The North Stars play back to back games against the Humboldt Broncos this weekend. (Byron Hildebrand/Facebook)

By Austin Mattes

North Stars Week Preview

Battlefords battle Broncos this weekend

Jan 14, 2025 | 3:12 PM

After coming off four games in just six days this past week, the Battlefords North Stars now get ready for a weekend clash on Friday, Jan. 17 and Saturday, Jan. 18 against division rival and former Head Coach Brayden Klimosko and the Humboldt Broncos.

Humboldt currently sits at 15-17-2-0 on the season and still has yet to grab a win in the new year, sitting at 0-3 in the 2025. This will be the third and fourth time the North Stars and Broncos will faceoff this season with the current season series sitting at one game a side.

Despite their record, the Broncos are a very solid team and with the newest addition of top goaltender, Dazza Mitchel from the Weyburn Red Wings at the trade deadline, the North Stars will have to bring their best to try defeat this Humboldt squad.

On top of that, the Broncos are also led by one of the top scorers in the league in 2005-born forward, Jacob Strizzi. Strizzi has been the driving offence force for his team all season and if given room can score from anywhere on the ice. He is currently eighth overall in league scoring and leads his team in goals with 21 and points with 40. The North Stars will have to contain him throughout the two games this weekend, if they want the odds to be in their favour.

For the North Stars, it’s been no secret that they have had some lineup issues in the past two weeks, with more than a handful of top players being out due to injuries and other reasons. But with that being said, the North Stars have faced adversity all season and even with short lineup are 4-2 in the 2025 and even beat the #1 ranked Melfort Mustangs last Tuesday to end their 17-game win streak. Battlefords will hopefully see some guys return to the lineup this weekend, but will still most likely be without Nikita Ivashchenko, Jackson Allan and Jordan Grill.

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If the North Stars want to see some success and walk away with four points this weekend, they will need to see players like Elijah Anderson, Rylan Williams, Colton Getzlaff and Anthony Campbell take charge offensively and score some goals, like they have been. Then as usual, Justen Maric will need to continue being the team’s backbone in between the pipes, while the guys in front of him give him some help and limit the number of good chances for the Broncos.

Going into this weekend the North Stars are 19-12-3-2, first overall in their division and fifth overall in SJHL with 43 points.

The game on Friday will be at the Access Communications Centre with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.

Then on Saturday, the North Stars will head to the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt to play with puck drop at 7 p.m.

You can tune into both games with the Napa Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast on CJNB/CJNS with the Ultra Print pregame show starting 30 minutes prior to puck drop on both nights.

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austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes