There was plenty of reason for celebration this weekend, as the SJHL announced its preseason schedule for the year. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

SJHL Returning Soon

A look at the North Stars preseason schedule

Oct 19, 2020 | 4:58 PM

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) has released its fall preseason schedule.

Each of the league’s 12 teams will play their premier division rival for four games, to help limit the amount of travel and number of interactions between players on opposing teams, prior to the start of the regular season.

For the Battlefords North Stars, that means a whole lot of Kindersley.

The North Stars and Kindersley Klippers will open their exhibition schedule with back-to-back games this weekend. Meeting at the Civic Centre Friday (Oct. 23), the teams will then play the following night (Oct. 24) at West Central Events Centre in Kindersley.

They will then play a second home-and-home set the following week to close out the preseason, with games Thursday (Oct. 29) in North Battleford, and Friday (Oct. 30) in Kindersley.

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Head coach of the North Stars, Brayden Klimosko, said it’s great to see the schedule get announced, and to know there are games coming up soon on the horizon.

“It’s obviously exciting and the [players] are pumped about getting started for sure,” he said. “We’re really happy to have the dates now for the preseason and we’re looking forward to getting it started.”

Klimosko added following an extended offseason, and with a number of new bodies competing for spots on the roster this year, the tune-up games will perhaps be more valuable to the team than ever.

“Preseason is huge for us this year,” Klimosko said. “Some years maybe exhibition can be a little bit of a drag, but this year that’s not the case at all. It’ll be good to help us get accustomed to each other and to get better and implement our systems. It’s going to be very beneficial for us to play four games.”

Preseason tickets are currently available for parents and billets only, as the North Stars are still awaiting local health approval for 150 spectators. If/when approval is granted, ticket sales will be opened to season pass holders. Masks will be mandatory for all attending games this season.

The SJHL preseason will wrap up Nov. 1, with regular season games to start the week of Nov. 2. The SJHL is meeting Monday afternoon to discuss the desired schedule length for the upcoming regular season. It will be an abbreviated schedule this year, shorter than the regular 58-game slate of years past.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1