By Martin Martinson

Stars pull fourth in weekly power rankings

Dec 18, 2018 | 1:00 PM

Battlefords North Stars (Fourth)

December got off to a bit of a shaky start for the black and silver, with the team fielding an overtime loss to the Broncos to start, followed by a regulation defeat at the hands of La Ronge coming out to an 0-1-1 start to the month.

Since then however, thanks largely to a shake up on the forward lines and balanced attack of scoring, the Stars are winners of three-straight, and six of their last 10 heading into the holidays. Perhaps more impressive yet is that the club solidified at least a single point in the standings in eight of their last 10 games overall.

Stars captain, Cody Spagrud factored in directly on the game winning goal for his team in each of the last three contests, courtesy of an overtime game winner, and two assists to lead his team.

The Stars’ goaltending has also been lights out as of late, regardless of who mans the crease.

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Joel Grzybowski posted a stellar 5-0-1 record over his last six games, along with an outstanding .957 save percentage and one shutout over the span.

Chad Duran has also been at his best, making 27 stops on the 28 shots he faced in the team’s win against Nipawin to close out the front-half of December for the club, having put up a .932 save percentage through his first three starts with the team.

Melfort Mustangs (First)

Riding a 3-0-1 streak into Christmas, the Melfort Mustangs have just one loss through their first three weeks of December.

Forward Justin Ball leads the league in scoring and has been a force all season long, being held off the scoresheet just once in 33 games this year. With 15 points through his last five games, Ball appears to only be gaining confidence, a scary concept for the rest of the league.

The Mustangs will need to continue their current pace once returning from the Christmas break, with a back-to-back against Nipawin, the lone team above Melfort in the division, Dec. 21 and 22, in a battle of the two top teams in the league.

Kindersley Klippers (Second)

Holding top spot in the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division, Kindersley boasts a 22-8-4 record after 34 games.

The Klippers are led from the crease out, with defending Top Goaltender Justen Close posting another season amongst the league’s elite. Close’s 1.97 goals against average and .932 save percentage totals just continue to trend upward by his performance of late, helping the team to a 6-0-1 record through their first seven games this month.

Thanks largely to the outstanding play of their netminder, and their defensive system as a whole, Kindersley has allowed just 74 goals, the second-best total in the league.

Nipawin Hawks (Third)

Laying claim to top spot, not only in the division, but league as a whole with a 24-9-2 record, Nipawin was dealt a tough blow earlier this month when team MVP and defending Top Goaltender, Declan Hobbs suffered an injury.

Despite the setback, the Hawks saw backup goalie Patrick Pugliese pick up the added workload and help the club continue to roll with eight wins in their last 10.

Posting a 1.85 goals against average and .935 save percentage through his first 13 games in the SJHL, the 19-year-old rookie from Pasadena, California looks poised to only continue his hot play.

Yorkton Terriers (Fifth)

With seven wins over their last 10 games, the Yorkton Terriers lead the Viterra Division with a 19-12-1 record overall, good for 39 points on the season.

Possessing the third-best offense in the league, Yorkton is led up front by 20-year-old Jared Leigon who sits fifth in league scoring with 49 points through his first 31 games, and third in goals with 26.

In between the pipes, 18-year-old netminder Ryan Ouellette has been especially sharp as of late, excelling with a heavy workload that has seen the Colorado product face 35-plus shots in four of his five starts this month.

The Terriers play the division-rival Estevan Bruins tonight in Estevan, before heading into the Christmas break.

Flin Flon Bombers (Sixth)  

Boasting the second-best offensive punch in the league, Flin Flon sits third in the Sherwood Division with 40 points, taking a 19-11-2 record into the Christmas break.

Flin Flon’s attack is centred around forwards Brandson Hein and Nate Hooper, each within the top four in the league scoring race, having collected 51 points apiece. In addition to their offensive spark at even-strength, the potency of the Bombers’ top forwards has also lent itself to success on special teams.

Flin Flon’s 21.3 save percentage effectiveness on the power play puts them within the top three in extra man efficiency. The team’s 84.8 save percentage efficiency on the penalty kill gives the club a top four standing when shorthanded.

With the final league games on the pre-Christmas schedule set to wrap up by Dec. 22, the Battlefords North Stars will face the Kindersley Klippers when action resumes on Dec. 28 in Kindersley.

Editor’s note: The weekly SJHL Power Rankings are determined each week by Mike Stackhouse and simply elaborated on as seen here. 

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca 

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1