Stars’ captain, Cody Spagrud has been a force to deal with for the Bombers’ forwards all series long, logging huge minutes in all situations to lead his team from the blue line. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Stars a win away

Up 3-0, Stars can sweep series with Bombers tonight in Game 4

Mar 20, 2019 | 2:01 PM

The Battlefords North Stars enter action tonight at the Whitney Forum in Flin Flon for Game 4 of their first round, best-of-seven series with the Flin Flon Bombers.

Leading the series 3-0, the Stars sit just one win away from a series sweep, and a ticket to round two.

The North Stars won Game 1, 3-0 Friday night at the Civic Centre, before also taking Game 2 at home Saturday, by a 2-1 count in overtime, thanks to Kaden Boser’s heroics in the extra frame.

Game 3, played Tuesday, saw the Stars take home another overtime victory, 3-2, on the strength of Braydon Buziak’s second of the playoffs.

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Altogether, the Stars have seen their M.O. of depth of scoring continue to come through for the team through the early going these playoffs.

In addition to Buziak’s pair through the first three games, each of Elijah and Quintin Loon-Stewardson have a goal apiece as well. Kaden Boser on the fourth line has chipped in with a pair, and on the blue line, the Stars saw production from both Matthew Fletcher and Noah Form, each scoring their first of the postseason, in Game 3.

The Bombers, who have scored just three goals combined over the first three games of the series, will likely throw some names in a hat to mix up the forward units yet again, in an effort to try and find some kind of offensive spark with the season on the line.

The Bombers’ top line of Nate Hooper, flanked by Brandson Hein and Donavan Houle-Villeneuve, started the playoffs together red-hot, notching a combined six goals, 12 points in just two games against the Weyburn Red Wings in the Survivor Series. Against the Battlefords, however; it has been a different story, as the trio were broken up last game after being held off the scoresheet entirely through the first two games.

In Game 3, it was Daylan Marchi taking Hooper’s place on the top line between Hein and Houle-Villeneuve, while Hooper moved to center on the ‘second line,’ with point-per-game players in Caleb Moretz and Chrystopher Collin.

Cade Kowalski who finished third in team scoring and 10th in the league this season with 66 points in just 54 games, has been suiting up for the Bombers at the third-line center position the last two games.

Kowalski could have been the difference for his team in Game 3 as, midway through the third, the shifty forward picked up a pass from Houle-Villeneuve and flew in on goal, faking forehand then pulling the puck to the backhand, only to be denied by the right pad of Stars’ goalie, Joel Gryzbowski.

Grzybowski has, without a doubt, been the MVP of the series so far, following up a 37/37 save performance in Game 1, by stopping 42/43 in Game 2, and an additional 30/32 in Game 3.

On the series, Grzybowski has stopped 109 of the 112 shots fired his way through the first three games. Grzybowski’s 0.94 goals-against average and .973 save percentage are tops in the league this postseason.

At the other end, Bombers’ goalie Gabriel Waked, has been solid for the most part as well, outside of a few shaky moments, posting a 2.57 goals-against average and .920 save percentage through the first three games of the series.

The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 6 p.m. with puck drop at 6:30 p.m. on NAPA North Stars Hockey, on 1050 CJNB.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1