton Terriers. Coach Trent Cassan and his staff do a great job and of course most of the credit goes to the players. Yorkton is now off to Nanaimo for the Western Canada Cup. Once again, congratulations.

The North Stars hosted their spring camp over the weekend at the Civic Center in what is a final send off, of sorts, to the season. Over 40 players were on the ice including some vets. Is was good seeing Jake McMillan, Blake Young, Kendall Fransoo, Ryne Keller and Robbie Newton. And Dillon Forbes was also on the ice doing at best a decent job as a linesman.

There were a lot of recognizable names in camp including some guys who helped the Stars last season as ‘AP’s like Connor Sych, Braeden Lacouiserre, Bryce Hall, Alex Pernitsky and Ryan Rewerts. But there were also a lot of names that we haven’t seen before who may go on to be big parts of this organization in the future.

I had a chance to have a chat with GM and Head Coach Kevin Hasselberg as well as assistant coach Blair Atcheynum. Coach Hasselberg said the camp is a great chance for the Stars to show off the strengths of their program from player development to the staff and the facilities. That’s a big part of the camp. It’s not just about getting a look at the players. It’s for the players to get a feel for the Stars.

The Stars do evaluate the players as well. There were practices, scrimmages and some other team stuff that happened off the ice. That’s all designed for the staff to get to know the players both on and off the ice. From the chat I had with Kevin I would say the weekend was a success. He was certainly happy with the camp saying the staff had a lot of fun.

A guy like Spencer Gosselin came to North Stars camp in the past and then made the decision to come to the Battlefords and had a big impact on the team as an 18 year old D man. That’s the name that Hasselberg mentioned when talking about the process working well for the player and the team. The Stars staff has done a great job the last couple years building a very strong list of players and based on some of the talent on the ice this weekend they are already reaping the benefits of that work.

The ice has now been removed from the Civic Center. But the work doesn’t end for the Stars staff. Hasselberg said he still has lots  of recruiting work to do this summer. He also said he’s looking forward to spending time with his family.

So all in all a lot of fun at the rink this weekend. The Midget AAA Stars have spring camp at the Don Ross center this weekend and then that’s it for hockey until the fall.

The Battlefords North Stars 2012-13 season came to an end last night at the Civic Center. The Melfort Mustangs scored with 2:03 remaining in the 3rd period to skate off with a 4-3 victory. Josh Betinol scored twice for the Stars. Austin Evans also chipped in with a goal. But it wasn’t enough as the Mustangs swept the Survivor Series in three straight games.

It still hasn’t really sunk in yet and I am not too sure what to write at this point. I guess first and foremost congratulations to the Mustangs. They worked hard and played very well in the series and you can’t take anything away from them. They earned the wins and the series. Best of luck to Melfort against Humboldt.

For the North Stars it’s not how I expected the season to end.

I am going to miss the young men that made up that team. Most of them are eligible to return and I look forward to seeing them in the fall. For the 20 year old players it is especially tough. Kyle Hall, Braeden Johnson and Brody Luhning have been around this team for 3 years. Connor Creech for 2. And Evan Ripley joined the team this season.

Luhning played 157 games for the North Stars in his 3 years with the program. He also appeared in 20 playoff games. Luhning had 35 regular season goals as a Stars and added 78 assists.

Johnny played in 120 games for the North Stars plus 20 playoff games. He scored 33 goals and added 66 assists.

Kyle Hall played 169 regular season games for the Stars scoring 54 goals and 121 points. He also appeared in 20 playoff games.

Creech made 65 appearances for the Stars in 2 season going 35-21-4 with 10 games in the playoffs.

And Evan Ripley appeared in 52 games this season scoring once and adding 11 assists. He appeared in all 3 playoff games this season.

You won’t find 5 better people and all of them will be missed. In their own ways they helped to leave this franchise in a better place than it was in when they got here. It was great getting to watch them play and getting to know them all. And I am sure they are all destined for good things in the future.

As I said on the broadcast last night I want to thank the North Stars coaching staff and players for everything they’ve done this season. The board and all the volunteers who make it possible for the North Stars to exist and function so well. Everyone at CJNB/CJNS who was involved in getting the broadcasts on the air. And of course the North Stars great fans for making it all possible.

It’s going to be tough not going to the rink to broadcast a North Stars game for a while. But September will be here soon enough.

The Battlefords North Stars lost last night in Melfort 7-4 and are now one loss away from their season coming to an end.

The Stars came out flying last night and had a 2-0 lead less than 5 minutes in. Braeden Johnson got them going settling a hard back door feed in an instant before going to the backhand and beating Wilkins. A couple minutes later a loose puck came to Brody Luhning in the slot and he beat Wilkins over the glove into the top corner.

It was 2 goals on their first 2 shots and a perfect start. But Wilkins started making saves and the Stars couldn’t extend the lead despite having some chances. The Mustangs got a power play goal and it was 2-1 Stars after 1.

The North Stars dominated the middle frame. The second period was awful in game 1 and has been a struggle at times this season. The Stars sure corrected that. They out shot the Mustangs 22-6 and I can’t imagine Melfort had more than 2 or 3 scoring chances. But the game was tied 3-3 heading to the third. Logan Sceviour blocked a point shot and raced onto the loose puck for a breakaway. He beat Connor Creech low along the ice and through the 5 hole. That made it 2-2.

The Stars got the lead back when Austin Evans had a shot go off a stick or a skate and go past Wilkins. The goal created by Evans great skating ability and speed. That goal was late second and it looked like the Stars would take a lead into the third period. But the Mustangs wouldn’t go away. They had a shot blocked on it’s way to Creech and ricocheted right to Sloan. He settled the puck and fired it into the roof of the net. Creech tried to make the diving save but the deflection on the shot block made it almost an impossible save as he dove across the net.

So it was 3-3 heading to the third. And that’s when the wheels fell off. The Mustangs scored 3 goals in 10:47 to take a 6-3 lead. Kyle Schmidt scored to give the Stars some life. A point shot through traffic getting past a screened Wilkins. The Stars had replaced Creech with Casey Parker after the 6th goal and he was pulled for the extra attacker with 2 minutes left. But Melfort poked and hacked at a loose puck in the slot in their own zone and it ended up sliding all the way down the ice to wrap things up.

There were a couple fights in the game. Ben Greenaway went with Bryden Serafini at center ice in the third. Both guys just stood toe to toe and threw big right hands. Greenaway may have edged the fight but both guys were hurt. I think Greenaway it going to be okay. He was bleeding as he went off the ice. But I am not sure if the same can be said of Serafini. That may be the last we see of him this season whatever happens with the rest of this series. Brody Luhning then fought Zentner late in the third in a less spectacular but still entertaining fight.

So in the end the North Stars are down 2-0 in the Survivor Series and on the verge of elimination. There are positives to take from last night’s game. And there are negatives to try and correct. The Stars won’t panic as they have guys in that locker room who have been down before and found a way to come back.

I have a lot of faith in the Stars coaching staff and I know how much work the players have put in this season. So I believe they will come out with their best effort of the season on Monday. It will be incredibility hard for Melfort to eliminate the Stars. As we’ve seen anything can happen and Melfort is a good team. They deserve to be up in the series. But the Stars won’t go down without a big time fight.

Game 3 is Monday at the Civic Center at 7:30 and the Stars could use a big crowd to help them keep their season alive.

I will have the game live on CJNB/CJNS as well as online at http://www.cjnb.com

The Battlefords North Stars lost game 1 of the Survivor Series last night at the Civic Center. The Melfort Mustangs skated away with a 4-1 win and home ice advantage going into tonight’s game 2.

The Stars looked a little tight in the first 3 or 4 shifts last night and then Ryne Keller’s line had a good shift in the offensive zone. That seemed to get the team going a little and they ended up getting an early goal. Ben Greenaway just threw the puck towards the net on the backhand and it got through Jesse Wilkins.

The Stars ended up being the better team in the opening period and the shots would have been even more lopsided if the Mustangs hadn’t had a couple of chances on the power play. They didn’t score on those opportunities in part because of a strong North Stars shot block effort and the play of Connor Creech.

In the second period the Stars came out sluggish and the Mustangs made them pay with 3 goals. The first two were soft goals that Connor Creech stops 99 times out of 100. The third was a nicely worked goal on the power play directed home by Logan Sceviour. I thought he had a strong game for the Mustangs.

The Stars have struggled with the second period at times this season and last night was a struggle. They also didn’t get much going in the final period as they managed 10 shots and a few scoring chances. But they didn’t do enough to cut the lead and eventually the Mustangs added another power play goal late to seal the game.

