The North Stars head to Nipawin tonight to take on the Hawks. Puck drop at 7 p.m. (Byron Hildebrand/Facebook)

By Austin Mattes

Battlefords North Stars Preview

North Stars look to bounce back with two games this week

Nov 26, 2024 | 12:49 PM

After back-to-back losses this past weekend against the Estevan Bruins, the Battlefords Norths Stars now sit tied for third overall in the league with an 11-6-3-1 record for 26 points.

They have a chance to get back in the win column tonight though as they head to the Centennial Arena in Nipawin to take on the Hawks for the second time this season.

The Hawks currently sit at the bottom of the league with a 3-14-1-1 record for 8 points and in the first matchup between the North Stars and the Hawks earlier on in the year, the North Stars were victorious, winning 7-1.

On paper, this should be an easy win for the North Stars, but despite what their record says, the Hawks have improved their play recently and have had some close games against teams like Melfort and even beat the Humboldt Broncos.

Looking at the Hawks roster, they are a very young squad but do have some rookie stand outs like Will Whitter, Konnor Watson, Aiden Bruce and Carter Anderson. Then on top of that, they can also look to veteran players like Finley Radloff and Eric Hoiness to take charge and get points as well.

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Following tonight’s game, the North Stars will get a couple days off before they hop back on the bus on Friday, Nov. 29 and head to the Northern Lights Palace in Melfort to take on the defending champion, Melfort Mustangs.

This will be the second time this season the North Stars will play the Mustangs with the first game going to Melfort 4-0. Melfort is currently the first overall team in the league with a 16-4 record for 32 points.

Their big point getters so far this season have been Reilly Kotai, who has 11 goals and 13 assists on the season, and Logan Belton who has 10 goals and 14 assists on the season. But the biggest thing for the Mustangs that has made them such a strong team this season has been their defence and goaltending, currently only allowing 48 goals against in 20 games.

The Mustangs have a solid duo in between the pipes with Kristian Coombs and Madden Mulawka, who have essentially split games this season. Both of them are top three in goals against average and have above a .915 save percentage.

For the North Stars, they are going to need everyone to contribute for both of these games and can’t walk in expecting a win. The most important thing for the North Stars this week is going to be the powerplay and penalties. If the North Stars can convert on some of their powerplays and stay out of the box in both games, they have a good chance to walk away with four points and take a jump in the standings.

In terms of goaltending, Justen Maric and Connor Baumbach have both been doing their jobs, they just need a little bit more help in front of them.

Puck drop for tonight is at 7 p.m. and you can listen to all the action with the Napa Auto Parts North Stars Broadcast on CJNB/CJNS with the Ultra Print pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m.

Then on Friday, puck drop is 7:30 p.m. with the Napa Auto Parts North Stars Broadcast starting at 7 p.m. with the Ultra Print pregame show CJNB/CJNS.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes