Stars welcome Mustangs to home barn for Game 1 of Canalta Cup Final

The Mustangs’ offence is led by their top line of League MVP, Justin Ball and Player of the Year, Carson Albrecht flanking Tanner Zentner down the middle. The three have combined for 19 of their team’s 35 goals so far, contributing directly on 54.3 per cent of their team’s total goal production.

With home ice advantage in the series, the Stars will look to get captain Cody Spagrud and rookie standout Noah Form out there whenever possible against Melfort’s big unit.

Spagrud was named SJHL Top Defenceman this season, while Form, who had just five career games experience prior to the start of the season, has developed into one of the league’s premier defenders in his own right this year.

Seemingly always in position with their long reach and expert body position, the Spagrud-Form tandem has been instrumental throughout the post-season in shutting down some of the top point-producers in the game.

Flin Flon’s top line, featuring elite producers Nate Hooper (third in league scoring) and Brandson Hein (fifth in scoring), were held pointless in four of the team’s seven-games of the quarter-finals, going shift-for-shift against the Stars’ number one unit.

Spagrud and Form then also held Yorkton’s Chantz Petruic, who finished fourth in league scoring completely off the board with zero points in the Stars’ four-game sweep of the Terriers.

With time and space sure to be at a premium in the series, special teams become all the more important for both sides.

The Stars’ power play is clicking along at 21.4 per cent, while Melfort’s, which was tops in the league during the regular season, at over 23 per cent, sits at just-over 17 per cent so far these playoffs.

Both power plays may be hard-pressed to generate much, however, as the two teams rank first and second respectively on the penalty kill. The Stars have a 92.7 per cent effectiveness on the kill, with Melfort just behind at 88.9 per cent.

Between the pipes, each team has received tremendous goaltending so far, as the Battlefords’ Joel Grzybowski and Melfort’s Noah Giesbrecht rank first and second in virtually every goaltending statistic.

Grzybowski leads the league this post-season with a 1.40 goals-against average and .959 save percentage, with four shutouts through 11 games in the playoffs so far. The Hafford, product also enters the final series enjoying the most prolific stretch of his career, having not allowed a single goal over his last three games played.

Noah Giesbrecht sits just back of Grzybowski, with a 1.99 goals-against average and .941 save percentage through nine of his team’s 11 games. The South Surrey, B.C., native has turned heads around the league on his team’s run, as the 19-year-old has accomplished his totals in his rookie year in the league.

The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. on 1050 CJNB. Marty Martinson will have the call on the action.

Series schedule:

April 12 -> Game one @ NB Civic Centre

April 13 -> Game two @ NB Civic Centre

April 16 -> Game three @ Northern Lights Palace

April 17 -> Game four @ Northern Lights Palace

April 19 -> Game five @ NB Civic Centre*

April 21 -> Game six @ Northern Lights Palace*

April 23 -> Game seven @ NB Civic Centre*

*indicates if necessary

Pregame begins at 7 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. for each game of the series on NAPA North Stars Hockey on 1050 CJNB.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

Stars welcome Mustangs to home barn for Game 1 of Canalta Cup Final

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