Stars forward Emmett Wurst scored a goal and dropped his gloves Saturday, and will be relied upon heavily again Tuesday, as a key two-way presence for the team. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

On The Road Again

North Stars return to road for showdown in La Ronge

Dec 7, 2021 | 2:25 PM

The Battlefords North Stars return to action on the road Tuesday as the team travel to La Ronge to play the Ice Wolves.

Serving as the third installment of the season series between the two sides, the teams have split the first two games, each by blowout scores. La Ronge won September’s matchup 8-3 at home, before the Battlefords answered back with a 10-3 win of their own, in North Battleford in October.

Team Outlook

Coming off back-to-back one-goal losses, the Stars enter play looking to snap a two-game skid. Fourth in the league standings with a 17-7-3 record, the team can leapfrog into third place overall with a win and a Flin Flon loss, as the two teams are tied with 37 points apiece and both play Tuesday.

La Ronge are eighth overall, with a 12-16-3 record, but have been at their best of late, having won three-straight heading into this week of play.

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Head coach of the North Stars, Brayden Klimosko said his team has played well over their last couple of games, and just need to bear down to bury a few more of their chances to find themselves back in the win column.

“It was a pretty good effort last game, we just couldn’t get a bounce here or there, and it’s kind of been the same thing the last two games,” Klimosko said. “We just need to make sure to work extra hard to get those bounces and make sure we’re capitalizing when we get our chances. We know it’s not going to be easy, as La Ronge is a strong team.”

Players to watch

Forward, Jake Southgate leads the North Stars in scoring this year with 27 points, while his 12 goals are also tied for a team-high with fellow winger, Steven Kesslering. Together the pair have combined for four goals, nine points over their last five games, while playing almost exclusively on separate lines.

Emmett Wurst is also a Stars’ player to watch, after scoring the team’s lone goal in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Notre Dame, before also adding a scrap to his resume as well, dropping the gloves later in the contest.

La Ronge’s Gavin Mattey leads the Ice Wolves in scoring with 18 goals, 28 points, and is coming off a three-point effort Saturday in the Wolves’ 5-1 thrashing of Nipawin.

A diminutive but crafty forward, Mattey has been especially dangerous against the Battlefords this year, with two goals and four points in just two games against the team this season.

Hulking winger, Brandon Della Paolera is also coming off a three-point night Saturday, as the 6-2, 185-pounder sits second of La Ronge’s skaters with 27 points in 31 games.

Special Teams

The North Stars do hold a slight advantage on special teams, where the team lay claim to the third-best power play in the league clicking at 23 percent, to La Ronge’s 18 percent efficiency (eighth overall).

On the penalty kill, the Stars have been steadily improving, but remain just under 77 percent (ninth) while La Ronge is 12^th of the 12 teams in the league when down a man, effective just-under 74 percent of the time on the kill.

Goaltending

Perhaps the best matchup of the night comes between the pipes.

Stars’ goalie, Michael Harroch is the defending SJHL Goaltender of the Month for November, and has been lights out for the team since joining them in mid-October.

After missing the last pair of games due to minor injury, Harroch is expected to return to the team and get the start Tuesday. In 11 games this year, the 20-year-old has posted an 8-1-1 record with a 2.24 goals-against average and .937 save percentage.

At the other end, Xavier Cannon was named SJHL Goaltender of the Week last week, after stopping 45 of 49 shots-against over his last two games, to lead his team to back-to-back wins over Nipawin. Through 16 games this year, Cannon is 9-5-1, with a 3.09 goals-against average and .910 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 (A), S. Kesslering

J. Southgate, H. Doell, Z. Florence

K.T. Walters, R. McNinch (C), D. Prymak

E. Wurst, B. Blake, K. Klein

Defencemen:

E. Rask, R. Little (A)

S. Witt (A), T. Gold

T. Ewart, J. Grill

Goaltenders:

M. Harroch

L. Kenyon

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1