Thursday, October 15, 2009

Stars - Bombers Preview

Flin Flon Bombers (6-3-0-1) @ Battlefords North Stars (6-5-1-0)

It's simple.

Whoever wins Friday night at the Civic Center will be first place in the Bauer Conference. The Flin Bombers 'technically' hold first place today because of two games in hand, but that could all change if the home team gets two points Friday.




Who's Hot Up Front?


The FLin Flon Bombers have three forwards that can score, and score in bunches. Devon Mitzner leads the way right now with 15 points (9 Goals, 6 Assists), and has a great supporting cast with Matt Lecours (13 points in 8 games), and Andrew Johnston (11 points).

Factor in players like Dominic Martel, Alex Lamontagne, David Dykstra and Doug McCloud and these Bombers can come at you in many different directions.

It's no wonder why 'on paper' this team is slated to be one of the top teams in the SJHL.

Who's On D?

Michael Young has potted 10 points so far this season, and might be one of the most effective, versitile defenceman in the SJ. He can throw a body-check, quarterback a powerplay, and protect the front of his net. Add players like David Roper, Brennan Cox and Pat Sitko into the mix, and the Bombers look pretty deep on the back-end too.

Who's in Goal?

Matt Weninger struggled early on this season, but has quickly regained his form. Wenninger was just recently named Goaltender of the Week in the SJHL. Some fans may remember back to last year on Halloween when Weninger fought Kyle Birch. Weninger played for Kindersley at the time, but don't think for one minute that either player forgot that brawl.

In a game of such importance, I'd be shocked if the Bombers started any other goaltender.

X-Factor:

Alex Lamontagne. By his standards, he's off to a so-so start for Flin Flon this year, and he always seemed to 'get up' for games against the North Stars last year.






Who's Hot Up Front:


A healthy crop of forwards that are looking to redeem themselves after a TON of missed opportunities last Saturday in Estevan.

Brett Miller was named Player of the Week and should be riding a strong wave of momentum this weekend.


Who's On D:

The Stars have seven healthy D-man who are eligable to play. Woody Klassen will draw back into the lineup after missing Saturday's contest in Estevan, and should be reunited with defence partner Dominic Perrault.


Who's in Goal:

Just playing a hunch, but I expect that you see Kyle Birch play Friday, and Graham Hilldebrand Saturday in Nipawin. Hilldebrand shutout the Hawks in Nipawin during the preseason, and given the importance of tomorrow night's game, Kyle has earned the right to get the start.


Ex-Factor:

While most of the Battlefords North Stars are playing some pretty dynamite hockey right now, Jesse Lebreton seems to be struggling as of late. When Lebby is on, he's easily one of the Top Three D-man in this league when it comes to offence. If Jesse can simply his game a little more, and chip in with a point or two on the powerplay, the Stars will be in great shape.

2 comments:

fan from afar said...

It was nice to see the Stars get a win on Friday night. We were a little disappointed that the game was not broadcast. We were looking forward to putting our feet up and listening to Dan call the game and didn't realize until 6:45 that the game was not going to be broadcast. We tried for a half an hour to tune into the Flin Flon station but that just wasn't happening..If we would have informed ourselves and realized the game wasn't being broadcast, we would have made the four hour trip to watch. I guess we will know for next time. What is the reason for the limited broadcast schedule?

Dan O'Connor said...

Historically, CJNB has only carried around 30 games a year. This year (after some negotiating) We are calling all road games and 12 home games. Unfortunately last nights game didn't make it to our 40 game schedule.I will try to do a better job of letting you know what games are going to be on the air.
If it was up to me, I'd be calling all 58 and then some. But then it becomes quite pricy for our advertisers.
Who knows? A strong season and maybe next year I call them all!