With the win the Mustangs now have taken home ice away from the Stars and they will look to cement that with a win at home tonight. The North Stars will be looking to get home ice back with a road win. It’s a short 5 game series and so everything seems to be magnified. But the one noticeable aspect of a short series is how quickly things can change.

A lot of the North Stars players got their first Junior ‘A’ playoff game under their belts and now have a better idea what to expect moving forward. They did seem a little tight at times last night and maybe a little nervous. It’s a short series as mentioned so they will have to get past that quickly.

We’ve seen the Stars bounce back before and they will look to do it again tonight in Melfort. I will have the call live on CJNB/CJNS starting with the SaskTel pregame show at 7:15. Puck drops at 7:30. You can also listen online at http://www.cjnb.com

The Battlefords North Stars begin the post season tonight at the Civic Center. The Survivor Series is a best of 5 with the winner moving on to face Humboldt in the next round.

The excitement is building already this morning. There is nothing better than playoff hockey. The intensity goes up. The stakes are higher. The hair is awful. And the crowds at the Civic Center should be massive once again this season.

In the regular season the North Stars took 4 of 6 games from the Melfort Mustangs. They won the first two meetings of the season and the two most recent matchups. In total the Stars scored 23 goals and allowed 17 against Melfort.

Spetember 29th 2012 – Stars 3 – Mustangs 1
Connor Creech picked up the win and Patrick Johnson took the loss. Kyle Hall had 2 goals including the game winner.
Stars PP: 0-4 Mustangs PP: 0-4

October 19th 2012 – Stars 5 – Mustangs 4
Casey Parker took the iwn with Jesse Wilkins taking the loss. Sloan had 2 goals for Melfort. Spencer Gosselin scored twice for the Stars. Hall and Long each had 2 assists. Braeden Johnson had a goal and a helper.
Stars PP: 0-4 Mustangs PP: 0-6

November 14th 2012 – Mustangs 5 – Stars 2
Ryan Rewerts took the loss. It was the AP goalies only appearance for the North Stars. Patrick Johnson picked up the win.
Kyle Hall and Blake Young scored for the Stars. Tham had 2 for Melfort. Logan Sceviour had 3 assists.Stars PP: 0-4 Mustangs PP: 2-7

December 5th 2012 – Mustangs 3 – Stars 1
Connor Creech took the loss for the Stars. Patrick Johnson the win for the Stangs. Jake McMillen scored the Stars lone goal. Sloan had a goal and an assist for the Mustangs.
Stars PP: 1-4 Mustangs PP: 0-4

December 7th 2012 – Stars 5 – Mustangs 2
Creech with the win. Johnson the loss. Luke McColgan had 2 goals and an assist. Brody Luhning and Braeden Johnson each had a goal and an assist. Blake Young 2 helpers.
Stars PP: 2-3 Mustangs PP: 2-6

Jan 15th 2013 – Stars 5 – Mustangs 2
Casey Parker with the win in net beating Jesse Wilkins. Tanner Quinn was the only Stars with more than a point. He hada goal and an assist. Casey Parker had a helper as well as the win.
Stars PP: 1-5 Mustangs PP: 1-5

Some totals. Casey Parker was 2-0 against the Mustangs. Connor Creech 2-1. Ryan Rewerts 0-1. Patrick Johnson was 2-2 against the Stars in net for Melfort. Jesse Wilkins 0-2.

The Stars went 4-24 (16.6%) on the power play. The Stangs were 5-32 (15.6%) on the man advantage. For the Stars that’s under their regualr season average of 18.4% and the Mustangs were up a little on their season average of 15.2%.

And as we all know the regular season is over. It’s pretty much meaningless in a lot of ways. What matters is who wins tonight’s game at the Civic Center.

Puck drops at 7:30. I will have the SakTel pregame show on CJNB/CJNS starting at 7:15.

The North Stars wrapped up the regular season with a 4-2 loss Sunday night in Yorkton. Kyle Hall and Braeden Johnson each had a goal and an assist in their final regular season game. The win meant the Terriers were able to clinch the South division title and home ice throughout the south playoffs.

We also learned on Sunday that the North Stars will open their survivor series with Melfort on Friday night.

*******

Survivor Series Schedule:

Game 1 – Friday March 1st
Melfort Mustangs at Battlefords North Stars, 7:30

Game 2 – Saturday March 2nd
Battlefords North Stars at Melfort Mustangs, 7:30

Game 3 – Monday March 4th
Melfort Mustangs at Battlefords North Stars, 7:30

Game 4 – Tuesday March 5th *if necessary
Battlefords North Stars at Melfort Mustangs, 7:30

Game 5 – Wednesday March 6th *if necessary
Melfort Mustangs at Battlefords North Stars, 7:30

*******

Playoffs tickets go on sale tonight at 6. The Stars are encouraging fans to purchase online at northstars.ca Tickets purchased online and printed at home will help people avoid long box office lines. There’s no extra cost as service fees have been waived for the playoffs.

Season ticket holders have been asked to call the North Stars office so they can set up an account so season ticket holders can purchase tickets online as well. The number is (306) 445-7827.

For those of you who can’t purchase online tickets you can head to the Civic Center tonight (Tuesday) from 7-9 and again on Thursday from 7-9 to purchase tickets.

********

At their final home game on Friday night the North Stars announced their player awards for the season.

MVP – Kyle Hall

Top Defenseman – Brody Luhning

Rookie of the Year – Josh Betinol

Most Improved – Tanner Quinn

Most Dedicated – Evan Ripley & Dillon Forbes

Humanitarian – Braeden Johnson

Fans Choice – Blake Young

The Stars are 2-0 on home ice against the Yorkton Terriers this season. They lost the lone game in Yorkton early this season in overtime. The Stars led that game late but couldn’t hold on for the win. The Stars were playing short a skater that night and were pretty banged up. They battled and came within 2:11 of winning in Yorkton. Only Estevan has won in regulation in Yorkton this season.

It’s the final regular season game for the North Stars tonight. They know they will finish 4th in the North and face Melfort in the survivor series. The Terriers now find themselves in second in the south and must win or pick up a point with an OT or shootout loss in order to finish first and have home ice in the south playoffs.

Recent Games:

Yorkton Terriers:

• The Terriers most recent game was a 5-1 loss to Melfort. The Terriers have lost 3 in a row. All of them on the road. Yorkton’s home record is still amazing. 24-1-0-1 at home so far this season. Their lost home game was a 6-1 win over Notre Dame.

Battlefords North Stars:

• The Stars lost 3-1 in Melville last night. After a decent first period the Stars trailed 1-0 thanks to an unlucky bounce. A point shot from Tyler Bird was going about 5 feet wide when it hit the leg of Kyle Schmidt and deflected past Connor Creech. The Stars were 0-1 on the power play in the first period and the Millionaires went 0-2. The Mills got 2 more early in the second and they came less than 2 minutes apart. Sean Aschim’s shot off the rush changed directions and got past Creech. Then on a power play Ian McNulty set up Russell Trudeau for his 31st goal of the season. At that point the Stars weren’t playing great and they made the move to backup goalie Casey Parker. Parker came in and shut the door making 17 saves on 17 shots. That seemed to spark the Stars back into life and they played well the rest of the period. I really thought they came out an controlled the final frame and got a goal from Spencer Gosselin with 1:17 remaining on the clock. That came a little too late as the Stars were able to get the extra attacker out with the score 3-1. But they couldn’t score and the game ended 3-1. The Stars were a little unlucky but give the Millionaires credit for capitalizing on a couple of chances. They got some luck on their goals but Alex Wakaluk was good in goal and the Mills are now in first in the South.

Players to Watch:

Yorkton Terriers:

• Austin Bourhis. Has an assist in 3 games against the Stars this season. He also has 21 pims. Bourhis is a physical player who sometimes crosses the line. The Terriers are a team that plays on the edge. They are second in the league in penalty minutes. Bourhis is a guy to keep an eye on.
• The Terriers score by committee. They have 8 guys with double digits in goals and they have 9 guys who score more than a half a point per game. So it’s tough to pick out just a couple guys to watch. You gotta keep an eye on all of them.

Battlefords North Stars:

• Braeden Johnson. Had the night off last night and should return tonight. He had a chance to watch the game and help out the coaches a little. Let’s see how he responds tonight.
• All the 20 year old players. It’s the final regular season game of their careers. Creech, Luhning, Ripley, Johnson, and Hall. Lets hope they have some fun and enjoy a win in their final game prior to the last playoff run of their junior careers.

