North Stars take top billing for third straight week in CJHL rankings

The Stars lead all Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League teams in goals (98 in 19 games), and goals per game (5.16), while allowing the fewest goals against (41) and goals against per game (2.16).

For context, Humboldt who have also played 19 games, are second in goals (79) and goals per game (4.16) sitting 19 goals back, for exactly one goal fewer per contest.

Flin Flon are second in goals against as the Bombers have also allowed just 41 goals this year, though they have played two fewer games, for an average of 2.41 against per game.

Individually, the North Stars have continued to pull away from the pack as well.

The Stars’ top line of Holden Doell, Jake Southgate, and Kian Bell sits 1-2-3 in league scoring, following another dominant weekend.

Doell, who was named SJHL MVP of the Month for October, leads the way with 30 points in just 15 games for a league-best 2.0 points per game average. Currently riding an eight-game point streak, seven of Doell’s last eight have been multi-point efforts, with seven goals and 21 points over the span.

Southgate, which was last week’s SJHL MVP of the Week, is tied with Doell with 30 points on the year, as the Battlefords’ hometown captain has also picked up points in eight straight, including seven multi-point showings, for three goals and 16 points over the span.

Kian Bell is this week’s SJHL MVP of the Week and sits third in league scoring with 29 points in 16 games, including a team-best 15 goals, just a single back of Nipawin’s Maguire Ratzlaff (16 goals in 18 games) for top of the league while playing two fewer games.

Talk about well deserved, and what a weekend performance! ⭐️🔥@SJHL_NorthStars F, Kian Bell 🔔 takes SJHL MVP of the Week honours after putting up 6pts over his last 2GP, highlighted by a 3G, 4Pt performance in Estevan!@theSJHL | @Kian18Bell https://t.co/nYfUqP5Sc0

— MartyMartyPxP (@MartyMartyPxP1) November 8, 2022

(Twitter/MartyMartyPxP1)

Bell scored a hat trick and four points Friday versus Estevan, to highlight a six-point weekend, and with six multi-point games over his last seven has nine goals and 15 points over the span.

In addition to the outright scoring leaders, with goals in back-to-back games and three points on the weekend, North Stars defenceman Tynan Ewart leads all blue liners with 20 points this year and is the only defenceman to be at or above point-per-game.

Ewart leads a Stars’ defence that has scored a league-best 21 goals and 72 points. Estevan sit second-best in goals by defencemen with 18, followed by Melfort and Notre Dame at 13 apiece. Estevan’s 65 points from defencemen are also seven-back in second place, followed by Humboldt with 55 and Melfort with 50.

In goal, Josh Kotai has continued his stellar play as the benchmark for league goaltending. The 19-year-old Abbotsford, B.C., product is 13-0-1-1 with a league-best 1.87 goals against average and .942 save percentage.

Flin Flon’s Harmon Laser-Hume ranks second with a 1.98 goals against average and .935 save percentage, as the only other goaltender to have a sub-2.30 GAA, and above .930 save percentage.

The North Stars will return to play this weekend for back-to-backs on the road, in La Ronge Friday and Nipawin Saturday. Both nights the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Broadcast will be available on 1050 CJNB.

The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin Friday at 7 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s game will be a 6:30 p.m. pre-game start, with puck drop at 7 p.m.

—

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

North Stars take top billing for third straight week in CJHL rankings

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