Day two of the STRIKE ENERGY SJHL Showcase has gone smoothly. Notre Dame won their second game of the Showcase earlier this morning with a 2-1 shootout victory over the La Ronge Ice Wolves.
Flin Flon downed Nipawin 7-2 in the second game of the day.
Yorkton held off Melville 4-3 in the third one, and now Estevan and Weyburn are going at it.
The Friday night finale starts at 8:00 tonight. The Battlefords North Stars host the Humboldt Broncos in their fifth meeting of the season against one another. These teams last met six days ago in Humboldt with the Broncos coming out on top. Overall the Stars are 3-1 against Humboldt this season.
Lets preview the game:
Record: 14-13-1-2 (Third in the Bauer Conference with 31 points)
Who's Hot Up Front:
Spencer Braaten, Cameron Gibson and Justin Buzzeo are the three 'go to' guys on Dean Brockman's roster offensively. Humboldt defeated Flin Flon 2-0 last night, and Braaten had both Humboldt goals, and Buzzeo assisted on both. Braaten always seems to bring his A game when the North Stars are involved, and given the presence of all of these scouts, I'd anticipate another great performance from him tonight.
Who's on D:
The Broncos don't have a big-game defensive threat, but one player who I've been very impressed with over the past few months is Josh Roach. The 17-year-old hasn't scored yet in the SJHL, but he lots a lot of minutes and seems to be a player that Dean Brockman can trust at both ends of the ice.
Who's in Goal:
Andrew Bodnarchuk played last night, so that likely means that we'll see Kirk Crosswell in net for Humboldt tonight. Crosswell came over from the BCHL and so far has performed well, getting two victories and his goals against average and save percentage are good (2.40 and ,932).
X-Factor:
Bryce Walker is one of my favourite players in the SJHL. He won't wow you with talent, and his not always the most noticable player on the ice. But he blocks shots, and does all of the little things neccessary to help his team win hockey games. Walker is most noticable when his team is killing penalties. The Stars were not very good on their power-play last Saturday in Humboldt going only 1-6, and Bryce Walker had a lot to do with that statistic.
Record: 16-10-1-0 (Second place in the Bauer Conference with 33 points.)
Who's Hot Up Front:
Shay Neufeld was the best offensive player for the North Stars on Tuesday during their 5-0 win over Yorkton. He scored once and assisted on two goals. It was a nice 'bounce-back' game from Neuf, who was a scratch last Saturday when the Stars were in Humboldt.
Who's on D:
Woody Klassen had a great 'bounce back' game as well on Tuesday. He assisted on two goals, and played one of his better defensive games of the year. He had a tough time Saturday in Humboldt, so you can bet that Woody Klassen will be looking for some form of redemption tonight, and look for that redemption to come in the way of physicality. Klassen is at his best when he's delivering big body-checks.
Who's in Goal:
All I can tell you for sure is that both Hildy and Birch will be playing this weekend.
X-Factor:
The POWERPLAY! Humboldt's PK owned the North Stars on Saturday night, and if the Battlefords North Stars want to find the win column tonight, their power-play will have to be a factor.
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All elementary school aged children get into the game for free tonight. So if you want to bring the family and enjoy an affordable night out on the town, swing by the Civic Center tonight and watch a four-pointer between these great rivals.
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