Brad Blake and his North Stars teammates enter play Tuesday winners of three of their last four games, looking to stay hot. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Season homestretch

North Stars kick off back-to-back with Red Wings, Tuesday

Feb 22, 2022 | 3:23 PM

With just 10 games to go in the regular season, the Battlefords North Stars will enter the final stretch-drive of their schedule Tuesday night in North Battleford, when the team plays host to the Weyburn Red Wings in North Battleford.

The first of what will be a two-game back-to-back between the Stars and Wings tonight and tomorrow, the week’s action will mark the third and fourth meetings between the two sides to wrap the season series (currently split 1-1).

Team outlook

Coming off a 4-2 win over rival Flin Flon Sunday, the North Stars (28-14-6) enter play fourth overall in the league standings with 62 points – just three back of the third-place Bombers, while holding a pair of games in-hand.

The Red Wings (12-35-3), sit 12^th overall in the 12-team Saskatchewan league, though should be a motivated group to get back on the winning track and snap a four-game skid, which includes a 7-1 loss last Wednesday to the Stars in Weyburn.

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Players to watch

Injuries continue to stack up for the North Stars, who will see forwards Ryland McNinch and Dace Prymak join their growing sidelined contingent, alongside Holden Doell, Jordan Grill, and Michael Harroch.

With three of the team’s top centers injured, leading scorer Jake Southgate (20 goals, 46 points), who has played all season on the left-wing side, will shift to the middle of the ice on the top line, alongside Colby Bear and Ethan Scriven.

Another player to watch will be Stars forward, Keiton Klein, who is coming off a two-goal performance versus the Bombers Sunday, and has now scored seven goals, 20 points in 31 games this year. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Weyburn’s offence will be hungry for an offensive breakthrough, after being shutout in each of their last two games, and limited to just a single goal total over their last three.

First-year forward, Kirk Mullen leads the Wings in points this year with 20 in just 26 games, while fellow freshman, Ty Mason lead the team in goals, with nine.

Special teams

The North Stars do hold a special teams advantage heading into play, with the league’s fourth-best power play (converting on 22 per cent of their chances) and 10^th-best penalty kill (79 per cent), to Weyburn’s seventh-place power play (17 per cent) and 12^th-place PK (75 per cent).

Goaltending

Between the pipes, the North Stars will turn to goaltender, Austin Schwab.

Having stopped 40 of his last 42 shots against over his last two appearances, Schwab is 2-2 through four games this year, with a 2.95 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.

Weyburn are likely to start Jackson Fellner. The 18-year-old held his team within a goal of the Stars through the first two periods last Wednesday, prior to the Battlefords pulling away in the third period.

In 26 games this year, Fellner is 5-17-1, with a 4.85 goals-against average and .880 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 to follow at 7:30 p.m.

North Stars lineup

Forwards:

E. Scriven, J. Southgate, C. Bear

E. Wurst, D. Esau, S. Kesslering

Z. Florence, B. Blake, K. Klein

M. Henry, T. Bahm, E. Waldie

Defencemen:

W. Steele, R. Little

S. Witt, T. Gold

T. Ewart, E. Rask

Goaltenders:

A. Schwab

L. Kenyon

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1