Record: 2-2
Who's Up Front:
Braedon Adamyk is off to a fine start to the season. He's tallied seven points in four games, and has shown strong play-making ability through the first four games of his season. Add the likes of Taylor Duzan (four goals) and Sanfred King (six points) and you've got a potent offense that can come at you in waves. Adamyk and Duzan will need to be silenced if the Stars want to grab their first victory.
Who's on D:
On September 18th, Kurt Leedahl was a one-man wrecking crew against the North Stars. He scored the first two goals of the game and was a strong defensive force. He was solid in his own end, and took care of business offensively when he had the chance. Leedahl log a ton of ice-time tonight against the Star's top forwards.
Who's in Goal:
It's been an up-and-down start to the season for Kindersley goaltender Scott Hellyer. Hellyer has two wins, but he's got a goals against of 5.73 and a save percentage of .873. I've never been a huge numbers guy, but these numbers will have to improve if Hellyer is going to keep his team in games. Larry Wintoneak may decide to give Justin McDonald the start, I would figure Hellyer will get the call for the team's home opener.
X-Factor:
John Calkins is off to a decent start statistically for the Klippers. Five points in four games is by no means poor. But the fact that Calkins has yet to crack the goal column is somewhat alarming. Calkins is a gifted offensive player that needs to start scoring more goals, especially in the absense of captain Andrew Dommett. A goal or two from Calkins tonight could be bad news for the Battlefords.
Record: 0-3-1-1
Who's Up Front:
On a night where there were few positives, Josh Daley and Calder Neufeld had their moments. Neufeld had the lone goal for the Stars, and Daley was physical, and showed the offensive skill that landed him in the Battlefords in the first place. Daley is still looking for his first goal of the year, and if he keeps playing like he did last night, it's bound to come soon.
Who's on D:
Defensively the Stars were not very good in last night's game. The Red Wings had way too much time in front of the Star's net to finish their chances, and a major improvement will need to be made if they want to win tonight. That being said,
newcomer Brody Luhning made a decent first impression with the Stars. He fought, showed some offensive poise, and should (with a little seasoning) fit right in on the Star's blueline for the next few seasons.
Who's in Goal:
I'd suspect we'll see Alex Sirard go for the Stars tonight. Very seldom has Ken Pearson ever gone with the same goaltender for two straight nights, especially if the first game has yielded a loss. Sirard played well a week ago during a 4-3 shootout loss to Melfort, and the Calgary native has a great opportunity to help lead the Stars to victory tonight.
X-Factor:
The ultimate X-Factor for the Stars tonight will be identity. Through the first five games we've learned a lot about the Stars both good and bad. But one thing that has been lacking with this team is a clear identity. They have talent, youth, toughness, goaltending and experience - Yet they haven't been able to blend all of it together yet for 60 minutes. I have all of the confidence in the world that once they start playing together, finishing their checks and becoming a 'tougher team to play against' that the wins will come in bunches. Restoring their identity has the hardest working team in the SJHL will be the first step in that direction.
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