Monday, January 31, 2011

Stars - Terriers Preview.

Tuesday night, the Battlefords North Stars head to Farrell Agencies Arena for their final meeting of the (regular) season with the Yorkton Terriers. These team's met last Wednesday with Yorkton taking the game 4-1.



Record: 29-15-2-4

Overview:

The Yorkton Terriers are 5-4-0-1 in their last 10 games, both those victories have come with a price. The Terriers are decimated with injuries right now. Blaine Tendler, Robbie Ciolfi and Zach Majkowski are all nursing injuries, and likely will not be back until playoffs. The Terriers head into Tuesday's game with a two-point lead on second place Kindersley. The Terriers do hold a game in hand.

Who's Up Front:

Last week the Battlefords North Stars did a fine job at keeping Jeremy Boyer and Justin Buzzeo in check. The same cannot be said for Brent Struble. Struble has 48 points in 46 games, and he led the Terriers with two goals against the Stars last week. Keeping him in check, along with the likes of Boyer and Buzzeo and Clark Breitkruez will be objective one for the Stars defensively.

Who's on D:

The injury to Tendler opens up some opportunity for others to step forward and log a lot of minutes. One of those players is the newcomer Brant Remenda. Remenda was acquired on January 10th to add some veteran stability and depth. Not only has Remenda added that, but he provides Trent Cassan with physicality, and strong character for a team that is expected to perform well in the playoffs.

Who's in Goal:

Devin Peters was awesome Wednesday night in the Battlefords, and depending on Trent Cassan's choice, he may very well get the call again. Peters is 21-10-2 with a goals-against average of 2.95 and a save percentage of .906. Trent Cassan may opt to give Warren Shymko a start. He is 7-7-2 with a wicked save percentage of .918.

X-Factor:

Given the additions of Jeremy Boyer and Justin Buzzeo, it may be easier for the casual fan to shrug of 19-year-old forward Clark Breitkruez. DON'T. He is THAT good. Breitkruez is extremely patient, shifty and has a ton of smarts in the offensive zone. Breitkreuz has 55 points in 43 games.



Record: 23-24-1-1

Overview:

The Battlefords North Stars are coming off a 4-1 victory in Melfort Saturday night, and are once again staring third place right in the eye. Ken Pearson's team is 6-4 in their last 10 games and with a victory the Stars will be back at .500.

Who's Up Front:

Prior to the Melfort game, Ken Pearson juggled his lines. The results could not have been any better, particularly for the trio of Kyle Hall, Keith Grondin and Braedon Johnson. Those three were responsible for two of the Star's four goals on Saturday, and seemed dangerous whenver they were on the ice together.

Who's on D:

Heading into this road trip, the Battlefords North Stars have three defenceman that are tied for the team lead in scoring. Cody Folstad, Cris Neurauter and Woody Klassen all have 33 points, and all continue to provide big minutes for the Stars. Defensively these three are going to have to be at their best tomorrow night given the offensive potential that the Terrier's possess.

Who's in Goal:

Kyle Birch gets the call tomorrow night against the Terriers. He is 13-11 on the year, and is coming off a 36 save performance Saturday in Melfort. Of all his start's this season, I'd call Saturday night his best performance.

X-Factor:

Star's forward Colin Phaneuf is on the verge of breaking out. Phaneuf continues to get a ton of chances, and is bound to have a multi-goal game sooner than later. Phaneuf only has one goal since Christmas, but is still producing at a strong rate. Phaneuf leads the team with 62 points, and will likely see time again with Blake Tatchell and Tanner Schwab on a line.


Tuesday night's game goes live on CJNB/CJNS starting at 7:15.

No comments: