By Elmer and Ashlyn Elmer
The Battlefords North Stars have recently returned after the holiday break with conference victories over the Kindersley Klippers and Notre Dame Hounds. The excess turkey consumption showed in the first victory. However, the win over the tough Notre Dame Hounds showed that the North Stars continue to possess the championship pedigree and grit that will be required game in and game out in the marathon that is called the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) season. This club led by Captain Layne Young are intent on repeating as Canalta Cup champions. They play the game with integrity and increasing intensity. The club is working towards peak performance as the season progresses.
The veteran presence on the club has been evident. Layne Young has been a leader from day one and is currently leading the SJHL scoring race at approximately a two point per game clip. MacGregor Sinclair has been a pleasant surprise and has achieved the 25-goal mark, which is second in league goal scoring. We have the luxury of knowing MacGregor will be a returning asset next season. Owen Lamb has been a defensive force and been invaluable on the penalty kill. In recent weeks, he has played more physical and has been given more opportunities to show his offensive talent. He has not disappointed. Lamb is a classy performer who leads through desire and hard work. Connor McIntosh has been an intimidating force when on the ice and has the ability to contribute offensively. However, he has been bitten by the injury bug through much of the past two seasons. Hopefully, he will be healthy soon and can play himself into good physical condition prior to the post season. Blake Fennig played sparingly in call-up duty last year, but has shown that he is prepared to work for more playing time. He has the skating ability to show that he can be put on the ice in a checking role at this point in his Junior A career.
At the start of the 2017-2018 regular season, an examination of the roster portrayed a team that would likely be strong defensively. There were five returning defensemen. That includes Troy Gerein who played forward for much of last season, but had previously played on defense in a number of games with the North Stars. Levi Kleiboer and Cody Spagrud were likely the best defensive pairing in the SJHL last season, but they have been split up and now have new partners on the ice. Kleiboer is now a world champion as he recently was a member of the victorious Canada West team at the World Junior A Challenge. After having recently committed to the University of Maine Black Bears, he now focuses on achieving his goal of winning another Canalta Cup. Spagrud has been a marvel on defense, rarely out of position and willing to make the rushes into the offensive zone. The writer is hoping for that day when he cuts inside rather than going wide. It will be a surprise to the opposition and give them something else to think about. Spagrud is a terrific skater and gives no shortage of effort. Connor Manegre has been criticized at times for spending too much time in the penalty box. However, since early in the year, he has become much more disciplined and has been a major contributor on defense, much as was the situation last season with their Captain Kendall Fransoo. Manegre is an excellent skater and keeps the opposition honest with his physical play. In the opinion of the writer, Troy Gerein is the heart and soul of the North Stars. Earlier in his career, he played defence, a position the writer believes he is much more suited. If you analyze his play, he rarely gets caught out of position. In the game against the Hounds, he made a super outlet pass that allowed Young to fly in and score on the Notre Dame goaltender. Troy will be a major contributor come playoff time as he tends to provide a spark that ignites the club. However, he will need to keep his emotions under control as penalties in the playoffs will drain a team both physically and mentally. Finally, Conor Jensen has been the most improved player on the club from last season due in part to be given the opportunity to play more minutes and being put out on the ice in situations when the game is on the line. It would be interesting to see Conor on the ice in overtime situations with his speed and shiftiness. He is a player who doesn’t get enough credit for his contribution. When you watch him play, this native of the Great State of Minnesota is another individual who is positionally sound.
Finally, the Battlefords North Stars have benefited from the presence of two veteran goalers. At the beginning of the season, Taryn Kotchorek was the sole returning netminder. An injury early on caused him to miss approximately ten games and his place was competently covered by rookie, Kolby Matthews. However, after star netminder Joel Gryzbowski was released by the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (what were they thinking?), Matthews was traded to the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. It is readily apparent that Kotchorek and Gryzbowski have a healthy competition and feed off each other’s superlative play. They are ultra-competitive and keep the interests of the team as the number one priority. Their unselfishness is no doubt noticed by their teammates. The writer anticipates that from here on out, the team goals against average will soon approach their more accustomed rate of less than two goals per game. Considering the veteran presence on defense, coupled with two top flight goaltenders, there is no reason why this can’t be the case.
