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Stars set for showdown with Ice Wolves

Dec 6, 2018 | 1:00 PM

The Battlefords North Stars are 3-0-2 over their last five games, including most recently coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the division-rival Humboldt Broncos. The North Stars will aim to get themselves back on the winning track in short order tonight, as the club heads to Pinehouse to take on the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

La Ronge enters play a desperate group, eager to try and snap a 14-game losing skid that has seen the team go winless since Oct. 26th.  

The tough year has led to some recent changes for the Ice Wolves, as the team will look a lot different than the wolf pack the Stars saw the last time the two sides faced off, Oct. 30.

The major moves started when on November 29, La Ronge traded their captain, 20-year-old, Kolby Johnson to Dauphin of the MJHL for 19-year-old, Samson Mouland and future considerations. Then, just three days later, the club dealt 20-year-old Mitch Zambon to Humboldt in an effort to restock the prospect cupboards further, receiving a player development fee and three prospects in return.

Despite the changes in personnel, La Ronge still possess a hard-nosed style of game with a gritty approach the Stars will have to counter with speed and grit of their own.

The North Stars’ top line will feature MacGregor Sinclair between Quintin Loon-Stewardson and Ryan Gil. Tonight will mark the tenth game since the trio was initially assembled, with the three players having compiled a combined 22 points through their first nine games as a unit.

The second line, featuring Matthias Urbanski and Owen Lamb on opposite sides of Braydon Buziak, produced the team’s lone goal Tuesday night, courtesy of Urbanski’s 14th of the year, and will look to continue to generate an offensive spark again tonight.

Dayton Heino, who made his Stars’ debut Tuesday night against the Broncos, on the right-wing side of line three, will shift to the middle against the Ice Wolves, flanked by Elijah Loon-Stewardson on his left, and Regan Doig, who draws back into the lineup, on his right.

Line four sees Brett Gammer shift down to anchor at the center ice position, reuniting the two-way forward with Austin Becker and Dylan Esau in a trio with proven chemistry established earlier this year.

On the blue line, Cody Spagrud will line up alongside Noah Form, who returns to the team’s top pair alongside the captain, while Matthew Fletcher and Seth Summers man the second matchup pairing for the North Stars.

Austin Shumanski, who played 31 games over parts of two seasons as a member of the Ice Wolves from 2016-18, will suit up along with Ryan Granville on the third pairing.  

Between the pipes, former Ice Wolves’ goalie, Chad Duran will get the start tonight for the Stars.

This evening will mark Duran’s second start with the team since being acquired from La Ronge Nov. 22.

Duran stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced in his debut with the Stars Nov. 23, a 2-1 shootout loss to Nipawin, posting a sparkling .958sv% in the contest. The 20-year-old goaltender will be looking tonight for his first win with the black and silver.

Fans of the North Stars can catch all of the action on 1050 CJNB, beginning with the pregame show at 7:15 p.m., followed by puck drop 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, D. Heino, R. Doig

A. Becker, B. Gammer, D. Esau

Defensemen:

N. Form, C. Spagrud

S. Summers, M. Fletcher

A. Shumanski, R. Granville

Goaltenders:

C. Duran

J. Grzybowski

 

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1