Stars, ’Stangs to battle in SJ’S Survivor Series
If you suddenly find a Christmas tree planted in the Battlefords North Stars’ dressing room, there’s a good reason.
The Survivor Series is just like another holiday season.
“It’s kind of like opening a present at Christmas time,” head coach Kevin Hasselberg said Thursday prior to the start of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs Friday at home against the Melfort Mustangs.
“You never know who’s going to step up.”
The Stars (26-21-2-5) and Mustangs (19-29-4-2), who return to the playoffs for the first time in two years, will meet in a best-of-five series. The winner goes on to play the first-place Humboldt Broncos (36-14-2-2).
“Playoffs are a unique time of year in that certain players step up and advance their game to a whole new level,” Hasselberg said. “Sometimes it’s a player who you least expect to do that. In this series, especially, there’s definitely an opportunity for that to happen.”
Although the Stars held a 4-2 advantage during the regular season, games were close and most of them were played prior to Christmas.
“(The Mustangs) have improved a lot since they’ve come back from Christmas,” Hasselberg said. “They’ve found a scoring touch.
“I really think it’s going to be a heck of a matchup.”
Brandon Sloan paced Melfort with 40 points and Brandon Formosa led with 18 goals. Godric Tham had a team-best five game-winners. Logan Sceviour has nine goals since Christmas.
Battlefords had eight players with more than 10 goals this season. Kyle Hall led with 19 goals and 43 points. Tanner Quinn has nine goals in 21 games since Christmas.
Brody Luhning scored 10 of his 13 goals on the power play.
“Two pretty competitive teams,” Mustangs coach Gavin Holcomb said. “For us, if we can get a good start and put ourselves in a spot to win Game 1, that would be huge for us. It’s going to be a physical series and the compete level’s going to be high.
“It’s going to come down to making smart, efficient plays and just playing solid playoff hockey.”
Holcomb, too, expects a close series.
“They’ve got quite a bit of depth up front with Hall, (Austin) Evans and (Braeden) Johnson and some good secondary scoring,” he said.
“We like our depth, too, but in the playoffs, your best players have to be best players.” The key to the series? “Goaltending,” Hasselberg said. “That’s where it’s going to start and stop. If one team gets better goaltending than the other, it’s certainly going to create an advantage, and obviously buckling down on their scoring chances.”
The North Stars will rely on veteran goalie Connor Creech, whose post-Christmas 2.34 goals-against average and .927 save-percentage are better than his overall regular-season marks of 2.52 and .912.
In the Mustangs’ net, Jesse Wilkins played 14 of the last 20 games with a 2.90 GAA and sharp .921 savepercentage.
Goaltending will play a big part, Holcomb agreed.
“It always does.”
South Survivor Series
The Kindersley Klippers (22-27-3-2) will play the Estevan Bruins (21-29-4-0) in the South’s Sherwood Survivor Series. That series begins Saturday in Kindersley.
Rookie Tyrell King has given the Klippers a boost down the stretch, posting a 5-2 record, 2.22 GAA and .935 save-percentage since Jan. 28.
Giovanni Bombini (21-26, 47) and Colby Daniels (20-26, 46) provide the bulk of the Klippers’ offence.
Ryan Doner (5-16-21 in 19 games) has been a nice addition after the Klippers lost Connor Gay to the WHL. Bradley Buckingham had a strong finish to the season with five goals and eight points in eight games. Rookie Colton Schick chipped in with 10 points in 19 games.