The North Stars play this Friday and Saturday at Crescent Point Place against the Weyburn Red Wings with puck drop at 7:00 p.m. for both games. (Byron Hildebrand/Facebook)

By Austin Mattes

North Stars Week Preview

Nienaber gets player of the week award ahead of weekend trip to Weyburn

Nov 12, 2024 | 2:21 PM

After walking away with only one point this past weekend against the Yorkton Terriers, the Battlefords North Stars get ready for another big matchup as they head to Weyburn to take on the Weyburn Red Wings in back-to-back games on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16.

This is the first time this season the North Stars and Red Wings will face off against each other. Looking at the last season between these two teams, the North Stars were more successful, going 4-1 against the Red Wings, and over the past five seasons Battlefords have gone 12-1-1 over Weyburn.

This season, the Red Wings currently sit at the top of the overall standings with a 14-4-1 record with 27 points and have won 13 out of their last 14 games.

The North Stars are currently tied for fourth overall in the league with Humboldt, holding a 9-5-2-1 record for 21 points.

As usual, the North Stars will look to top goal scorers Jackson Allan, Braden Nienaber and Nikita Ivashchenko to kick start the offence and find the back of the net. And they’ll also need to see good production from other top point getters like Rylan Williams, Elijah Anderson and Anthony Campbell if they want to be successful against the Red Wings.

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Nienaber was named the SJHL Canterra Seeds Saskatchewan Player of the Week for his play against the Terriers, where he got three goals and one assist for four points in two games.

Weyburn’s biggest threats going into this weekend are Jerome Maharaj, Jaxson Ruthven and Michigan Tech commit, Ethan Dekay.

Dekay is currently tied for first overall in goals in the league with 12 and also leads his team in points with 22. Maharaj has been lethal with his ability to create plays, boasting the second most assists in the league so far with 18 and is also the second on his team in points with 21. Ruthven has been a good contributor for the Wing in terms of goals as well, currently second in that category on the team with seven and has had a goal in the past two games.

On top of that, Weyburn also has a great pair of goaltenders in Dazza Mitchell and Angelo Zol. Both of the netminders this season are in the top five in save percentage and goals against average and they also have the second-best goals against overall in the league, only allowing 41 in 18 games.

This will be another important weekend of games for the North Stars against a top tier team in the league and will be a good indication of where the team stands. Coming out to a good start on Friday night will be crucial to their success and they will need to maintain that momentum throughout the weekend. Winning both games this weekend is obviously the goal but if the North Stars are able to split the two games and take home two points, that would mean a lot for the team and go a long way in terms of the league standings come the end of the season.

Both Friday and Saturday’s games are at Crescent Point Place in Weyburn with puck drop at 7 p.m.

Catch the Napa Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast on CJNB/CJNS with the Ultra Print pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m. for both nights.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes