Record: 5-9-3-0 (13 points. Fifth in the Bauer Conference.)
Overview:
Doug Johnson's team snapped an eight game losing streak last night with a victory on home-ice against Kindersley. It's been a tough week in Nipawin given the fact that they've had several players leave the team or demand a trade - Yet last night they came together and beat a tough Kindersley team 6-5. Tanner Dusyk led the way with a goal and two assists while Mathew Spafford added a goal and two helpers. If the Stars are expecting an easy battle tonight, they are badly mistaken.
Who's Up Front:
Eli Lichtenwald has been a tremendous find for the Nipawin Hawks. Lichtenwald has 11 goals amd nine assists on the season and is only going to get better as he matures with age. Add Mathew Spafford and Tanner Dusyk into the equation and you've got a good setup offensively.
Who's on D:
Scott Bollefor, Scott Brkich, Brent Becker and Brant Remenda are all players that Stars fans may recognize from last season. Brkich leads the Hawks in scoring from the back-end with eight points. He adds size, skill and with the recent departure of Cory Hodgins, Brkich (in my opinion) becomes the team's top guy on the back-end.
Who's in Goal:
Former Midget AAA Star Brody Hoffman got the win last night at home, so one might think he'd be the favourite to play again tonight. However Stephen Klein may get the nod. Hoffman is 5-7 with a Goals Against of 3.74 and a save percentage of .90. Klein is 0-5 with a 4.39 GAA and a save pecentage of .851.
X-Factor:
Special Teams. If Nipawin can utilize their power-play they'll have a great shot to win. The Star's penalty-kill continues to hover underneath 70 percent for the year. On the other hand, the Hawks need to bring a strong penalty-kill to the Civic Center tonight. The Stars power-play continues to get progressively better.
Overview:
The Battlefords North Stars have dropped three straight games and now sit dead-last in the Bauer Conference. The Stars have taken a third period lead into each of their past two games only to lose both in regulation. Wednesday night in Kindersley the Stars fell 6-5 to the Klippers.
Who's Up Front:
Keith Grondin, Colin Phaneuf, and Blake Tatchell all received a bit of a 'wake up call' courtesy of Ken Pearson on Wednsday. They chipped in three goals offensively, but were also on the ice for several goals against in the third period. When they want to be, these three can be one of the most effective lines in the SJHL. I'm expecting a strong effort at both ends of the ice from these three tonight.
Who's on D:
Cris Neurauter returns from a two-game suspension to make his 'captaincy' debut tonight at the Civic Center. Neurauter has been awesome since he arrived from Estevan tallying 11 points in 11 games. It'll be up to Neurauter to keep things calm on the bench, and lead by example on the ice. The fact that the Stars have a captain now should serve as great inspiration to the rest of the team. We'll see if Neurauter is up to the task tonight against Nipawin.
Who's in Goal:
Graham Hilebrand was outstanding for 45 minutes of Wednesday's game. In the final 15 he got hung out to dry pretty good by his teammates. That being said, he didn't win the game. Ken Pearson may opt to give Alex Sirard or Kyle Birch a chance tonight to earn some momentum.
X-Factor:
Brett Miller is due for a breakout game. Since returning from injury Miller has looked good playing alongside Shayne Morrissey and Samuel Fortier. He's had no trouble setting up his teammates with seven assists in 10 games - But we all know that Miller can score goals, and score lots when he's on top of his game. A strong effort from Miller could go a long way in leading the Stars out of the basement of the Bauer Conference tonight.
If you can't make it to the rink, catch the broadcast live on CJNB/CJNS starting at 7:15.
1 comment:
OH!, OH!, OH!
The HAWKS are on a roll. They have won a game. Go Stars Go but do not forget to work.
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