North Stars ride into Melfort in search of third-straight win

Brett Gammer scored his first-career hat trick, while adding an assist as well, and Dylan Esau put up two goals and two helpers, as the rookies led the offensive surge with four-points apiece.

The Stars will likely need another big performance from their young guns tonight, as the team will be missing three-key-cogs to the forward corpse.

Ryan Gil, who joined Matthias Urbanski on the sidelines Saturday due to an upper body injury, will remain out once again tonight, as will forward Regan Doig who sustained an upper body injury last game.

The Melfort Mustangs will enter play having also won a couple in a row in their own right, and are 28-15-4 on the season. With 60 points on the year, the Mustangs have the third-best offense in the league, having scored 186 goals through 47 games.

Leading the Mustangs’ offensive charge and, sitting atop the SJHL scoring race, is left winger Justin Ball.

Ball has scored a league-high 46 goals and 82 points in 47 games this season, and along with linemate Carson Albrecht, forms one half of the league’s most dynamic duo. Albrecht sits third in league scoring, having picked up 69 points in 45 games.

Tasked with shutting down the offense of the Mustangs, is a Stars’ blue line featuring one of the premier right-hand-sides in the league.

With a shortage of forwards up front, the Stars will dress seven defensemen on the night,

With the likes of Cody Spagrud, Matthew Fletcher, Garett Johnson and Ryan Granville all privy to manning the right side and able to handle both big and skilled forwards.

Tanner Scott, Seth Summers and Noah Form will solidify the left side for the Stars.

In addition to handling the primary shutdown minutes, the veteran Spagrud also leads the Stars’ backend offensively, sitting fourth in rearguard scoring with 34 points in 45 games.

Defensively, the Stars’ have allowed the third-fewest goals against this season, having given up just 131 goals against through 47 games this year.

In addition to the Battlefords’ blue line, another of the primary contributors as to the Stars’ low goals against, has been the rock-solid play of their goaltender.

Joel Grzybowski is expected to get the start again tonight for the Stars, coming off a game against the Terriers Feb. 2 that saw the 19-year-old goalie turn aside 28 of 29 shots against in the win.

Grzybowski has posted a 2.60 goals-against average and .914 save percentage so far this year.

Fans can catch tonight’s action on 1050 CJNB beginning with the pregame show at 7:15 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

North Stars lineup at a glance

Forwards:

B. Buziak, M. Sinclair, O. Lamb

Q. Loon-Stewardson, B. Gammer, E. Loon-Stewardson

A. Becker, D. Heino, D. Esau

K. Boser, L. Spence

Defensemen:

T. Scott, C. Spagrud

S. Summers, M. Fletcher

N. Form, G. Johnson

R. Granville

Goaltenders:

J. Grzybowski

C. Duran

Injured: M. Urbanski (UBI), R. Gil (UBI), R. Doig (UBI)

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

North Stars ride into Melfort in search of third-straight win

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