North Stars to host Mustangs for Friday night hockey

Head coach of the Stars, Brayden Klimosko said the matchup will be another good test for his team, with a big two points on the line.

“We’ve been fortunate to beat them twice in their home rink, so you know they’ll be wanting to do the same to us tonight, which makes for a good test,” Klimosko said. “We know it’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a grind, so we’ll have to be ready to go.”

Players to watch

Since the teams last met on October 30, the Mustangs have made a pair of blockbuster trades to acquire difference makers both up front and on the blue line.

In late-November the team first acquired Kindersley captain, defenceman Mark Snarr, before also trading for La Ronge captain, Nolan Doell the following day.

Doell, who leads the team in points with 31 in 32 games, has scored four goals through his first seven games in a Mustangs’ sweater, while Snarr has added three assists in three games to lead all Melfort defenceman with 12 points this season.

The North Stars will be without Dylan Esau and K.T. Walters Friday, as the former (Esau) will miss the night’s game to write a final college exam, while the latter (Walters) will be out due to personal reasons.

Forward Trevor Kennedy will get a shot in the top six alongside Zane Florence (eight goals, 14 points) and Steven Kesslering (12 goals, 25 points) in the pair’s absence, while Keiton Klein will also elevate to play alongside Holden Doell (20 points in 22 games) and Jake Southgate (team-leading 13 goals, 28 points) on the team’s top line.

Special teams

The North Stars hold the edge on the man-advantage, having successfully cashed in on just over 23 per cent of their opportunities this year, to Melfort’s 21 per cent. However, the Mustangs do have an upper-hand on the penalty kill, where the team ranks fifth at 82 per cent to the North Stars’ 78 per cent.

Goaltending

Michael Harroch, who stopped 35 of 40 shots Tuesday night in La Ronge, will make his second-straight start for the Stars. With an 8-1-2 record this year, the 20-year-old’s 2.47 goals-against average and .931 save percentage are both amongst the league’s elite.

Melfort are likely to start James Venne, who is 5-2-3 through 12 games this year. With a 2.36 goals-against average and .902 save percentage, Venne has started each of the team’s last two games.

Friday’s 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.

It will also be toque and mitten toss night at the ACC Friday, as fans are encouraged to bring toques and mitts to the game to toss onto the ice at the first North Stars’ goal. Volunteers will also be on-hand collecting non-perishable food items to donate to the local food bank as well.

North Stars lineup

Forwards:

Z. Florence, T. Kennedy, S. Kesslering

J. Southgate, H. Doell, K. Klein

E. Scriven, R. McNinch, D. Prymak

E. Wurst, B. Blake, C. Bear

Defencemen:

E. Rask, R. Little

S. Witt, E. Johns

T. Ewart, J. Grill

Goaltenders:

M. Harroch

L. Kenyon

—

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

North Stars to host Mustangs for Friday night hockey

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