Forward, Steven Kesslering enters play red-hot for the North Stars, coming off a three goal, four point performance Wednesday versus Notre Dame. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Friday night Hockey

North Stars host Millionaires in bid for fourth straight

Sep 23, 2022 | 1:27 PM

The Battlefords North Stars return to home ice at the Access Communications Centre Friday, to bring in the weekend against the Melville Millionaires.

The North Stars (3-0) enter play coming off a 6-1 win over the Notre Dame Hounds Wednesday, in search of their fourth straight victory to open the year.

Meville (0-1) will play just their second game of the young season, as the Millionaires aim to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to Weyburn in their home opener, last Friday.

The Stars have been firing on all cylinders offensively, having scored 15 goals through their opening three games, with seven different players having contributed at least a single tally so far.

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Steven Kesslering leads the team with four goals and six points, coming off a hat trick performance Wednesday, while Keiton Klein sits tied for the team lead in goals with four as well.

On the Millionaires’ side, Melville is led by second-year tandem, Noah Wills and Nicolas Samson. Each are coming off a two-point game in the opener, picking up where they left off last year when they finished 1-2 in team scoring with 50 points in 52 games (Wills) and 35 in 33 games (Samson).

The Stars enter Friday red-hot on the power play with a league-best 35.7 percent efficiency, after scoring three goals on the man advantage in their last outing, with both units getting on the board. Melville meanwhile, is still awaiting their first opportunity on the power play, heading into their second game.

On the penalty kill, the North Stars sit second to the Melfort Mustangs for the top PK unit in the league, with an 85.7 percent efficiency down a man, while Melville are seventh with an 80 percent success rate on the kill.

Highlighting the lineup notes for the North Stars Friday will be the addition of recent acquisition, Kian Bell, who will make his debut with the black and silver.

A 19-year-old forward from Ottawa, ON., Bell joins the Stars from the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he scored 16 points in 64 games the last two seasons.

Prior to joining the ‘Q’, Bell was also named the MVP of the Nova Scotia U18 Hockey League in 2021, and is the nephew of Martin Smith, the North Stars’ franchise leader in points.

Between the pipes, the Stars will again turn to netminder Josh Kotai, who has been nothing short of excellent through his first three games with the team.

The 19-year-old Abbotsford, BC., product is coming off a 40-save performance versus Notre Dame, and has stopped 81 of his first 83 shots against. Kotai enters the weekend with a 3-0 record, along with a 0.86 goals-against average and .976 save percentage.

At the other end, the Millionaires are likely to tap Jared Thompson to make his first start of the season. The 20-year-old Regina product is heading into his second season with Melville, and posted a 7-13-4 record last year, with a 3.44 goals against average and .902 save percentage.

Friday’s game will be available on the radio on 1050 CJNB (1050 on the AM dial), and online at CJNB.ca. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m., with puck drop on the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Broadcast at 7:30 p.m.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1