By Martin Martinson

Stars prepared for battle with Hawks

Dec 11, 2018 | 1:00 PM

The Battlefords North Stars are back in action tonight at the Civic Centre, as the team welcomes the defending-champion Nipawin Hawks to town.

The North Stars enter play this evening in third spot of the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division with a 1-1-1 record to start December, as part of a larger picture that has seen the team go on a 5-3-2 stretch over their last 10 games.

Nipawin, meanwhile, lead the Sherwood Division and sit atop the standings as a whole, with a 22-8-1 record, good for 45 points through their first 31 games. The Hawks have been especially hot as of late, as they’ll enter play tonight riding the strength of a seven-game winning streak.

Hawks Goaltender Declan Hobbs, who last year took home Sasktel Top Goaltender honours, has undoubtedly been the team’s MVP through the first half of the season, and likely the MVP of the league to this point as well. Hobbs is the lone goaltender in the SJHL to average under two goals against per game, with his sparkling 1.78GAA ranking first by a mile. The 20-year-old veteran also ranks first in save percentage with a seemingly surreal .942 save percentage, and five shutouts already on the year.

With Hobbs’ goaltending as their backbone, Nipawin’s defence is the best in the game at a statistical level, having only allowed 58 total goals through their opening 31 games. Because of the Hawks’ stifling brand of defence, scoring chances for the Battlefords tonight are likely to be at a premium.

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The North Stars are coming off a game against La Ronge that saw the usual line combinations get tossed into the proverbial blender by Stars’ coach Brayden Klimosko, leading to all kinds of new and intriguing variations. Some of those variations will get a second look tonight.

MacGregor Sinclair will be flanked once again this evening by Braydon Buziak and Brett Gammer on his wings in a conglomerate constructed last game that moved all three of the usual top three lines’ centremen together that offers speed, feistiness and a versatility few other lines can match.

Matthias Urbanski, who is perfectly point-per-game through his first 32 games, will also return to the pivot position against the Hawks, reconvening with Ryan Gil and Dayton Heino in a trio that holds the ability to play the game any which way at a high level, whether it be generating scoring chances off the rush with speed or off the cycle game using their aptitude for winning board-battles.

Owen Lamb, who was shifted back to his natural center position Friday will remain in the middle of the ice, joined once again by Austin Becker on his left and Elijah Loon-Stewardson to his right, in a unit that brings steady veteran presence, and determination with added speed and playmaking on the wings.

Lamb is coming off a performance against the Ice Wolves that saw the forward score his team-leading 16th of the season, while also registering the primary assist on the overtime game winner.

On line four, Kaden Boser draws back into the lineup and will feature in between Regan Doig and Qunitin Loon-Stewardson. Boser’s physicality and nose for the net should complement his linemates well within the unit.

On the backend, Cody Spagrud, who is currently enjoying what looks to be a career-year offensively, sits third amongst defenders in points. He is coming off a herculean effort in the Stars’ most recent contest, that saw the Gull Lake, Sask., product score the overtime game-winner for his club with just a fraction of a second remaining in overtime to secure the win for his team.

Spagrud, a righty, will be joined by left-hander, Tanner Scott on the top D-pairing, with Scott providing a no-nonsense game with a defense-first approach that grinds on opposition forwards.

Matthew Fletcher and Seth Summers on make for an ideal two-way pair whose main focus is quick efficient plays out the defensive zone, leading more often than not to offensive chances off the rush for the forwards playing with this tandem.

Austin Shumanski (6’6, 225 lbs) and Noah Form (6’1, 181 lbs) on the third pair provide a big-bodied presence on the backend with a dual long reach and good defensive conscience. Both players should also focus in as primary options on the Stars’ penalty kill tonight, a unit that ranks third in the league at 85.1 per cent efficiency.

Between the pipes, the Stars will give Joel Grzybowski the nod tonight for the second-straight game.

Grzybowski has been excellent as of late, posting a 4-0-1 record over his last five starts, while not allowing more than two goals against in any of the given contests, thanks largely to a .949 save percentage over the span.

Fans of the North Stars can catch all of tonight’s action at the Civic Centre and on 1050 CJNB beginning 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:

B. Buziak, M. Sinclair, B. Gammer

R. Gil, M. Urbanski, D. Heino

A. Becker, O. Lamb, E. Loon-Stewardson

Q. Loon-Stewardson, K. Boser, R. Doig

Defencemen:

T. Scott, Spagrud

S. Summers, M. Fletcher

A. Shumanski, N. Form

Goaltenders:

J. Grzybowski

C. Duran

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1