Weekend Reaction & Friday Photos

First, here are some photos from Friday's 9-5 win at home against Melville.

*All photos taken by Julie Larson.



Woody Klassen nets his first of the season on a breakaway.



And still the undisputed heavyweight champion of the SJHL... Tony Oak!



It wasn't always pretty, but the Stars win it!



Well deserved Player of the Month Award for Ryan Andersen.


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Friday's win was a big one for the Stars. The pessimist will tell you that the Stars have no business blowing a 4-0 lead, and I'd tend to agree. But at the end of the day, a win is a win, and the Stars are 3-0 at home.


It was another tough night for Graham Hilldebrand, and it's tough because everybody knows what he is capable of, but confidence is clearly lacking right now, and something's gotta give sooner or later.


In Graham's defence, the North Star's PK did not do very well on Friday night. Yes, saves need to be made, but the Star's penalty killers haven't done a good enough job at keeping players to the outside. The Stars aren't blocking any shots, and whenever they do get a chance to clear the zone, they seem to fumble the puck and the opposing defence always manages to keep the puck in. To me, it seems as if the four penalty killers simply need to bear down a little more and execute better.


It's great to see that the Stars keep scoring in bunches. Nine goals scored, with eight different players scoring. I'd way rather have a team like that then a team that relies on two or three players to light the lamp.

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Saturday's game in Melfort was outstanding. It was very entertaining from a broadcast perspective, and in my opinion I think the Mustangs were darn lucky to get two points.

The Stars certainly played well enough to win that game, and both goaltenders )(Pogue and Birch) both deserved their 3-Star Selections. That being said, it was a quiet bus ride home, and the Stars seemed to realize that they let one slip away. The Mustangs were missing a ton of their regulars due to injury etc, and on paper the Stars had the better lineup.

It was a big win for Melfort, and one would think that they'd be filled with a ton of confidence moving forward.

I think both teams can take a lot of positives moving forward, and it makes Tuesday's game against Humboldt all the more fun because a win against the Broncos could potentially lift the Stars into first place.

Estevan and Yorkton did the Stars a big favor last night by beating Flin Flon and La Ronge respectively. Check out the standings on the SJHL home page, and you'll see why those losses were so key to the North Stars.

Tonight Nipawin is playing Humboldt, and boy would it be nice if Nipawin could upset the Broncos.

Stars Get a Point in Melfort.

Saturday night at the Ice Palace in Melfort, the Battlefords North Stars dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime to the Melfort Mustangs.

For the Stars, a tough pill to swallow given how well they played throughout the game. Ultimate the game came down to a Mustang's powerplay in OT, and they capitalized thanks to a favourable bounce behind the Stars net.

Troy Watt(1) opened the scoring for the Stars at 16:27 of the first period. For Watt it was a special moment as the 20-year-old scored his first ever regular season goal in Junior A hockey.

The second period was a battle of the goaltenders. Kyle Birch and Charlie Pogue went head-to-head and really took the game over. It was impossible to suggest which goaltender was playing better, as both made saves that they had no business making.

After 40 minutes, the Stars were outshooting Melfort 26 - 16 and all the Stars had to do was hold on. They did so until the 14:06 mark of the final frame, when Matt Dochylo scored his first ever SJ goal, and the game was tied.

In the third, the Stars managed to kill off two different five-on-three disadvantages, and were able to force overtime.

Early in overtime, Jesse Mireau fed Tanner Exner with a beautiful stretch pass for a breakaway. Coleman Brodbin looked to have checked him cleanly off the puck, but the referee disagreed and called a penalty.

Devon Stillar notched the game winner at 2:48 thanks to a Harrison Tribble point-shot that eluded Kyle Birch and redirected itself off of the end boards behind the goal.

The Stars finished with 34 shots, the Mustangs with 31.

Up next for the Stars, a Tuesday home game against the Humboldt Broncos. Depending on the results of Sunday, the Stars could be in first place in the Bauer Conference with a win over the Broncos that night.

Stars / Mustangs Preview

Melfort Mustangs (1-6)

Who's Hot:

Devon Stillar and Gary Childerhose are the two main cogs of the Melfort Mustangs. These two have combined for 15 points in six games.

Who's on D:

The 'Stangs' top D-man is a returnee from last year. Harrison Tribble has five points so far this year.

Who's in Goal:

Jordan Washburn played last night in Humboldt, so by default I'm suggesting that Charlie Pogue plays tonight.


X-Factor:

Blake Hietela has always been a thorn in the Star's side. He's off to a slow start this year with just four points in seven games.


Battlefords North Stars:

Who's Hot:

Josh Daley and Blake Peake. Both had big nights last night, and the chemistry with these two seems to be improving each night.

Who's on D:

Cody Folstad is on fire! I don't think too many Stars fans would have expected that he'd be the one to have seven points in seven games.

Who's in Goal:

Graham Hilldebrand started last night and was pulled halfway through, so my intuition tells me that we see Kyle Birch again. He's 4-1 on the year.

X-Factor:

The penalty killers. The Stars have STUNK on the PK through seven games and Melfort definitely has weapons that can hurt a team. If the Stars don't start killing penalties, it could be a tough night.

Catch the game tonight on CJNB/CJNS or www.cjnb.com

North Stars Down the Millionaires 9-5

The Battlefords North Stars have climbed over the .500 mark after their spirited 9-5 victory over the Melville Millionaires on Friday night.

Eight different players scored for the Stars who now find themselves third in the SJHL's Bauer Conference.

Blake Peake (2), Cody Folstad, Woody Klassen, Dominic Perrault, Boyd Wakelin, Ward Szucki, and Brett Miller scored for the Stars.

However the 9-5 result may be a tad misleading, and Melville gave the North Stars one hell of a battle.

The Stars led 4-1 after one, but Melville poured it on during the second period. At one point the score was 5-5 and the North Stars seemed like they were destined to let a 4-0 lead slipaway.

Graham Hilldebrand was pulled after goal number five, and from there on out, the Stars regained their momentum. Mitch Wall and Boyd Wakelin were able to score 45 seconds apart to give the home team a two-goal lead.

Tonight the Stars are in Melfort and a win would put them at 5-3 on the year.

I'll preview the Mustangs later on, and I'll add some photos tomorrow.

Stars Preview for Tonight

Who's Hot:

Ryan Andersen, Mitch Wall and Brett Miller combined for 8 points in Wednesday's 5-4 win against the Humboldt Broncos, and expect this line to carry forward some momentum for tonight.

Who's on D:

Two players to watch tonight are Dominic Perrault and Woody Klassen. Both players were awesome on Wednesday, and should be especially fired up to play in their first home game at the season.

Who's in Net:

Graham Hilldebrand gets his third start of the season tonight, and he's still gunning for his first victory of the season. Hildy had a tough one in Kindersley on the 18th, but played rather well in Yorkton in a 4-3 loss. Will tonight be the night that he gets off the schnide (sp?) so to speak?


Ex-Factor:

Graham Hilldebrand is my choice tonight. Kyle Birch (his counterpart) is off to a great start with a 3-1 record. A win tonight for Graham would certainly help his and his team's confidence.


Sadly tonight's game will not be a broadcast, so make sure you follow me on twitter:

http://twitter.com/danoconnor19

Stars / Millionaires Preview

Tonight the Battlefords North Stars look to continue their unbeaten streak on home ice when they welcome a depleted Melville Millionaires club to town. Game time is at 7:30.

Here is your Melville preview:




Record: 2-2-1


Who's Hot:

For the Mil's I'm going with Tyson Melnychuk. The Melville product tallied his first two points of the season last night in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Kindersley Klippers. The Mil's will need more secondary production from players like Tyson tonight if they want to find success.

Who's on D:

The Mil's are looking a tad vulnerable on the defensive end tonight, particularly with the absense of stud defenceman Austin Krahenbil (suspension). Combine that with the loss of fellow blueliner Tyler Howe, and possible injuries to Jordan Reeve and Craig Karius, and we could be seeing a much different looking D-core tonight when the Mil's and Stars go at it.


Who's in Goal:

Brady Wilyman played last night, and earned a point for the Mil's which leads be to believe that we may be seeing 16-year-old Zack Rakochy suit up for Melville. I'm sure the Stars would love to get a second chance at this kid, as they made him look really good in a 4-1 loss a week ago. It's certainly plausible that we see Wilyman again tonight, as Melville will be heading back to Kindersley tomorrow night.

Ex-Factor:

Given how deciminated this Melville lineup will be, they are going to have to rely on their offence to see them through. Logan Herauf leads the way with eight points through five games, and he'll have to combine forces with Aaron Decorby and light the lamp a couple of times tonight.




I'll post the Star's Preview a little later on.

Good News for Fans Aged 19 and Over.

The Battlefords North Stars hockey club is pleased to announce that effective Friday, October 2nd, fans will be able to enjoy alcoholic beverages in the stands during Battlefords North Star’s games.

The idea has been officially approved by the City of North Battleford and the Sask. Liquor Board.

“It becomes more of an enjoyable outing for fans,” said North Star’s President Ray Adelman who helped spear-head this idea. “We as a board feel like we have to step forward and try and generate more money for the hockey club, and this is a great way to offset some of our costs.”

Fans will only be allowed to purchase a maximum of two drinks per purchase, and must provide two pieces of ID. Liquor consumption in the stands will be cut off at the 10:00 mark of the third period.

“We hope that this addition will help fans enjoy our product even further. This is a privilege and we hope that our fans treat it as such,” said Adelman. “This way you don’t have to rush your beer between periods. You can relax, and spend more time visiting with fellow fans at your seats with a drink in hand.”

Up until this point, the North Stars were one of the few teams in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League that did not allow alcohol in the stands. Adelman hinted that some teams have generated close to 20,000$ of extra income thanks to this concept.

The Hot Stove Lounge will also be used after weekend home games for a new feature called “Coaches Corner.” After each weekend home-game, win or lose, Dan O’Connor will host a show with Ken Pearson and Blair Atcheynum. Fans will be encouraged to submit their questions to the coaching staff, and a several questions will be answered after each game.

The North Stars are working hard during the 09-10 season to involve the fans in more ways then ever before.


Dan O’Connor
Battlefords North Stars Media Relations and Broadcasting
Office: (306) - 445-7827
office@northstars.ca