Stars - Mustangs Preview (Oct. 5)

The Battlefords North Stars and Melfort Mustangs meet for the third time this season tonight at the Civic Center. Here is a preview for tonight's matchup:




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.

Stars - Kings Trade. (Daley Dealt to Dauphin)

The Battlefords North Stars have dealt 20-year-old forward Josh Daley to the Dauphin Kings (MJHL) in exchange or 20-year-old forward Keith
Grondin and 18-year-old forward Brandon Esposito.

Daley scored 23 goals last season for the Stars and was named to the SJHL's Bauer Conference All-Star team.

Both Grondin and Esposito are expected to slide into the lineup immediately. Coach Ken Pearson says that both will add some skill and size to the lineup.

The Stars battle the Melfort Mustangs tonight at the Civic Center. Game time is 7:30.

Back At It

It feels great to back on the radio. Hearing my alarm ring at 4:30 AM is not always glamorous, and my coffee is uncharacteristically cold this morning, but regardless of that - I'm back at work, and life is grand. I've got a ton on my mind, and I thank you in advance for hanging in there, and allowing me to get back up to speed with what's been going on.

Times are obviously tough right now in North Star Nation. Expectations were so high heading in, and to be winless through six games this season is a shocker to say the least. Fans are weary, the players are frustrated and everything is always magnified when the losses keep piling up.

I am still of the opinion that the season is far too young to really get true gauge of what this team is about - But I will say that a victory needs to come soon and change is definitely in order, because right now for a variety of reasons, this current group is simply not cutting it.

It's weird, because in all honesty - I'm not worried. If these struggles are still here in December - Yes, it'll be time to re-assess - But I've always believed in the Star's coaching staff, and a rocky start is certainly not enough to change that.

Some fans have brought up the 2007-2008 'five-win' season and have started making comparisons already. To me, that comparison is ludacris. Back in 2007-2008, it was clear that there was a drastic shortage of talent on the team, whereas this year there almost seems to be an abundance of skill with a shortage of grit and toughness. I'm no GM, but to me it seems like it would be easier to find and add grit than it would be to acquire talent. Leading me to the conclusion that even with a record of 0-4-1-1, Ken Pearson is still dealing from a position of strength when it comes to improving this team. As always, your thoughts and input are appreciated.

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Help could be on the way for the Stars, at least in goal. Last I heard from Graham Hildebrand, he said was on the verge of being ready to play. I'll touch base with Graham at some point today to provide some better information, but boy it would be nice to see Hildebrand back between the pipes. Nothing against either Kyle Birch or Alex Sirard, but right now the team could use a boost and maybe Hildebrand is "it."

It's strange to think that this knee injury has actually really helped Graham Hildebrand's stock with the team.

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Tonight's edition of the Co-Op Leisure Time Sports Fix will have a football feel to it. Former BC Lion's quarterback/Team 1040 Football analyst Giulio Caravatta will be on the program to talk CFL. I've also got some other irons in the fire with the CFL and SJHL so you can bet that it'll be a full program. I'll keep you posted through twitter once the guests become confirmed. The show starts at 8:00 tonight and runs on CJNB/CJNS.

Klippers 6 - Stars 2

A difficult 'special-teams' weekend for the Battlefords North Stars came to an end Saturday with a 6-2 loss courtesy of the Kindersley Klippers. The Klippers tallied on five of their nine power-play opportunities en route to their third victory of the season.

Beau Taylor opened the scoring for Kindersley in the first. Pierce Gourley then followed with his first of the year to make it 2-0. Blake Tatchell notched his third of the year late in the first, and the teams skated to the locker room with the score 2-1 Kindersley.

Kindersley added two more goals in the second, both of them courtesy of the power-play. Jonothan Sonntag scored at 6:57, and Braedon Adamyk scored with only a second remaining in the period to give Kindersley a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Three minutes into the third, Nathan Tomac scored his second of the season to give the Stars some life, but the Klippers countered with two late ones to seal the game at 6-2.

The Stars record falls to 0-4-1-1. They sit two points back of La Ronge in the Bauer Conference. The Stars are next in action Tuesday night at home against the Melfort Mustangs.

Stars - Klippers Preview.

Tonight will be a night that residents of Kindersley won't soon forget. The West Central Events Center will be re-opened tonight after a January fire made the rink un-usable. The atmosphere will no doubt be electric as the Klippers and their fans get to enjoy a home opener. The Battlefords North Stars no doubt have a tough challenge ahead of them, but also a great opportunity to spoil a pretty awesome party.



Record: 2-2

Who's Up Front:

Braedon Adamyk is off to a fine start to the season. He's tallied seven points in four games, and has shown strong play-making ability through the first four games of his season. Add the likes of Taylor Duzan (four goals) and Sanfred King (six points) and you've got a potent offense that can come at you in waves. Adamyk and Duzan will need to be silenced if the Stars want to grab their first victory.


Who's on D:

On September 18th, Kurt Leedahl was a one-man wrecking crew against the North Stars. He scored the first two goals of the game and was a strong defensive force. He was solid in his own end, and took care of business offensively when he had the chance. Leedahl log a ton of ice-time tonight against the Star's top forwards.

Who's in Goal:

It's been an up-and-down start to the season for Kindersley goaltender Scott Hellyer. Hellyer has two wins, but he's got a goals against of 5.73 and a save percentage of .873. I've never been a huge numbers guy, but these numbers will have to improve if Hellyer is going to keep his team in games. Larry Wintoneak may decide to give Justin McDonald the start, I would figure Hellyer will get the call for the team's home opener.

