By Martin Martinson

North Stars face divisional test in Klippers tonight

Nov 24, 2018 | 1:00 PM

Coming off a tough 2-1 shootout loss at the hands of the defending SJHL champion Nipawin Hawks, the Battlefords North Stars continue to run the gauntlet tonight at home against division-rival Kindersley Klippers.

The Stars enter this evening with a 2-2-1 record over their last five games, contributing to a 5-4-2 record overall since the turn of the calendar to November.

The Stars rank fifth in goals for, and fifth in goals against in the SJHL, as they head into tonight’s showdown, their second in two nights against an elite matchup defensively.

After a night off Saturday, Stars’ goaltender Joel Grzybowski will return between the pipes for the black and silver, coming off a 31 stop performance Sunday night against Weyburn that saw the veteran goalie post a .969sv% and solidify the victory for his team last weekend.

Kindersley is 2-2-1 over their last five games, and 2-4-2 overall to this point in November.

Fond Memories

North Stars' 20-year-olds reflect on junior hockey experience: Part 1

10h ago

Trades in Sask.

Skilled trades need not limited to building homes

Apr 17, 2024

Battlefords Volleyball Club

13U BVC Impact take provincial silver in Warman

Apr 17, 2024

The Klippers are solid, much like the Hawks, from the net out, with the other defending 2018 Sasktel Top Goaltender in netminder Justen Close.

Close has won 10 of his 17 starts this season, good for fourth best league-wide, while also piling up an impressive personal stat line, that has seen the 20-year-old post a 2.03 GAA, and .928sv%, for his hometown team, placing him within the top two in each stat category.

Thanks in large part to their goaltender, the Klippers are the number two team defensively this season with the green and blue having allowed just 55 goals through their first 24 games.

Offence will once again be at a premium for the North Stars, who will see no changes in personnel up front tonight, only a tweak or two in how the lines are assembled.

Quintin Loon-Stewardson will remain alongside MacGregor Sinclair and Ryan Gil on the team’s top line, as the trio continues to establish chemistry, back at home with last change to their squad’s advantage tonight.

Matthias Urbanski, who ranks second on the team in both goals (13) and points (29), one back of the lead in each, will shift to the left side of the Braydon Buziak unit, with Owen Lamb, the club’s leading goal scorer with 14 tallies on the year, opposite him on the right-hand side.

Elijah Loon-Stewardson, who has generally manned the real estate on the Buziak-Lamb line, will flip to Urbanksi’s spot, playing the left wing along with Brett Gammer and Regan Doig.  

Austin Becker, who scored his team’s lone goal last night, will remain on the left side of Kaden Boser and Dyan Esau once again tonight. This line proved their versatility in Friday’s contest, playing fast, while also playing a defensively conscious game in addition to their offensive contribution.

On the blue line is where the team will see some changes, out of necessity more than anything.

Seth Summers, who left last night’s game prematurely due to an upper-body injury, will, at least for the time being, join fellow defenseman, Jacob Bayne who remains sidelined with an injury of his own.

On the top pair, Stars’ rock Cody Spagrud remains a two-way force to be reckoned with, leading his team on rush chances against the Hawks in his opening appearance this weekend, when his team was trailing before the ultimate late-third tie.

Spagrud will be reunited with Tanner Scott as the stay-at-home defender draws back into the lineup and will be counted on in a big way within a role he’s proven to excel, on the team’s top pair.

Noah Form will slide over alongside Matthew Fletcher on pair two, offering an elite second pairing featuring two mobile defenders who relish the opportunity to matchup head-to-head against top competition.

Austin Shumanski and Ryan Granville remain the club’s third pair anchors, providing steady defensive presence, with the ability to turn up the heat offensively on a timely pinch.

Fans can catch all of the action at the Civic Centre and on 1050 CJNB, starting with the pregame show at 7:15 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

North Stars lineup at a glance

Forwards:

Q. Loon-Stewardson, M. Sinclair, R. Gil

M. Urbanski, B. Buziak, O. Lamb

E. Loon-Stewardson, B. Gammer, R. Doig

A. Becker, K. Boser, D. Esau

Defensemen:

T. Scott, C. Spagrud

N. Form, M. Fletcher

A. Shumanski, R. Granville

Goaltenders:

J. Grzybowski

A. Dmyterko

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1