Stars lineup receives boost in Nipawin, in search of fifth straight

Head coach of the Stars, Brayden Klimosko credits his team’s work ethic and commitment to the little things away from the puck, with their success of late.

“We’re giving up less chances in games and I think we’re doing a better job of protecting the house [around the net],” Klimosko said.

“We’ve had better defence as a group, guys are really back-checking hard and because of that, we’re just giving up less chances which is great to see. Obviously we’ll have to continue that tonight if we’re going to have a chance to win.”

Nipawin sits third in the Sherwood Division and eighth overall, with a 9-9-2 record, and will enter the weekend looking for their second straight win after topping Weyburn 4-2, Tuesday.

Players to watch

The North Stars offence will receive a huge shot-in-the-arm Friday, as first-year standout, Holden Doell will return to the lineup for the team.

Doell, who has 14 points in 16 games this season, has missed the last six games, due to an upper body injury sustained Oct. 30 versus Melfort. He will be flanked by Jake Southgate, who leads the team in both goals (11) and points (23), and Zane Florence, who only recently saw his six-game point streak snapped last weekend.

The dynamic duo of Holden Doell and Jake Southgate will be reunited Friday night in Nipawin. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Andrew Schaab leads all Hawks’ players with 14 points this year, including five in his last six games, while former Battlefords AAA Stars captain, Carson Dobson is tied for the Nipawin lead in goals with six, and is second on the Hawks in points (11).

Special teams

While the North Stars rank sixth overall on the power play (clicking at 20 per cent) and 10^th on the penalty kill (75.6 per cent), the team’s special teams’ play of late has been another contributing factor to their recent success.

The Stars went perfect scoring on all four power plays against Nipawin in last Saturday’s 4-1 win, and are also 10/10 over their last three games on the penalty kill.

Nipawin are 10^th in the league on the power play at just over 15 per cent, and seventh on the kill at just under 80 per cent. Nipawin bounced back from their tough night on the kill versus the Stars last weekend, successfully holding Weyburn off the board for all but a single power play goal on five opportunities Tuesday.

Goaltending

Michael Harroch, who was named SJHL Goaltender of the Week for his performance last week, will make his third-straight start for the Battlefords, Friday.

In eight games this season, Harroch has proven himself amongst the league’s elite, posting a 5-1-1 record with a 2.21 goals-against average and .938 save percentage.

Chase Hamm is likely to get the nod for the Hawks, after getting the rest day Tuesday. Hamm has played in 15 of his team’s 20 games this year, with a 7-5-2 record, along with a 2.42 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.

The NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast will be available on 1050 CJNB. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m., with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.

North Stars lineup

Forwards:

M. Henry, D. Esau, S. Kesslering

J. Southgate, H. Doell, Z. Florence

E. Scriven, R. McNinch, K. Klein

K.T. Walters, E. Wurst, C. Bear

Defencemen:

T. Gold, R. Little

S. Witt, O. Lugowski

T. Ewart, J. Grill

Goaltenders:

M. Harroch

L. Kenyon

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

Stars lineup receives boost in Nipawin, in search of fifth straight

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