Stars forward, Dylan Esau battles for position in front versus the Nipawin Hawks. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Back at Home

Stars play host to Hawks on the hunt for fourth straight

Nov 13, 2021 | 3:30 PM

The Battlefords North Stars return to home ice Saturday night, as the team will welcome the Nipawin Hawks to town, in search of their fourth straight win.

Team outlook

Saturday’s game will be the first meeting of the season-series between the Stars and Hawks, though Nipawin did take the 2-0 edge in the preseason when the teams met to close out the exhibition schedule.

The North Stars enter play second in the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division and third overall in the league standings, with a 13-6-2 record, giving them 28 points on the year.

At 8-8-2 this season, Nipawin are third in the Sherwood Division and eighth overall with 18 points. The Hawks will be motivated to bounce back from a tough 7-3 loss to Notre Dame at home Friday.

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Players to watch

Jake Southgate, who leads the Stars in both goals (11) and points (22) will return to the lineup for the Battlefords Saturday, after missing Friday night’s contest due to an upper body injury.

Southgate will be joined by center Emmett Wurst and Zane Florence – two of the hottest Stars’ players heading into the night’s action.

Wurst scored his seventh of the season Friday versus Kindersley and has two goals over his last three games, while Florence has picked up points in five straight as one of the team’s most consistent offensive producers of late.

Nipawin are led offensively by Andrew Schaab, who has scored a team-best 13 points through 18 games, and will enter play Saturday riding a four-game point streak of his own, with two goals, and two assists over the span.

Carson Dobson’s six goals also lead the Hawks, coming in just 14 games for the 19-year-old.

Special teams

Nipawin hold a slight advantage on special teams heading into the night’s contest, as the Hawks rank seventh on the power play at 16.5 percent, just ahead of the North Stars’ 15 percent efficiency with the man-advantage.

On the penalty kill, the Hawks are sixth at just over 83 percent, while the Stars rank 11^th at just under 75 percent. However, the Battlefords’ power play has shown dramatic improvement of late, going a perfect seven-for-seven on the kill over their last two games versus Kindersley.

Goaltending

In goal, Michael Harroch will get his second straight start for the North Stars, after stopping 17 of 18 Kinderlsey shots to open the weekend. Harroch is 4-1-1 with the Stars this season, while posting a 2.39 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.

Nipawin are likely to start Chase Hamm, who has played 14 games already this season, with a 7-4-2 record, and a 2.30 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.

Due to the Rider game on CJNB, Saturday’s game will be available on 93.3 The Rock. The NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast will begin with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 7 p.m., with puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

North Stars lineup

Forwards:

M. Henry, D. Esau, S. Kesslering

J. Southgate, E. Wurst, Z. Florence

E. Scriven, R. McNinch, K. Klein

K.T. Walters, B. Blake, D. Prymak

Defencemen:

T. Gold, R. Little

S. Witt, O. Lugowski

T. Ewart, J. Grill

Goaltenders:

M. Harroch

L. Kenyon

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1