What does this mean for the North Stars?
They'd better be darn careful is what it means. The Stars will be squaring off against a desperate hockey team tonight. A team who is looking to avenge a 7-1 loss that they suffered against the Stars back on January 19th.
A win by Melfort tonight, and they'd become the first team to win their season series against the North Stars.
Record: 26-18-2-5 (59 points. Fourth in the Bauer Conference.)
Who's Up Front:
The Melfort Mustangs have plenty of offensive weapons that can strike at any time. Blake Hietela and Todd Chinova though are the two main threats to look out for. Hietela leads the 'Stangs in scoring with 53 points in 51 games. He's especially dangerous on the power-play and always seems to do some damage against the North Stars. He's also got 90 minutes in penalties, which shows that he won't shy away from rough stuff. Todd Chinova has 40 points in 31 games, and might just be the best puck-handler in the league.
Who's on D:
The last time the Mustangs were in town, their d-core was decimated with injuries. This time, they'll be a lot healthier. Harrison Tribble will likely cause the most grief for the Stars. He's got 30 points on the season, and is the power-play quarterback for the Mustangs. Tribble has a good first pass, and can skate extremely well for a d-man.
Who's in Goal:
Chris Ward is the likely candidate to get the start for Darrell Mann's team tonight. Ward's numbers are respectable with a GAA of 2.88 and a save percentage of .907. I've seen Ward face the North Stars three times this season, and two of the three times he's looked fantastic.
X-Factor:
Former Battlefords Midget AAA Star Gary Childerhose is one of the best kept secrets in the SJ. He's got great speed, he's a great puck handler, and he's crafty. Childerhose provides the Mustangs with solid depth, and will likely see some big-time minutes in a rink that he's very familiar with. The Stars need to contain him, in order to find success tonight.
Record: 32-16-1-2 (67 points. Second place in the Bauer Conference.)
Who's Up Front:
Brett Miller has been Mr. Clutch for the North Stars this season. It may come as a surprise that Brett has scored seven game-winning goals this season. SEVEN!!! That's outstanding, considering the fact that he's got 20-goals on the season, and he missed a good chunk of the season thanks to his stints in the WHL. Miller scored the OT winner on Sunday night in Notre Dame, and should be fired up for this one tonight.
Who's on D:
Jesse Lebreton is OUT of the lineup tonight for the Stars, so again the Stars will have to make it a 'group effort' on the back-end. The most impressive defenceman on Sunday night was Woody Klassen, and he'll have to be impressive again as the Stars look to earn their seventh straight game. Klassen has seven goals, and 20 assists so far this season.
Who's in Goal:
Graham Hildebrand looks to earn his seventh straight victory tonight.
X-Factor:
Shay Neufeld gets the nod as x-factor tonight. The reason? He's facing his former team. Neufeld's numbers are excellent with 12 goals, and 29 assists this year. He's fifth overall in team scoring, and has contributed greatly to the team's PK over the past few months. A strong game from 'Neuf' and the Stars will be in good shape.
-------------------------------------------------------
The North Stars NEED to win this game tonight if they want to make a run at first place in the Bauer Conference. With two games in hand on Flin Flon, they can ill-afford to lose any of them. Home has been a great place for the Stars who have only lost three times in regulation at the Civic Center.
One of those time's though was a 5-2 setback courtesy of these very Mustangs.
No comments:
Post a Comment