There will be no shortage of star power on display Friday night in Flin Flon, headlined by North Stars Jake Southgate and Holden Doell. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Rivalry weekend begins

North Stars aim for seventh straight with heavyweight tilt in Flin Flon

Feb 17, 2023 | 2:16 PM

It will be a clash of the titans Friday night in the SJHL when the Battlefords North Stars play the rival Flin Flon Bombers— for the first of two games this weekend in Flin Flon.

Two of the top three teams in the league standings, the Stars and Bombers also carry a rich recent history. They met each other in the playoffs in two of the last three seasons (each winning a series apiece).

The Stars (40-3-2-1) enter Friday’s game in first place overall, in search of their seventh straight win and fresh off a 7-2 victory over Notre Dame last Friday. With still 10 games to go in the regular season, the team need just a single win to clinch first place overall in the SJHL standings.

The Bombers (30-12-2-1) are third overall, tied in points with second-place Humboldt while having played one more game. The Bombers have also played some of their best hockey of late, with seven wins in their last 10, including two victories in a row. They beat the Notre Dame Hounds 3-1 in their most recent game.

The weekend’s matchup will feature no shortage of star power, with each of the league’s top seven scorers in action between the two clubs.

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The North Stars’ top line of Holden Doell (79 points in 39 games), Kian Bell (76 points in 41 games), and Jake Southgate (66 points in 44 games) sit 1-2-3 in league points, followed by the Bombers’ trio of Cole Duperreault (61 points in 42 games), Jeremi Tremblay (55 in 43), and Jaeden Mercier (50 in 38).

Steven Kesslering, coming off a four-point night of his own last weekend, sits seventh with 49 points in 44 games to further showcase the high-level talent between the teams.

For the Stars, Doell and Bell each enter play on a six-game multi-point streak: Doell with four goals and 14 points in his last six, Bell with 10 goals and 13 points. Southgate and Kesslering are each on four-game multi-point streaks: Southgate with three goals and nine points in his last four; Kesslering with six goals and nine points.

The Bombers’ Duperreault has at least a single goal and point in seven of his last eight games (12 goals, 16 points), while Tremblay has a point in eight of his last nine (six goals, 14 points), and Mercier has a five-game point streak (four goals, eight points).

With all the firepower on display, special teams play will be of pivotal importance for both teams. The North Stars (26.4 percent) and Bombers (26.0 percent) have the top two power plays in the league, with Flin Flon holding the slight edge on the penalty kill, sitting third at 83.6 percent to the Stars’ sixth-place at 81.5 percent efficiency.

Between the pipes, it will again be a showdown of two of the league’s elite— Josh Kotai and Harmon Laser-Hume.

Kotai leads every major statistical category for goalies this year with 27 wins, a 2.31 goals-against average and .937 save percentage. Laser-Hume also sits top-three in each stat, with 22 wins (second), a 2.49 goals against average (second), and .917 save percentage (third).

Due to daylight savings time, the weekend’s games in Flin Flon will be at the regular Saskatchewan start times. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m., with puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m. on the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast on 1050 CJNB.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1