Stars' forward, Jackson Allan tangles with Mustangs' centre, Zac Somers on a faceoff. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Friday night Hockey

North Stars aim for 11th straight as Mustangs come to town

Oct 14, 2022 | 2:14 PM

Coming off a probable franchise record 10 straight wins to open the season, the Battlefords North Stars will look to keep their momentum rolling Friday, in their bid for their 11^th straight, at home against Melfort.

The league-leading Stars will face a Melfort Mustangs team, which has likely been their biggest test thus far this season.

Stars’ captain, Jake Southgate enters play Friday as the defending SJHL MVP of the week, and is coming off a four-point night in his last outing versus Weyburn. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The Mustangs (3-5-4) are the lone team to have pushed the Stars to extra time this year, doing so in a 5-4 North Stars overtime win the last time the teams met, back on Sept. 30 in Melfort.

Adding fuel to the fire this time around, Melfort will also be desperate to snap a four-game slide, having posted an 0-2-2 record over their last four.

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The Mustangs have received a boost to their lineup of late, having seen the return of captain, Ben Tkachuk (six points in six games this year) and fellow top-line winger, Clarke Huxley (three points in seven games) since the turn of the calendar to October.

The North Stars will counter with their own shot in the arm Friday, as forward Steven Kesslering (13 points in eight games) makes his return to the lineup after serving his two-game suspension for a hit to the head Oct. 4 in La Ronge.

Kesslering will rejoin regular linemates, Jackson Allan and Evan Waldie on the Stars’ third unit. With eight goals in eight games for the standout veteran, his line has been the team’s best many nights and highlights the depth of the Battlefords’ attack, which has had a league-high 16 different players pitch in with at least a single goal through their first 10 games.

On special teams, the North Stars power play holds the edge with a 30.2 percent success rate up a man (second overall) to Melfort’s 19.6 percent (fifth), though the Mustangs have had a similar advantage over the Battlefords on the kill, where the team is a league-best 88.9 percent on the kill, to the Stars’ 80.4 percent (seventh).

Between the pipes, the Stars will return to goaltender Josh Kotai. The 19-year-old has been the benchmark for league goaltending with a perfect 8-0 record to start the year, along with a league-best 1.23 goals against average and .962 save percentage.

Melfort is expected to counter with Joel Favreau. Favreau has similarly been the Mustangs’ MVP through the first month of the season, with a 2.40 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

Friday’s game will be played at North Battleford’s Access Communications Centre and will include a $50,000 Shoot to Win contest in the second intermission.

The game will be available on 1050 CJNB. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m., with puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m. on the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Broadcast.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1