By Nathan Kanter

North Stars know they can rebound in semifinal series vs. Bruins

Apr 2, 2018 | 1:00 PM

“The best is yet to come.”

Those are the words Battlefords North Stars captain Layne Young said right before heading onto the ice on Monday morning for the team’s gameday skate in Estevan.

After losses on home ice in games one and two, including a lopsided 7-2 score on Saturday, the North Stars are fighting an uphill battle, trailing the semifinal series 2-0.

But, according to the Stars, they know they can get back in it.

“I think we’re a team that is real good under pressure — when the odds are against us,” forward Keith Anderson said. “I know we’re all focused and really looking forward to tonight.”

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It all starts with putting Saturday’s result behind them.

“We’ve just got to get over it, get past it, and focus on what we can do better,” defenceman Connor Manegre said. “We broke down on Saturday and we can’t do that tonight.”

The club didn’t allow seven goals in a game all season long, until Saturday.

Which is why cleaning up their defensive zone at 5-on-5 is a priority. All seven Estevan goals in game two came at even strength.

“We’re going up against one of the most offensive teams in the league,” Manegre said. “There were a lot of open guys. [We’ve] ust got to stick with them. Lots more communication we can work on.”

“Making sure we’re picking up sticks in the slot,” Anderson added. “We’ve got to play harder in general.”

North Stars head coach Brandon Heck also said that he knows his goaltending will improve. So far in the series, the team has a save percentage of .786, with 12 goals allowed on 56 shots.

Bruins netminder Bo Didur, meanwhile, has stopped 59 of 64 shots, for a .922 save percentage.

“After a bad game they’ve all played real good and responded favourably,” Heck said of Taryn Kotchorek and Joel Gryzbowski. “And I’m expecting a guy like Keith Anderson to have a big game tonight. [Levi] Kleiboer, [Garan] Magnes, Young, [MacGregor] Sinclair, I think are going to have big games.”

Playing more patiently is another key Heck has stressed.

He said after the Bruins got out to a quick lead in game two, he saw his guys start to panic and try to do too much at once.

“We tried to score two goals or three goals every shift,” he said. “We tried to tie it. We didn’t stick with it.”

Individualistic play was also apparent last game.

“That’s a sign of frustration,” Anderson said. “It happens sometimes, but it’s something we need to quit doing and go back to what we’ve been doing all year to be successful.

“Life is just managing emotions,” Heck said. “We’ll be alright tonight.”

Puck drop for game three at Affinity Place in Estevan is set for 7:30 p.m. tonight. NorSask North Stars hockey gets underway at 7 p.m. with the Ultra Print pre-game show.

nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @NathanKanter11