North Stars' forward Matthias Urbanski, pictured here in game action against the Terriers earlier this season at the Civic Centre. (Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

The next chapter begins

North Stars and Terriers set for Game 1 tonight

Mar 29, 2019 | 2:10 PM

The Battlefords North Stars and Yorkton Terriers will play Game 1 of their second-round playoff series tonight at the N.B. Civic Centre.

The North Stars are coming off a seven-game series with Flin Flon, while the Terriers pulled off the upset of the first-round, beating top-seeded Nipawin in seven as well.

Yorkton scored the most goals in the league this season, averaging over four per game.

North Stars’ head coach, Brayden Klimosko said it’s no secret the Terriers’ offence is one that will provide a great test for his team to handle defensively.

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“They were able to score some big goals against a very stingy defensive club in Nipawin [last series], so we’ve got to be ready for that,” Klimosko said. “We’ve got to be ready to defend, and remember that defence is all six guys on the ice, from the goaltender to the defencemen, to the forwards. It’s going to be a great matchup, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Defensively, the Stars held the Flin Flon Bombers, who also averaged over four-goals per game during the regular season, to just two-goals or fewer in five of their seven games in the quarter-finals.

Offensively, the Stars have seen their depth of scoring from the regular season carry over into the playoffs and play dividends through the spring so far.

Twelve different players have chipped in directly this postseason for the team by scoring at least a single goal through the seven games of the first-round.

Amongst those 12 players, five of the seven defencemen to suit up for the team these playoffs have scored.

The Terriers, by contrast, have 10 different goal scorers, while having played 10 playoff games, including their three-game Survivor Series tilt with Notre Dame, prior to the first-round.

Of Yorkton’s 10 scorers, the team has just a single defenceman with a goal to his credit, in blue liner, Cody Dubas.

Spearheading the offensive attack for the Terriers, and amongst the league leaders in points, are Terriers’ forwards Colby Brandt, Chantz Petruic, and Cody Bruchkowski. The three have 12, 11, and nine points, respectively. Playing together as a dynamic forward unit, the trio’s 33 points combined, are the most of any top line in the league this postseason.

Between the pipes, Stars’ goalie Joel Grzybowski will be the last line of defence against Yorkton’s offensive weaponry. The 19-year-old, Grzybowski has posted a sparkling 1.88 goals-against average and .948 save percentage, each tops amongst starting goaltenders in the playoffs.

Yorkton netminder Ryan Ouellette, has a 3.02 goals-against average and .916 save percentage through 10 games, and is coming off one of his top performances of the season, with a 37 save effort to close out the Hawks in Nipawin.

In other playoff action around the SJHL:

The Estevan Bruins are in Melfort tonight to take on the Mustangs in game one of the other semifinal bracket.

Taking place at the Civic Centre, the Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. on 1050 CJNB. Marty Martinson will have the call.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1