Record: 3-3-0-1 (Seven Points)
Who's Up Front:
Melfort forward Regan Nabseth has blossomed into a legit offensive threat in the SJHL. For the past two years, Nabseth has watched the likes of Blake Hietela, Todd Chinova and Deven Stillar log a ton of ice-time and a ton of offensive credit and now it's his turn. The 20-year-old has tallied 10 points in the first seven games of the year, and has proven to be more than just a gritty, depth-type player for Melfort coach Darrell Mann. Nabseth scored three goals against the North Star's two weekends ago.
Who's on D:
Defensively the Mustangs are strong collectively, but perhaps the blessing (and curse) with this blueline is the fact that no one player in particular can be classified as the legit number one guy. Both Mitch Berg and Lee Christensen are tied for the team-lead in scoring for defencemen with four points each. It may be up to one of these two to elevate their game even further and help contribute a little more offensively.
Who's in Goal:
Charles Corsi has three wins so far in his SJHL Career, two of which have come against the North Stars. Odds are he'll start again tonight, and he'll look to improve upon his solid GAA (2.83) and a less than stellar save percentage of .889.
X-Factor:
The Melfort Mustang's powerplay will be under the microscope tonight. Right now the Stars are clearly vulernable on the Penalty-Kill and the Mustangs will need to take advantage. So far this year the Stangs have scored 12 goals on 40 attempts.
Record: 0-4-1-1
Who's Up Front:
Two new forwards could be making their Star's debut tonight against Melfort. Both Keith Grondin and Brandon Esposito are in the Battlefords and will no doubt be looking to make a strong early impression with their new team. Josh Daley's offense will no doubt be missed, but if Grondin and Esposito can make the North Stars a tougher team to play against, then they could be on their way to a victory at home.
Who's on D:
North Star's D-Man Woody Klassen has eight points through six games. He leads the SJHL in scoring for defenceman. Klassen's defensive play has been 'up-and-down' to star the year though. If Klassen can combine strong offensive with steadiness in his own zone, he'll be a candidate for Defenceman of the Year, no question.
Who's in Goal:
Ken Pearson hinted that Graham Hildebrand was close to being ready. He even said that he'd start one of the next two games. Hildebrand has had a ton of recent and career success against the Mustangs. Maybe tonight's the night. If not, I'd anticipate that Kyle Birch would get the start given that Sirard took the loss on Saturday in Kindersley.
X-Factor:
If the Stars don't stay disciplined it could be another long night, and another high scoring game against. Special teams will be a key thing for the Stars to address if they want to snap this losing skid and find the win column.
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