Hawks - Stars Preview (January 31)

Tonight's matchup between the Stars and Hawks will be the sixth and final meeting between these two teams during the regular season. The Stars are 3-2 against Nipawin this year, and a victory tonight will give them a season series victory over their Bauer Conference foes.



Record: 19-21-6-1 (Sixth in the Bauer Conference. Four points back of Humboldt in the Bauer Conference.)

Who's Up Front:

Six days ago, the Battlefords North Stars did a fantastic job of keeping one of the best players in the SJHL off the score-sheet. Matt Spafford was held pointless, and often looked frustrated on the ice. Spafford a long with Tanner Dusyk and Alex Leclerc will no doubt be counted upon to perform better tonight, as the Nipawin Hawks look to close the gap between themselves and the Humboldt Broncos.

Who's On D:

Hawk's captain Cory Hodgins had a good game last Tuesday, and will have to be even better tonight on the back end. Hodgins has some offensive upside, and is very reliable in his own zone. A good game from Hodgins defensively should help set up the Hawks nicely at the other end.

Who's in Goal:

Ryan Kerpan was sensational last Tuesday. If not for Kerpan, the 3-1 Stars victory would have been more lopsided. Kerpan has no shortage of confidence, and he's very familiar to the Civic Center. However, don't be surprised if Colin O'Hara throws a bit of a curve-ball and starts Brody Hoffman.

X-Factor:

Defensively, the Nipawin Hawks as a whole need to be better than they were on Tuesday night. The guys I'm looking too in particular include: Scott Brkich, Patrick Howey and Brant Remenda. If Nipawin can cut down on the shots on goal against them, they'll be right there with the Stars tonight.



Record: 28-16-1-2 (Second Place in the Bauer Conference. Eight points behind Flin Flon for first.)

Who's Up Front:

Dane Muench is coming off a fantastic game last night. Fantastic in the sense that he didn't score any goals, but he set up three and was dangerous everytime he was on the ice. Muench looked good alongside Blake Tatchell and Ward Szucki last night, and it was good for Szucki to score after a bit of a slump.

Who's on D:

Jesse Lebreton is making a strong case for himself as a back-to-back winner of SJHL Defenceman of the Week. Last night he scored once, and added an assist on Blake Peake's goal. Lebreton continues to go about his business, and is making a strong case for a possible Player of the Month Award. We've come to expect a lot from Jesse over the past three years, and he hasn't dissapointed.

Who's in Goal:

Graham Hildebrand comes into tonight's game riding a three-game winning streak. 'Hildy's' confidence is at an all-time high right now, and he played extremely well Tuesday night against Nipawin. Also judging from how well Kyle Birch played last night, it looks as if both North Star netminders are starting to get hot at the right time.

X-Factor:

My three x-factors tonight are Blake Peake, Josh Daley and Shay Neufeld. This line cycled the puck so well last Tuesday against Nipawin, and were all able to use their speed and strength to their advantage. Another big night from these three, and the Stars look good to wrap up January with a 9-2 record.

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Cody, Matt and I are on the air starting at 7:15 tonight with the Sask-Tel Pregame Show. I'm also happy to report that as of tonight, every single North Star's game for the remainder of the season will be on the air (including playoffs).

Enjoy the game tonight. Hopefully tonight's crowd can rival the 1020 of last night!