Josh Medernach, pictured here having some fun at North Stars' practice. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Cue the highlight reel

North Stars’ Medernach earns SJHL Highlight of the Week

Dec 5, 2023 | 1:45 PM

Josh Medernach of the Battlefords North Stars brought the fans out of their seats over the weekend, with an incredible individual effort that’s now turning heads across the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, as the SJHL’s Tourism Saskatchewan Highlight of the Week.

The highlight-reel play came Saturday night as Medernach was one of just three North Stars on the ice, tasked with killing off a Melville Millionaires’ 5-on-3 power play.

With the North Stars ahead by just a single goal in the second period, Medernach started the play with a heads-up defensive effort to strip the puck away from a Millionaires’ defenceman. With that he set up the offensive rush chance the other way with a defender draped on his back.

Fending off the check while barreling down ice, the 20-year-old vet then used a deft touch as he cut to the front of the goal, sliding the puck through the goaltender’s pads with a single hand on his stick, for the electrifying shorthanded goal in the final seconds of Melville’s two-man advantage.

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“It’s pretty cool,” Medernach said of receiving Highlight of the Week honours. “It’s my first highlight so I’ll take it,” he added with a laugh. “We were just trying to clamp it up there the entire time and make sure they didn’t score. I was fortunate enough I just kind of battled my way down the ice, and fortunate enough it went in.”

The scoring play marks Medernach’s second goal and sixth point in 12 games since being acquired by the North Stars from the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, back in early November. The goal also serves as the 20-year-old’s third point in his last four games, as he appears to be heating up of late.

Assistant coach of the North Stars Garry Childerhose said following Saturday night’s contest, Medernach’s effort on the scoring play exemplifies the work ethic #22 brings on a nightly basis.

“Ever since we’ve acquired Josh he’s been a huge leader for us, just adding to the great group of guys we already have and he’s one of those guys that will put his body on the line and sacrifice whatever it takes,” Childerhose said. “I thought he just did a great job of using his body and just willed [the puck] in. He made sure to find a way and took it hard to the net and it was a huge goal for us.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

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