The look of focus: Goaltender Josh Kotai and his North Stars teammates will be locked in Sunday afternoon, as the team play for a National Championship. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Winner Take All

North Stars face Brooks for Centennial Cup National Championship

May 21, 2023 | 11:30 AM

The chips are on the table and the count is all in Sunday afternoon, when the Battlefords North Stars face off against the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion and perennial CJHL powerhouse Brooks Bandits, in a heavyweight tilt for the Centennial Cup National Championship.

A one-off, winner-take-all showdown, the matchup is one of epic proportions, reminiscent of only the biggest bouts in Centennial Cup history.

The North Stars who finished with an SJHL-best 48-5-2-1 record during the regular season, and Bandits, who finished an AJHL-best 53-5-1-1, were far and away the two most dominant teams in the CJHL this season.

Together the teams combined for top spot in the CJHL weekly rankings an incredible 18 of the 20 weeks total over the hockey season, with the Stars taking the top spot 15 times, and the Bandits finishing the year on top the final three weeks, as the pair finished 1-2 as well.

Both winners of their Group through round robin play to earn the bye to the semis, the Stars enter the Final with just a single loss on their record at 4-0-1-0 on the tournament, coming off a 7-1 victory over the Portage Terriers in their semi-finals game. The Bandits enter play 5-0-0-0, coming off a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Jr. Senators in their semi-final.

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The most star-studded game of the tournament yet, the Stars and Bandits boast a number of the top players in the CJHL this season, with no shortage of game-breakers.

Headlining the matchup will be AJHL MVP and scoring title winner, Aiden Fink and SJHL MVP and scoring title winner, Kian Bell.

Fink led the AJHL with 97 points in 54 games, while his 41 goals were just a single back of the league-lead as well. Bell led the SJHL in both goals and points, with 54 goals and 102 points in 51 games.

On the tournament, Fink’s 12 points lead all players, while Top Defenceman Ethan Beyer, and centerman Hudson Malinoski have eight points each to give Brooks three of the Centennial Cup’s top five scorers.

The Stars are led by ceterman Holden Doell’s eight points, and have four players in the top 10 in scoring with forwards Steven Kesslering, Jake Southgate, and Kian Bell each at seven points apiece heading into the final.

Between the pipes, North Stars goaltender Josh Kotai, who was named the tournament’s Top Goaltender, enters play with a 1.62 goals against average and .949 save percentage, having stopped 149 of 157 shots overall through the week.

Bandits goalie Ethan Barwick has also been excellent, with a 0.80 goals against average and .957 save percentage, though with much less of a heavy workload, having stopped 90 of 94 total shots faced.

Sunday’s game will be available on 1050 CJNB with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 1:30 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 2 p.m. Saskatchewan time (2:30 and 3 p.m. MB time) on the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast on 1050 CJNB.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1