Waiting Is the Hardest Part.

I'm sure a lot of North Star fans will have their eyes closely glued to the SJHL Website tonight.

Tonight the Flin Flon Bombers host the Nipawin Hawks, and one could easily classify this one as a 'must-win' for both teams. Nipawin needs a victory to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, while Flin Flon needs a win in order to force some more separation between themselves and the North Stars.

Heading into the action tonight, the Bombers have a three-point lead on the Stars, and have played one more game. A Nipawin victory (in regulation), and the Stars remain three points behind Flin Flon with two games in hand.

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All the while, the Melfort Mustangs are in Eston tonight, battling the Klippers. The 'Stangs are desperate for victories too. They need to start making the most of their games in hand on La Ronge. A win for Melfort tonight and they'll be tied with La Ronge for third in the Bauer with three games still in hand.

Tomorrow's matchup between Melfort and the Battlefords could very easily be classified as a playoff preview. But before we go that far, the Mustangs need to win tonight. No easy task, against a Kindersley team that is going to be 'out for blood' after a really dissapointing weekend down south.

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The Stars are no doubt aware of all of the possible scenarios, but the most important thing for the Stars right now is to keep winning. If the Stars can keep winning games, their destiny will unfold smoothly.

The Melfort Mustangs are going to be an extremely tough opponent tomorrow night, and if even one of the Star players thinks that they can look past Melfort and start prepping for this weekend's voyage to Flin Flon, they're kidding themselves!

The Stars have only lost three times in regulation all season at home, one of those games was a 5-2 setback courtesy of the Melfort Mustangs.

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We need to pack the Civic Center tomorrow night, and for our final three home games afterwards too. The Stars have won six in a row, and are 12-2 so far in 2010. Anything less than 1000 fans at the Civic Center for a home game is unfair.

In three long years, the Stars have gone from a five-win team to a championship contender. I think they've regained the trust of even their harshest critics within the community, and it's time that hockey fans in the Battlefords regain their reputation as being the best fans in the SJHL.

You ask the fans across the SJHL, and quite often you'll hear fans raving about Flin Flon, and how crazy their fans are, and how 'intimidating' it is to go to the Whitney and get two points.

Let the record show that the Flin Flon Bombers are 19-5-0-1 at home while the North Stars are 21-3-0-2.

Since I've arrived in the Battlefords, I've heard from many folks that back in the glory years of the North Stars, the team would average well-over a thousand fans per game. This year, I think there have been maybe four games where the Stars have eclipsed the 1000 fan plateau. You and I both know that we're capable of more.

All that being said, the Stars have an incredibly loyal fan-base, and it warms my heart to see many of the same faces at the Civic Center every night. At least when the Star's are making their run in the post-season, you'll be able to look yourself in the mirror and truthfully say, "I supported them from the very beginning."

There is still plenty of room at the Civic Center for you, your friends and your family. As always, I'm looking forward to seeing you all at the rink, and I look forward to our visits in the stands, in the lounge and in the lobby. Talking about the team with the fans is one of my favourite things, and I feel blessed to be able to do so on a weekly basis.


Enjoy the games tonight, and we'll see you at the rink tomorrow night.

DO