Rivalry night: While it may be nearly three months since the teams last met to open the season, it shouldn’t take long for the North Stars and Klippers to renew acquaintances when the teams meet Friday at the Civic Centre for their first of back-to-back showdowns this weekend. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Divisional foes

North Stars return home for rivalry bash with Klippers

Dec 6, 2019 | 1:48 PM

The Battlefords North Stars return to action Friday looking to bounce back from their first back-to-back losses of the season.

Returning home to the Civic Centre, the Stars will welcome the Kindersley Klippers to town for the first of what will be two consecutive games this weekend in a home-and-home set between the pair of division rivals.

It will be the first matchup of the Stars’ and Klippers’ season-series since the teams opened the schedule against one another with back-to-backs Sept. 13 and 14.

The Battlefords enter play in top spot of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) standings, with a 26-4-1 record. Kindersley, meanwhile, sit third in the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division and eighth overall, clinging to the final playoff spot with an 11-14-6 record this season.

After a bit of a slow start to the year, the Klippers have picked it up as of late, having earned at least a single point in each of their last six games, and seven of their last 10.

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The Klippers’ recent push has been thanks in large part to the play of their goaltender, Matt Sankner; with timely scoring coming though for the team as well, led by forward, Liam Fraser.

Sankner has started each of the last five games the Klippers have played, with especially dominant performances over his last four.

The 19-year-old has stopped 143 of the last 152 shots he has faced over his last four starts, to earn a .941 save percentage over the span. On the year, Sankner has posted a 2.56 goals-against average and .929 save percentage this season.

Fraser, meanwhile, leads Kindersley in both goals (16) and points (28) and has also been especially hot as of late, having picked up eight goals, 10 points over his last six games.

For the Battlefords Quintin Loon-Stewardson leads the club in both goals (21) and points (37), while netminder, Parker Rey who gets the nod for the team in net, has also been red-hot this year.

Rey has picked up seven wins through his first 10 games with the Stars, while posting a shimmering 2.00 goals-against average and .926 save percentage.

With sterling goaltending and game breakers at either end up front, the winner on the night may be the team who can best bring the offence at the opportune times.

Likely to be a heated rivalry game, special teams could play a key role in the night’s end result.

While both the Stars and Klippers rank outside the top five in power play efficiency, clicking at 16.4 and 15.2 percent effectiveness respectively, the Battlefords have picked it up as of late. The team has cashed in with power play tallies in back-to-back games heading into the weekend.

On the kill, the North Stars also edge out their counterparts with a league-best, 88.4 per cent success rate, to Kindersley’s 79.5 per cent.

Friday’s game will be broadcast on 1050 CJNB. The Ultra Print Pre-game Show will begin at 7:15 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. on NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey.

North Stars lineup

Forwards:
R. Nivon, Q. Loon-Stewardson, E. Loon-Stewardson

A. Becker, B. Hiltz, J. Steele

M. Urbanski, K. Boser, D. Esau

C. Reagan, R. McNinch, H. Partsch

Defencemen:

N. Form, D. McCabe

S. Summers, M. Fletcher

L. Antoniuk, T. Prexler

Goaltenders:

P. Rey

A. Dmyterko

—

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1