Jackson Allan of the North Stars has three goals and five points in his last two games heading into the weekend and will be heavily relied upon for his speed, spark, and defensive acumen against an explosive Bombers team. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Rivalry Renewed

North Stars host Bombers for showdown of league’s elite

Jan 26, 2024 | 3:00 PM

For the first time since last year’s Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Final, the Battlefords North Stars and Flin Flon Bombers will reignite their rivalry Friday and Saturday night.

They are the two top teams in the league standings.

The North Stars enter play first in the Nutrien Division and second overall in the league standings with a 29-7-2-1 record through 39 games. With 61 points, the Stars are just five back of the Bombers who’ve won 10 straight.

Flin Flon has led the Sherwood Division and sat first overall in the league standings from the opening games of the season, having posted an incredible 32-2-2-0 record through 36 games for 66 points. The Bombers enter play having won 13 of their last 14 overall.

Brayden Klimosko, the head coach of the North Stars, said the road to success this weekend against their rivals begins with a strong start Friday.

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“I think the first 10 minutes is huge, we just need to keep it simple, get our legs underneath us, get the nerves out, and go from there,” he said. “I think it’s an important start for us and we’re excited about it.”

“We’re getting better every day and there’s not a better time to play these guys [than] right now, just to see where we are,” Klimosko added. “I think we’re better than we were 10 games ago and they probably feel the same, so it’ll be a good test.”

The premier rivalry in the SJHL for much of the last decade, the North Stars and Bombers have met each of the last two years in the playoffs, and five times since 2016. In fact, of those five playoff series, two have come in the league finals (2017, 2023), while the winner of each has advanced to the finals in the other three years (2016, 2019, 2022).

In addition to being the top two teams in the league, the two sides also feature the top two leading scorers in the SJHL this season, and five of the top six overall.

North Stars’ forward, Kian Bell leads all players with 61 points (26 goals, 35 assists) in just 25 games, followed by Bombers’ captain Justin Lies’ 57 (30 goals, 27 assists) in 35 games.

Stars’ Defending SJHL MVP of the Week Ben Portner is tied with Flin Flon veteran Jacob Vockler for fourth with 51 points apiece, followed by the Bombers’ Alexi Sylvestre who has 50 points.

With an abundance of game-breakers on either side, special teams could make the difference. The Bombers (25.5 percent) and North Stars (24.7 percent) sit first and second overall in power play precision this year, while also boasting the first (Bombers) and third (North Stars) ranked penalty kills at 89.5 per cent and 81.5 per cent.

In goal, the North Stars will start Matthew MacArthur Friday night. Since joining the team at the beginning of the month, MacArthur is 3-0-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage.

Flin Flon is likely to start Harmon Laser-Hume after he received the night off last Saturday against Yorkton. In 25 games this season, Laser-Hume has posted a 21-2-1-0 record with a 1.95 goals against average and a .935 save percentage.

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

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1