A season for the ages: North Stars chasing history down the homestretch

With now a 16-point lead over the field in the league standings, the Stars have won just under 91 percent of their games heading into the back end of their schedule.

At their current pace, the North Stars would finish the season with 51 wins, surpassing their current franchise record of 48 wins in a season, set back in 2016-17.

Just eight teams in the 54-year history of the SJHL have won 50 or more games: ’99-00 Nipawin, ’90, ’87 and ’86 Humboldt, ’88 Notre Dame, ’83 Weyburn and ’81 and ’82 P.A.). The Stars would be the first team in more than two decades to achieve the feat.

Team Stats

The North Stars lead the league in both goals and goals per game, while also allowing the fewest goals against and goals-against per outing.

Their 157 total goals are 36 more than the next highest-scoring team (the La Ronge Ice Wolves have 121 in four more games played), while their 4.9 goals per game is also a full goal ahead of second-place Humboldt who are averaging 3.9 per contest.

Over the course of a full 56-game schedule, the Stars are on pace to outscore the next-best offense 274 to 218, for a 56-goal lead over second place.

What truly makes the team stand out, however, is their elite play on the defensive side of the puck in addition to their scoring prowess. The Stars’ 73 goals against are not only the fewest allowed in the SJHL, but are nine fewer than second-ranked Flin Flon (82 goals against), while the Bombers have played one fewer game.

On a per-game basis, the Stars’ are limiting their opponents to just 2.3 goals per game, while the next stingiest team – again the Bombers – are averaging 2.6 against.

While the percentages may look negligible at face value, over a full 56 games, that would round to 129 goals against for the Stars, to 146 allowed for the Bombers, or 17 fewer goals against over the full schedule.

Player Stats

The North Stars top line trio of Kian Bell, Holden Doell and Jake Southgate also have a chance to etch their names in the record books, as one of the most dominant lines in the history of the league.

Stars teammates Tynan Ewart, Riley Girod, Holden Doell and Kian Bell gather around captain Jake Southgate (middle) following a power play tally earlier this year in Melville. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The three sit 1-2-3 in league scoring with 54 (Bell), 53 (Doell) and 49 (Southgate) points respectively, and have been top three since early November.

Should they all keep up their pace, they would be the first set of teammates to finish 1-2-3 in scoring since the 2011 La Ronge trio of Travis Eggum, Marc-Andre Carre and Doug Lindensmith.

It would be just the fourth line to ever finish top three, joining the La Ronge ’11 group, the ’99 Melfort Mustangs unit of Kevin Doell, Scott Markowsky and Martin Paquet, and the ’90 Weyburn Red Wings’ Gary Gaudet, Rob Nutley and Clayton Beddoes.

In addition to a potentially historic scoring trio, the Stars also possess elite offensive depth throughout their lineup.

The North Stars have given fans plenty of reason to cheer this season, scoring at a league-high rate of just under five goals per-game. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

With names like Steven Kesslering (30 points), Keiton Klein (24 points) and Colby Bear (23 points) scattered throughout their top nine, the North Stars have six players with at least 10 goals, and eight with at least 20 points.

On the backend, the team’s defense, led by the three-headed monster of Tynan Ewart (27 points), Jordan Gibbs (20 points), and Tanner Gold (18 points), has combined for 101 points, as one of just two blue lines to eclipse the century mark to this point in the season (the other being Melfort with 108 points from defensemen).

Between the pipes, 19-year-old Josh Kotai is also on pace for a season for the record books.

With a league-best 21 wins through his first 24 games (21-0-2-1 record), Kotai also leads all at the position with a 2.03 goals against average and a shimmering .942 save percentage.

Josh Kotai has been a gamebreaker for the North Stars all season, leading the league in wins, goals against average and save percentage since the first week of the season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

If Kotai continues his current pace, he would become just the third goaltender in league history to post a .940 save percentage or better while playing at least 30 games, joining Kindersley’s Evan Weninger during the 2015 season (.942 save percentage in 41 games) and Humboldt Broncos’ tender Ryland Pashovitz in ’14 (.948 save percentage in 30 games).

What’s next

The North Stars have put themselves in position for what could truly be a season for the record books. All that’s left now, is to see how the team fares the remaining 24 games.

The North Stars will return to play this weekend for a home-and-home Friday and Saturday night against the division rival Kindersley Klippers.

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

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

A season for the ages: North Stars chasing history down the homestretch

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