So, we have discussed the veteran influence on the club. But, the writer would be remiss if he didn’t mention the solid contributions of the newcomers on the team. Dakota Huebner has been a good fit on a line with Sinclair and Young. He has been a good offensive contributor and will need to show the stamina required to play through a full season and playoff schedule. He is very handy with the puck. Jacob Tibbats has improved immensely in the past month and is a strong defensive and physical presence. He came very close to scoring his first goal of the season against the Hounds. Dayden Dvernichuk has been a recent call-up and has not looked out of place with his hustle and determination. He scored his first goal in the SJHL in the game against the Klippers. Tre Doyon has shown flashes, but has provided limited play due to injury. Hopefully he can return to full health and show what he can do on the ice. Brad Girard has been placed on a line with Keith Anderson and Matthias Urbanski and the threesome have clicked in recent weeks and now provide the club with a solid second line. It is anticipated Girard will also be an asset in shoot-outs. Elijah Loon-Stewardson had a relatively slow start to the season, but has shown an ability to score goals. He will need to stay healthy in order to be able to contribute down the stretch. Matthias Urbanski exhibits the potential of being a dynamic goal scorer with his rugged play coupled with his outstanding skating. The writer feels he is a similar player to Gerein as he has the ability to get under the skin of the opposition and be a leader on the ice.
Chaseton Braid and Keith Anderson have been huge additions to the club this season. Until he recently was injured, Braid had become an explosive presence on the ice with his strong skating and excellent scoring touch. He had appeared to gain an extra level of confidence and was dominating when he was on the ice. There is no reason to expect anything different from Braid when he returns from the injury list. Anderson is arguably the most valuable player on the Battlefords North Stars in the opinion of the writer. His mere physical presence has to strike fear in the opposition. Anderson has made a tremendous transition from a strictly physical individual to a player who has excellent puck handling and goal scoring ability. He is a treat to watch with his line mates, Urbanski and Girard. He shows a desire to win championships and to have the backs of all his teammates. Another player who had spent too much time in the sin bin, Anderson’s play has been much more disciplined. It is apparent that League officials have, at times, targeted him with some pretty questionable penalties, however he has played through this with required maturity and has been rock solid.
Finally, we must give credit to the coaching staff of Brandon Heck and Boyd Wakelin, who are both in their first year of coaching Junior A level hockey. They face the challenge in handling young men who are impressionable and who, at times, have fragile egos. Coaches can rightly be criticized. However, they should also be credited with being developers of young men, helping them to become positive contributors to society long after their hockey playing days have ended. Coaches also are required, at times, to make unpopular decisions in their quest to achieve the bottom line—to win hockey games. Heck and Wakelin’s record, thus far, speaks for itself. The North Stars are a championship calibre hockey club this season after having lost a number of major contributors from last year’s squad. These two have put their players in position to be successful, after an early period of experimentation in the first half of the season.
As the club enters a tough series of road games, it must be kept in mind that all remaining games in the regular season will be very competitive. It really doesn’t matter where the games are being played. What matters is the level of competition in the player each and every night, and their desire to play for each other on the ice. Once you achieve that degree of togetherness, you have won half the battle. A lot of that is determined by the quality of leadership on a team. The Battlefords North Stars have that in spades as their leaders lead by example. When you have young men who possess quality values, that will usually translate into integrity on the ice. That leadership group desires another Canalta Cup and they will not be denied!
Submitted by Garnet Elmer and Ashlyn, my own personal super hero!
(And here’s a tip of the hat to a few of the good gals and guys in our community: Caitlyn Gray, Nathan Kanter, Stewart Martin, Karen Richardson, Cory Herle, Rob Rongve, Gord Brown, Art Strueby, Lisa Hornung, Rhonda Simon, Bob Johnson, and Rachelle Matisz.)
