After an 8-3 win Tuesday against Flin Flon, the Battlefords North Stars head to the Cage for one last battle with the Nipawin Hawks. On the surface, it could be a possible 'trap game' for the North Stars who might be tempted to coast after an emotional victory against Flin Flon. But with the magic number at 'one' the Stars should have no trouble getting up for this one.
NIPAWIN HAWKS
Record: 16-33-3-2
Overview:
Life after January 10th has not been too friendly for the Nipawin Hawks. Doug Johnson made the difficult choice to deal his 20-year-olds, which has left a young, gritty hockey team that is high on character, but low on raw skill. The Hawks are 0-9-0-1 in their last ten games. They lost 8-4 at home to La Ronge last night.
Who's Up Front:
Eli Lichtenwald has fast become one of my favourite players in the SJHL. The 1992-born forward has great size, and has the skill to match. Lichtenwald has 21 goals and 22 assists and leads the Hawks in scoring. It would be a real shocker if Lichtenwald is not in the final-three for Rookie of the Year voting.The Stars will need to be wary of his presence on the ice.
Who's on D:
Second-year d-man Scott Bollefor was recently named Nipawin's 'Defenceman of the Year' nominee for the SJHL awards. While his stats are underwhelming, his presence is not. Bollefor logs a lot of minutes, and is a key contributor defensively for Nipawin. Bollefor will likely see lots of ice-time tonight against the Stars top forwards.
Who's in Goal:
Both Brody Hoffman and Stephan Klein saw time in last night's game against La Ronge, so who gets the call tonight is anybody's guess. My hunch tells me Hoffman, who has been the more consistent of the two goalies.
X-Factor:
One of the most underrated players on Nipawin's team is 19-year-old forward Darius Cole. Cole has quietly put together a decent freshman campaign in the SJHL, and has 12 goals heading into tonight's game. Cole can skate, pass, and compete physically. Again, his stats may not tell you the real story as to how good he really is.
BATTLEFORDS NORTH STARS
Record: 25-27-2-1
Overview:
The Battlefords North Stars have won two straight games, and are now two points away from officially clinching fourth place in the SJHL's Bauer Conference Survivor Series. They are coming off a spirited 8-3 victory over the Flin Flon Bombers.
Who's Up Front:
When it rains, it pours for Battlefords North Stars forwards Blake Tatchell, Colin Phaneuf and Cole Gibson. Those three combined six goals and 13 points in last night's victory against Flin Flon. It seems like both Phaneuf and Tatchell have regained some lost confidence, and could be poised for another big night tonight at the Cage.
Who's on D:
Brody Luhning played a great game against Flin Flon yesterday, and will be expected to provide more of the same tonight. Luhning tallied two assists and displayed a ton of patience and poise with the puck. Luhning has also seemed to elevate his play against the Hawks. The last time the Stars played in Nipawin, Luhning scored twice, including the game-winning goal.
Who's in Goal:
Kyle Birch likely gets the call again tonight for the Stars after 42 saves on 45 shots faced. Birch now holds a record of 15-13. His goals against now sits below 4.00, and his save percentage is flirting with .890.
X-Factor:
Tonight the bottom six energy/role players need to lead by example. In a potential 'trap game' it'll be important for the grinders to grind, the speedsters to skate and for the goal-scoreres to score. If the Stars expect an easy game tonight, they are sadly mistaken.
Tonight's game goes live on CJNB/CJNS starting at 7:15. Game time is 7:30
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
Lost in the all the comments is the play of Forbes.He's making the inconsistent play of our team captain bareble.Hats off to him!
Andrew Johnson was -5 last night and some how he's a star.A little common sense please.
Forbes is going to be good... Hes got good size and skates well. Hes a no non sense type of defencemen... Great to see that he is going to get the chance to play.
Andrew Johnson was one of the best players on the ice last night easily. Did you notice when the game was out of reach their grinders played more and most of the last 10 minutes. Dangerous move to keep putting your top line out when the game is out of reach. Give them a rest, we don't need them hurt for playoffs.
Dan, in an earlier thread, someone from Flin Flon blew off some steam with a dig about an unbiased call of the game. You know you're the best in the league. Keep up the good work.
If being the best player on the ice means you don't play in your own zone then the game is really changing!
Great win. With Gibson getting 3 goals I was suprised to see on the internet our Captain was first star. He must be finally getting over his leg injury he got 9 games ago. Good to see considering how bad it was. Good job
Injuries are part of the game.Heart is usually what seperates players.Great win last night.Team effort!
Agreed. Playing through, working through injuries and heart go together. Do everything you can to help the team. Playoffs are coming. Let's do it
Surprised to have seen the Captain get 1st Star as well.
He obviously must of had a very strong game because usually if someone has a three goal game that player gets first star. Road game so you can'nt say it was a homer pick. Getting ready for a long playoff. Lets play. Go Stars
Post a Comment