Playoff Gameday (Stars - Mustangs Preview)

The wait is over.

Tonight at the North Battleford Civic Center, the Battlefords North Stars look to kick off their post-season with a 'W' against the Melfort Mustangs in Game One of the Bauer Conference Semi-Finals.

Both teams are healthy, hungry, and no doubt excited to get back onto the ice. If night number one of SJHL semi-final play was any indiciation, we're going to be in for another exciting night tonight.

Before I share some personal thoughts, I'll preview the game tonight:



Who's Up Front:

The Mustangs have no shortage of offensive talent and depth. Todd Chinova and Blake Hietela are easily the two biggest names which carry the most swagger, but it doesn't end there. Brant Harris, Cole Gibson, Jesse Mireau and Gary Childerhose round out the top-six forwards for Melfort. Any one of those guys can burn you, and it will be up to the Star's defense early on to keep them silenced.


Who's on D:

Though the Mustangs may lack some experience on the back-end, they have no shortage of talent and toughness. Harrison Tribble is a fantastic defenceman who will do most of his damage on the power-play as the quarterback. Factor in the likes of Mitch and Carter Berg, Denton King, Josh Martin and Lee Christensen and you've got a D-Core that can get things done.

Who's In Goal:

Chris Ward gets the call tonight for Darrell Mann's Mustangs. Ward is a gamer who has experienced some playoff success before - Albeit in the MJHL. Playoff success always seems to come down to special teams and goaltending. If Chris Ward can outduel Kyle Birch/Graham Hildebrand, then Melfort will find success in this series.


X-Factor:

You voted, and I won't disagree. Todd Chinova is a tremendous x-factor for the Melfort Mustangs. He's got it all: Size, speed, toughness, experience and skill. It goes without say that a strong series from Chinova, and a strong Game One from Chinova could be the ultimate difference.



Who's Up Front:

Over the course of a 58 game season, the Stars have shown tremendous depth. Thinking back to the 35 wins, it was rarely the same player which allowed the team to win consecutive games. That same mentality will be neccessary for the Stars to defeat the Melfort Mustangs in Game One of their semi-final series tonight. Blake Peake, Brett Miller and Chad Filteau need to use their speed and skill. Mitch Wall needs to create space for Josh Daley and Shay Neufeld. Ward Szucki needs to battle a long the boards and in front of the net, while Blake Tatchell and Dane Muench create plays. And Troy Watt, Boyd Wakelin and Nathan Tomac need to provide energy and a spark for the Stars at both ends of the ice.


Who's on D:

Ken Pearson likes to roll his lines, and seems to have an equal amount of trust in all of his defenders. That being said, it is going to take a six-man effort defensively to keep the likes of Todd Chinova, Brant Harris, Gary Childerhose and Blake Hietela off the score sheet. These defenders MUST maintain some sense of order in front of their net. Graham Hildebrand and Kyle Birch can stop the first shot, but it's when the second, third and forth chances occur that this team gets into trouble.

Who's in Goal:

The only thing I know for certain is that it will either be Kyle Birch or Graham Hildebrand. I guess you'll have to come to the game and find out.


X-Factor:

Special teams and goaltending win you championships. The Star's power-play was 'consistently inconsistent' all season. If they can get a few goals on the man-advantage tonight, it would do wonders for their confidence heading into the bulk of the post-season.

Star's Scratches: Tony Oak (Suspension), Brody Malek, Tanner Schwab, Calder Neufeld.

The road team won all three of the games last night, here's hoping that trend dies quickly.

I'd also like to note that no team last night had over 1000 fans at their game. Flin Flon came the closest with 987 fans in attendance. You and I both know that we in the Battlefords are capable of getting over 1000 fans into this building tonight.

You've been waiting a longtime to get back into this position of home-ice advantage. Now it's time to make the most of it. See you at the rink tonight, and for goodness sake, bring you're voices!