Stars can punch ticket to Round 2 with home win in Game 5

Stars’ goalie Joel Grzybowski has been tremendous throughout the first four games of the series, and without question the most outstanding player on either side.

Stopping 45 of the 47 shots he faced in Game 4, Grzybowski has now made 154 saves on the 159 shots he’s faced, giving the 19-year-old a league-best, 1.19 goals-against average and .969 save percentage this postseason.

Stars’ goalie Joel Grzybowski has been at his best this postseason, spearheading the Battlefords’ defensive effort that has held a dynamic Bombers’ offence which averaged over four goals per-game during the regular season, to just five goals total over the first four games of the series. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Gabriel Waked, in the Bombers’ crease, is coming off a 24 save performance, stopping all but one Stars’ shot in Game 4. Waked has turned aside 121 of the 130 shots sent his way, with a .931 save percentage and 2.25 goals-against average on the series.

Offensively, the Battlefords continue to find scoring contribution from various sources, with different players stepping up each night to chip in, particularly on the back end as of late.

After receiving two goals from the blue line, courtesy of Matthew Fletcher and Noah Form in Game 3, the Stars’ Garrett Johnson then followed suit, scoring his first of the playoffs and first with the team, in Game four.

Up front, the North Stars will get a boost once again at forward, as Matthias Urbanski will return to the lineup tonight after serving his one-game suspension for a hit the Prince George, B.C., product delivered on the Bombers’ Chrystopher Collin Tuesday night in Game three in Flin Flon.

Urbanski, who missed the last 6 weeks of the regular season after sustaining an upper-body injury back on Jan. 25, has played just two games for the team this postseason since returning from injury, ahead of the suspension.

At the time of his injury, Urbanski sat second in team scoring, with 39 points in just 44 games played during the regular season.

The Bombers, on the other hand, will be hoping their Game four win will help spark some of their big rigs offensively.

For Bombers’ forward Brandson Hein, who scored the game winner Wednesday in OT, the goal served as his first of the series. Hein finished second in league goals this season, scoring 43 in just 55 games.

Flin Flon winger, Caleb Moretz, who had 51 points in just 45 games during the season, also scored his first of the series, and first of the playoffs Wednesday.

Holding a 3-1 series lead heading into action Friday, with a win, the Stars will officially punch their ticket to Round 2. If the Bombers can come away victorious, the series will shift back to the Whitney Forum in Flin Flon for Game six Sunday.

The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m., with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. on NAPA North Stars Hockey on 1050 CJNB.

In other playoff action around the league:

The Yorkton Terriers hold a 3-1 series lead heading into Nipawin tonight to take on the Hawks at Centennial Area.

With a win, the Terriers will pull of a huge upset as the eighth seed beating the top seed. The Hawks finished an eye-popping 18 points higher than the Hawks in the standings.

The Humboldt Broncos travel to Estevan, also with a chance to close out their series with the Bruins currently leading the matchup 3-1.

Melfort can move on to Round two with a victory at home over Kindersley, as Melfort leads their series, 3-1.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

Stars can punch ticket to Round 2 with home win in Game 5

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