Friday, November 6, 2009

Klippers @ Stars tonight

(Game preview from the blog of North Stars play-by-play voice Dan O'Connor)

Whenever these two teams get together, fans can expect a battle. There is certainly no love-loss between the Klippers and North Stars. Kindersley has won four straight games, while the North Stars are a perfect 8-0 at home. Sadly one of these streaks will end tonight.



Record: 11-7

Who's Hot Up Front:

No surprise really that Jordan Braid is leading the charge with 23 points in 18 games. But what maybe does come as a surprise is the fact that second-year Klipper Andrew Dommett has 21 points. Dommett is tied for the team lead in goals with 13, and has proven to be an outstanding secondary scoring threat for the Klippers.

Who's on D:

Steven Turner leads the Klippers with five goals and 14 points to start the season. He's a solid two-way defensive threat who will likely log a ton of ice-time tonight. Look for other D-Men like Kurt Leedahl, Sean Flanigan and Justin Wilkinson to see a lot of minutes as well.

Who's in Goal:

With the way he is playing right now, I'd be shocked if we saw anybody other than Josh Thorimbert. The 17-year-old native of Saskatoon has been super for the Klippers, and was recently named SJHL Rookie of the Month for October.

X-Factor:

Taylor Duzan is probably the smallest player in the SJHL, but you'd never know it by watching him play. He's shifty, physical, and talented. Duzan has shown tremendous poise and vision over the years, and always seems to bring his best when the North Stars are involved. If the Stars can limit his time and space, they will likely find some success against the Klips.


Record: 11-7-1-0

Who's Hot Up Front:

Coming into tonight's game, Blake Peake is the hottest North Star's forward. Peake scored twice earlier this week in Nipawin and La Ronge, and seems to have regained some offensive confidence. Josh Daley and Shay Neufeld continue to provide Peake with some great support. I've also noticed that Peake tends to do well against Kindersley.

Who's on D:

The North Stars are probably looking for a more collective offensive effort from the back-end. No D-Man stood out really during the two-game road swing up North. Jesse Lebreton, Cody Folstad, and Woody Klassen in particular are all players that are going to be knocking on the door tonight, and if one of those three can pick up a couple of points, the North Stars could be on their way to win number nine at home.

Who's in Goal:

Kyle Birch likely gets the call again tonight, as he looks to redeem himself after a two-loss road trip. Birch played well in both games, but has exactly looked "himself" lately. If both Birchy and Thorimbert are on their game tonight, we could be in for a low-scoring affair.

X-Factor:


No player has had more scoring chances lately than Blake Tatchell. The 18-year-old North Battleford boy has been a little snake-bitten recently around the net. If Tatch can get off the schnide tonight, the Stars will have a very good chance at victory.

Lets get over 1000 people to the Civic Center tonight. We've got some redeeming to do after a couple of smaller crowds in recent weeks.

For those that can't make it, you can catch the broadcast tonight on CJNB/CJNS starting at 7:15 with the SaskTel Pregame Show.

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