X-Factor:

John Calkins is off to a decent start statistically for the Klippers. Five points in four games is by no means poor. But the fact that Calkins has yet to crack the goal column is somewhat alarming. Calkins is a gifted offensive player that needs to start scoring more goals, especially in the absense of captain Andrew Dommett. A goal or two from Calkins tonight could be bad news for the Battlefords.




Record: 0-3-1-1

Who's Up Front:

On a night where there were few positives, Josh Daley and Calder Neufeld had their moments. Neufeld had the lone goal for the Stars, and Daley was physical, and showed the offensive skill that landed him in the Battlefords in the first place. Daley is still looking for his first goal of the year, and if he keeps playing like he did last night, it's bound to come soon.

Who's on D:

Defensively the Stars were not very good in last night's game. The Red Wings had way too much time in front of the Star's net to finish their chances, and a major improvement will need to be made if they want to win tonight. That being said,
newcomer Brody Luhning made a decent first impression with the Stars. He fought, showed some offensive poise, and should (with a little seasoning) fit right in on the Star's blueline for the next few seasons.

Who's in Goal:

I'd suspect we'll see Alex Sirard go for the Stars tonight. Very seldom has Ken Pearson ever gone with the same goaltender for two straight nights, especially if the first game has yielded a loss. Sirard played well a week ago during a 4-3 shootout loss to Melfort, and the Calgary native has a great opportunity to help lead the Stars to victory tonight.

X-Factor:

The ultimate X-Factor for the Stars tonight will be identity. Through the first five games we've learned a lot about the Stars both good and bad. But one thing that has been lacking with this team is a clear identity. They have talent, youth, toughness, goaltending and experience - Yet they haven't been able to blend all of it together yet for 60 minutes. I have all of the confidence in the world that once they start playing together, finishing their checks and becoming a 'tougher team to play against' that the wins will come in bunches. Restoring their identity has the hardest working team in the SJHL will be the first step in that direction.

Weyburn Battles Past the Stars 7-1.

The losses continue to mount for the Battlefords North Stars.

Friday night at home, the Stars dropped a 7-1 decision to the Weyburn Red Wings.

Drew George led the way with two goals for Weyburn who were able to take advantage of four of their 11 power-plays.

The Stars went 0-4 on the man-advantage and were badly outshot 37-22. Calder Neufeld managed the lone goal for the Stars who drop to 0-3-1-1 on the season.

The search for win number one continues for the Stars who are In Kindersley Saturday (tomorrow) for the re-opening of the West Central Event's Center after a fire made the rink unusable earlier in the year. The puck drops at 7:30.

(Check the blog for a preview tomorrow afternoon.)

Stars - Wings Preview

The Battlefords North Stars return to action tonight at the North Battleford Civic Center. Tonight the Weyburn Red Wings are in town for their first meeting of the year between the two clubs. Last season the Stars were 3-0-0-1 against their southern foes. Here's a preview for tonight's game:




Record: 2-2

Who's Up Front:

The Weyburn Red Wings have no shortage of players that can score. Brock Appleyard is off to a great start with seven points in his first four games. The product of Lundar, MB has always shown lots of offensive ability, and so far this year he has been the Red Wing's best play-maker. Add a pure goal scorer like Drew George into the equation and you've got a fantastic one-two punch. Stopping those two in particular will be key for the Stars.

Who's on D:

Newcomer Ryan Whitell is off to a strong start offensively for the Wings. In four games he's totalled four points (two goals) and has also added some size and youth to Weyburn's blue-line. Whitell stands 6'4 and 215lbs. He's only 18.

Who's in Goal:

A tough call for Dwight McMillan tonight. Mitch Kilgore (91) has gotten two starts and has posted a record of 1-1. His numbers aren't overwhelming, but they're not shabby either. On the other hand, rookie Lucas Felbel (91) is 1-0 with a shutout to start the season.

X-Factor:

Assuming both are in the lineup, the duo of Shawn and Rodney Cowie could make or break Weyburn's chances in tonight's game. These two 20-year-olds have real talent, and a ton of chemistry on the ice. Granted both have only played in two games, and are off to slow starts - But the last thing the North Stars want to help them break out.



Record: 0-2-1-1

Who's Up Front:

One of the strongest additions to the North Star's lineup so far has been Colin Phaneuf. It's hard to argue with four goals in four games. Phaneuf and linemates Blake Tatchell and Brett Miller have carried ths Stars offensively through the first four games of the year (at least from a forward stand-point) and another strong outing from Phaneuf may be neccessary in order for the Stars to grab their first win.

Who's on D:

Due to unforseen circumstances, I have been able to come on here and wish an official congratulations to defenceman Zach MacLellan for being named SJHL Defenceman of the Week. What an honor considering MacLellan hasn't even been in the province for a month. He seems to have really found some confidence playing alongside Woody Klassen. I look for these two to only get better as the season progresses.

Who's in Goal:

Alex Sirard played well enough to win last Saturday. That being said Kyle Birch is a competitor and has no doubt given Ken Pearson something to think about this week in practice. Your guess is as good as mine.

X-Factor:

I've got a hunch that tonight is going to be Josh Daley's night. He's had his chances, and we all know he has the ability. Tonight is his night to grab his first goal(s) of the year. If Daley can step up, and contribute a little more offensively, the Stars could be well on their way to their first of many victories this season.