North Stars welcome Hounds to town looking to snap skid

Notre Dame sit just back of the Stars, at third in the division and seventh overall, thanks to a 13-11-3 record. Looking to snap a two-game slide of their own, the Hounds sit 10 points back of the Battlefords, though they do hold three games in-hand.

Head coach of the North Stars, Brayden Klimosko, said despite their 0-2-3 stretch of late, his group remains positive, looking to turn things around.

“Obviously, it’s been a bit of a struggle lately, but we can’t dwell on too many of the losses,” Klimosko said. “We maybe haven’t gotten a lot of bounces over the last few games, but when it rains it pours at times and that’s just hockey; we just have to keep going, with another big game against Notre Dame here tonight.”

Players to watch

Jake Southgate leads the North Stars in goals (13) and points (29) this season, while Steven Kesslering sits just back with 12 goals and 26 points of his own; including a team-best six goals in five games against the Hounds.

Kesslering said heading into play, the team just has to continue to trust the process and winning results will come.

“We’re on a bit of a losing streak here, and it’s never easy to get off one, but we’ve been working hard these last couple of games, so we just have to stick with it and keep working hard and we’ll get back in the win column,” Kesslering said.

At the other end, Notre Dame captain, Kevin Anderson sits fourth in the league scoring race with a team-leading 35 points this year, while his linemate, Elliot Dutil, sits second in the league goal scoring race with 21 on the campaign.

The North Stars will look to key in on the Hounds top line – completed with right winger, Connor Nolan, and his 29 points – as the unit has scored 41 of their team’s 85 total goals this year, contributing directly for 48.2 per cent of the team’s total offense.

Special teams

Two of the league’s premier teams with the man-advantage, the North Stars and Hounds rank second (Stars) and third (Hounds) respectively on the power play this season, both right around the 23 per cent mark.

On the penalty kill, the Hounds do hold a slight advantage, having killed 81 per cent of their penalties (sixth in league), while the Stars are just back at 76 per cent (ninth).

Goaltending

Between the pipes, the North Stars will tap Michael Harroch, who has been a stabilizing force for the team this season. Harroch is 8-2-3 this season with a 2.54 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

Notre Dame are likely to start Ryley Osland to make it his fifth-straight start for the team. In 10 games this season, Osland is 3-5-1, with a 3.51 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.

Tuesday’s game 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.

North Stars lineup

Forwards:

M. Henry, D. Esau, S. Kesslering

J. Southgate, H. Doell, R. McNinch

E. Scriven, E. Wurst, K. Klein

Z. Florence, B. Blake, C. Bear

Defencemen:

E. Rask, R. Little

S. Witt, T. Gold

T. Ewart, J. Grill

Goaltenders:

M. Harroch

L. Kenyon

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

North Stars welcome Hounds to town looking to snap skid

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