Head to Head:

• Battlefords 2 @ Yorkton 3 (Nov 29 2012) (OT)
• Yorkton 4 @ Battlefords 6 (Nov 4 2012)
• Yorkton 3 @ Battlefords 4 (Oct 24 2012)
• Austin Evans leads the Stars with 2 goals and 4 points in 3 games this season against the Terriers. Kyle Hall has 4 assists in those 3 games. And in 2 games against Yorkton this season Luke McColgan, who is currently on a 3 game point streak, has 4 helpers. Tyler Giebel has 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points in 3 games against the Stars.

Special Teams:

Yorkton Terriers:

• PP: 48-231 (20.8% – 4th in SJHL)
• PK: 188-222 (84.7% – 3rd in SJHL)

Battlefords North Stars:

• PP: 46-253 (18.2% – 6th in SJHL)
• PK: 199-247 (80.6% – 9th in SJHL)

The Battlefords North Stars wrap up the regular season on the road tonight and tomorrow. It’s a stop in Melville tonight to face the Millionaires. So far this season the Stars have struggled against Melville losing all 3 meetings and allowing 17 goals. The most recent meeting was a 2-1 win for Melville though and that was more of a North Stars style game.

The Millionaires still have plenty to play for this evening. They have a shot at first place in the South. They need to win tonight and have the Stars beat Yorkton tomorrow. That’s actually great news for the Stars. They get to play spoiler and it gives them something to help motivate themselves. They want to go into the playoffs firing on all cylinders. And the challenge they will get this weekend will help them get tuned up.

Recent Games:

Melville Millionaires:

• The Mills lost 5-4 in a shootout last night in Humbodt. Melville had won their previous 9 in a row and are now 15-2-0-1 in their last 18 games played. Just like Humboldt and Nipawin the Stars go up against a hot team tonight.

Battlefords North Stars:

• The Stars beat the Nipawin Hawks 5-4 in a shootout last night at the Civic Center. Coach Doug Johnson used 3 defensemen in the shootout as both teams know where they will finish in the standings and there are no shootouts in the playoffs. So it was a chance to get some different guys out there and see what they could do. The Stars had a 3-1 lead after 1 and a 4-3 lead after 2 period of play last night. Jake McMillen, Luke McColgan and Spencer Gosselin scored the goals. McMillen and McColgan both scrappy goals in front banging away at pucks. Gosselin scored a beauty on a break away sliding the puck 5 hole on Davis Jones. Goose also scored on a point shot.

Players to Watch:

Melville Millionaires:

• Ian McNulty. Was just given the league’s top player award. Has a chance to lead his team and the league in scoring.
• Alex Wakaluk. The league’s MVP. It’s perhaps a little strange to see the goalie on the team that’s scored the most goals this season picking up the most valuable player award. But his numbers are outstanding.

Battlefords North Stars:

• Luke McColgan. Snapped a long drought without a goal last night and now has back to back games with a point. His physical play and defensive awareness are always top notch. He’s got the ability to score as well and hopefully now will go on a nice little run.
• Spencer Gosselin and Kyle Schmidt. Both got on the board last night with Gosselin scoring a couple goals and Schmidt picking up an assist. Early in the season Gosselin was one of the top scoring rookie D men in the league. He hasn’t been putting up the points of late in part because he’s been in and out of the lineup. Healthy and back on the blueline now though and it will be fun to see how he and Schmidt do this weekend. The Stars get a little more scoring from their D and they are an even tougher team to play against.

Head to Head:

• Melville 2 @ Battlefords 1 (Feb 1 2013)
• Battlefords 3 @ Melville 5 (Nov 30 2012)
• Melville 10 @ Battlefords 4 (Sep 28 2012)
• Nathan Boyer was traded from La Ronge to Melville this season. He’s played against the Stars 6 times and has 7 goals and 9 points. Ian McNulty has 2 goals and 8 points in 3 games against the Stars. Kyle Hall leads the Stars with a goal and 3 helpers in 3 games versus Melville.

Special Teams:

Melville Millionaires:

• PP: 46-203 (22.7% – 1st in SJHL)
• PK: 176-215 (81.9% – 8th in SJHL)

Battlefords North Stars:

• PP: 46-247 (18.6% – 6th in SJHL)
• PK: 194-241 (80.5% – 9th in SJHL)

The Battlefords North Stars host the Nipawin Hawks tonight for their final regular season home game at the Civic Center. After tonight the Stars wrap up the season on the road this weekend in Yorkton and Melville.

The Stars and Hawks have battled each other incredibly close this season. Two games have gone to a shootout and another was decided by a goal in regulation. Each team has scored 13 goals in the head to head games this season if you count the shootout winners as goals. The Stars are 3-1-0-1 against Nipawin this season. The Hawks record is 2-2-01 against the Stars.

It is Ticket Redemption Night at the Civic Center. Bring any unused tickets from previous games this season and you will get in to tonight’s game. Let’s get a huge Friday night crowd into the Civic Center tonight. The Stars and Hawks are rivals and played a great playoff series last year. They play great games head to head. Exciting, fast paced and close hockey games.

The North Stars will also be giving their players their awards for this season prior to the game. That’s a change from last season’s post season banquet. It means you will all get a chance to see they players pick up their awards before puck drop. So get down to the Civic Center early for tonight’s game.

The SaskTel pregame show starts at 7:15 for those that can’t make it to the rink. If you can you may as well bring a radio and listen in. NorSask North Stars hockey tonight on CJNB/CJNS and online at http://www.cjnb.com

Recent Games:

Nipawin Hawks:

• The beat Melfort 5-4 in their most recent game. Nipawin was up 4-1 in the third and conceded three straight goals to allow the Mustangs to tie it up. But Jesse Bernard scored the game winner. The Hawks are 9-1 in February and 15-3-0-1 in 2013. The only teams that have beaten the Hawks in regulation in 2013 are the North Stars and Humboldt twice. They’ve been outstanding and are heading into playoffs flying.

Battlefords North Stars:

• The Stars beat the Humboldt Broncos 1-0 on the road on Sunday night. That helped the Stars out of a stretch where they had won just once out of their previous 7 games. They are tuning up for a survivor series to open up playoffs and continue to do well against the league’s top teams.

Players to Watch:

Nipawin Hawks:

• Tad Kozun. Is currently on an 8 game point streak and in that stretch has picked up 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points. Kozun’s streak has helped him move into a tie for the team lead in scoring with 52 points in 48 games.
• Eli Litchenwald. Has scored 9 goals and put up 22 points in 17 games since re-joining the Hawks and returning to the SJHL. The are question marks surrounding his health and his ice time appeared to be limited against Melfort.
• Jeff Datoff. The Hawks top D man is great in his own zone and put up 20 helpers this season. He is far and away the Hawks top point producer on the back end.
• The goalies. Jordan Liem has started 6 of the Hawks last 9 games ahead of arguably the league’s top tender in Davis Jones. Is Jones struggling? Is he hurt? Are the Hawks just resting him and getting him 100% for playoffs? Time will tell.

Battlefords North Stars:

• Blake Young. The Stars rookie forward has scored the winner in the Stars last 2 victories. Young scored the only goal against Humboldt on Sunday on the power play. He also scored the winner in a 5-2 victory over La Ronge back on February 5th.
• Connor Creech. Was the first star of the game in Humboldt picking up his second shutout of the season. Creech, like the rest of the team, is looking to get into a groove heading into the playoffs. He looked dialed in against the Broncos and I liked the way he battled as well. Combining that battle with his technical ability makes Creech a very tough goalie to beat.
• Braeden Johnson. Has put together back to back games with an assist. He was dynamite against Humboldt and not just offensively. Played a complete game. Johnson holds himself to a very high standard and when he doesn’t play to that level he can get frustrated. When he just cuts himself a break, relaxes and just plays? One of the best and most fun players to watch in the entire SJHL.

Head to Head:

• Nipawin 4 @ Battlefords 1 (Jan 8 2013)
• Battlefords 2 @ Nipawin 1 (Jan 5 2013)
• Battlefords 3 @ Nipawin 4 (SO) (Dec 18 2012)
• Nipawin 1 @ Battlefords 3 (Dec 13 2012)
• Battlefords 4 @ Nipawin 3 (SO) (Nov 24 2012)
• Kyle Hall and Brody Luhning each have 5 points in 5 games against Nipawin this season to lead the North Stars. Tad Kozun leads the Hawks with 3 goals and 5 points.

Special Teams:

Nipawin Hawks:

• PP: 36-257 (14% – 10th in SJHL)
• PK: 198-233 (85% – 4th in SJHL)

Battlefords North Stars:

• PP: 45-244 (18.4% – 6th in SJHL)
• PK: 193-240 (80.4% – 9th in SJHL)