The North Stars are 2-1 against the Millionaires this season, but are in the midst of a modest three-game losing streak.
A win by the Stars would inch them closer to clinching second place in the Bauer Conference. A Star's win coupled with a Mustang's loss on Wednesday would clinch second place.
Earlier this morning, Ken Pearson said that home ice advantage was definitely a priority for the Stars, and you can expect a hungry Star's team to hit the ice on Wednesday against the defending Sherwood Conference Champs.
Record: 27-25-2-1 (Fourth Place in the Sherwood Conference. They can finish no higher or lower than fourth.)
Who's Up Front:
The scoring depth which made Melville such a tough team to face last year is seemingly back. While the usual suspects like Matt Kinnunen, Michael Jordan and Logan Herauf will all be threats, the Stars are also going to have to concern themselves with two impressive newcomers to Melville. Cody Gross (11 points, 10 games) and Colten Kennedy (13 points in 13 games) are two 20-year-olds who have come in and made an immediate impact. If the Star's aren't careful, those two may be able to fly under the radar and have a big night.
Who's on D:
There are few defenseman in the league who are as consistent as Melville 20-year-old Austin Krahenbil. He's 6'3, 218lbs and has tremendous strength. He's reliable defensively and can also chip in offensively (27 points in 43 games). He will likely log a lot of minutes on the back-end a long with fellow 20-year-old blueliner Jordan Reeve.
Who's in Goal:
Another key pickup at the deadline for Melville was goaltender Deszi Wiens. His record is 8-4 and his save percentage is at .911%. According to Ken Pearson, "When he's on his game, he's very good." Wiens previously played in the MJHL. However it is possible that we'll see 16-year-old goaltender Zach Rakochy given the fact that it's their second game in two nights, and Melville really has nothing to lose down the stretch.
X-Factor:
Justin Hollinger (90) can do it all for Melville. He can play forward, defense and is an absolute sniper on the power-play. Hollinger's slap-shot may be one of the best in the league, and he's used it to hinder the North Stars before. Hollinger has 37 points in 50 games for Melville this season, and will need to be silenced if the Stars want to find the win column.
Record: 32-18-1-3 (Second Place in the Bauer Conference. Their magic number to clinch second place is 2.)
Who's Up Front:
Although the Stars dropped two up North this past weekend, Brett Miller had a fine weekend. Miller scored twice for the Stars in two games against Flin Flon, and has recorded 47 points in 40 games. The question that I pose outloud right now - If Brett Miller had stayed here a whole season, does he lead the team? Does he even make a run at the league lead? Miller's consistency has been one of the many positives for the Stars this season.
Who's on D:
Defensively the Stars are going to be in touch on Wednesday. Herauf, Jordan, Kinnunen, Hollinger, Kennedy, and Gross are all legit scoring threats, so specifically I'm going to target the defensive pair of Woody Klassen and Dominic Perrault. Perrault has quietly played some pretty good hockey as of late. He's been physical, he's getting good shots on net, and he's proving to be more reliable recently in his own end. His defensive partner Woody Klassen has been the epitome of consistency all year. A good game from these two, and the Stars will be in good shape.
Who's in Goal:
Kyle Birch played two games in two nights up in Flin Flon, which means in all likelihood we'll see Graham Hildebrand get the call against Melville.
X-Factor:
Chad Filteau is due for a breakout game. He's gone five games now without scoring a goal, and you can be that he'll be looking to make a solid impact Wednesday night at the Civic Center.
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