It was (mostly) a great weekend for the Battlefords North Stars. They went south and won two of three games, and were in a fine position to get six of six points, but the stingy Yorkton Terriers had other plans.
The highlight of the road-trip was the win last night in Humboldt. The Stars were fatigued, yet they figured out a way to beat the Humboldt Broncos 5-4. In three years of travelling and working with the Stars, they've only ever won twice at the Elgar Petersen Arena during the regular season.
From a broadcast perspective, a game like the one last night is always a highlight. In fact very few games this year by the North Stars have been what I would call a 'dud' and the players deserve all of the credit for that.
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**Photo Taken from the Flin Flon Bomber website.**
Flin Flon Bomber's coach Mike Regan was a guest of mine on the Co-Op Leisure Time Sports Fix tonight. I have a lot of respect for Regan. He's a good coach, with a lot of confidence, and he's always treated me with a great deal of respect.
Tonight we talked about his club, and some of the deals they've made as of late. The fact that Taylor Thiessen and Brody Haygarth (and others) are now wearing a Bomber uniform, does (on paper at least) make them the favourite in the Bauer Conference.
Thiessen provides a consistency factor that few other defenceman in the SJHL possess, and as long as he stays healthy he will be a tremendous addition to Flin Flon.
Haygarth has fit in seemlessly with Matt Lecours and Mike Rey and is on pace for a great second-half of the season now that he's with a contender.
What tickled me about our interview though tonight was one answer in particular he gave me.
I asked him, "Do the Flin Flon Bombers carry an extra chip on their shoulder heading into tomorrow night's game? Do they want to make a statement at the Civic Center, or is this simply just another game without any added emotion."
He replied that tomorrow was just another game.
Seriously?
Maybe I'm simply guilty of over-hyping something that may not deserve it. But how on earth can tomorrow night's game be 'just another game.'
Tomorrow's game is so much more than that, for many reasons which I've highlighted below.
For the North Stars:
- A win, and you're two points back of first, and you've put yourself in a position to challenge for that spot and grab it before the holiday break.
- A win, and you've sent a message to the Bombers that you are not going to be a push-over and you do truely deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as them when it comes to being a contender in this league.
- It gives the North Stars a fantastic opportunity to assess where they stand compared to the Bombers. Can the Stars score more than once on Matt Weninger? Can they penetrate a Flin Flon D-Core that may the best in the league on paper? Can the Stars buckle down defensively and keep Mike Rey, Matt Lecours, and Brody Haygarth off of the score-sheet?
- A loss, and you've got some soul searching to do. With six weeks remaining before January, 10 - You've got to figure out what it's going to take to get to Flin Flon's level. No disrespect towards La Ronge, Humboldt, Melfort or Nipawin, but as of right now, today, the two best teams in the Bauer Conference are Flin Flon and the Battlefords.
For the Bombers:
- A win, and you've sent a real message to the Stars, their coaching staff, and their fans that you are indeed the real deal, and that you are to be feared moving forward.
- A win, and you've given yourself a six-point seperation in the Bauer standings with games in hand on the Stars. That has to make you feel more confident moving forward.
- A win, and you've done something that only one other club has been able to do all season, and that is to win a game at the Civic Center.
- A win, and the pressure falls entirely onto the North Stars to come back and win on December 16.
Are you convinced yet?
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These teams have met once this season, and the Stars won the game 2-1 in a shootout.
If the North Stars want to win this game tomorrow night, maybe (joking of course) they want to force a shootout! They're 4-0 this year.
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Who do you start in goal tomorrow night?
Looking at the wins and losses, one might feel compelled to start Kyle Birch. Yet fans may not remember, but it was Graham Hildebrand who stole..errr... won the game for the North Stars against Flin Flon back in October.
Given how busy the schedule is going to be, and especially given the fact that the Stars are in Melfort tomorrow night, I have an inkling that 'Hildy' may get the start. Remember, this is only my intuition.
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Did you know that when Kyle Birch is in goal, the Stars average 4.32 goals per game?
When Hildebrand plays, the Stars average a full goal less. The last two games that Graham has played in, the Stars have lost both games 2-1.
Give him more support fellas! Come on.
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According to the SJHL website, Blake Peake leads the SJHL in shootout goals. However, the website doesn't appear to list his actual total.
In case you're wondering: Peake has scored four times on four attempts this year.
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Plus, polls are fun.
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I want to thank some people for really 'stepping up' and helping me this weekend.
1) To North Star's equipment guru Dale Jackson for foregoing the bus on Friday, and riding shotgun with me en route to Yorkton. That 4.5 hour drive would have gone by a lot slower had it not been for your company.
2) To the manager at the Howard Johnson hotel in Yorkton for his kind gift. He gave me a portable alarm. I finally got the thing set-up today and it works like a charm.
3) To Matt Ryan who braved the elements with me and rode shotgun with me to Humboldt for yesterday's broadcast. Matt's come a long way, and in my opinion provides some excellent color commentary. I'm still waiting for his next 'invented word.'
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In closing, I'd like to end by simply writing a public plea to Mother Nature.
PISS OFF!!!!
Sincerely,
Me.
I'd love to hear your comments and predictions for tomorrow night. In your opinion do the Stars deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as the Bombers? Are you going to the game tomorrow night? North Star Nation I want to hear from you.
Goodnight, and stay warm.
Dano
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