After an initial snoozer of an opening schedule, the Battlefords North Stars have now played an equitable number of games with their counterparts in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. At the time of writing of this article, they currently possess a record of 22 wins and six losses, one of those occurring in overtime. They are in the thick of the race with four or five other clubs in the SJHL.
For whatever reason, the North Star’s schedule was extremely light during the first part of the season. In addition, most of their games were at home. To the players’ credit, they took advantage of those factors and burst out of the gates with a stellar won-lost record. It was essential that they did so, as their recent slate of games has been much more onerous, both in terms of the frequency and the fact they had a number of road games. Coupled with this change in schedule had been a rash of injuries. Keith Anderson and Dakota Huebner have now returned to the lineup and it has made an immediate and positive impact.
The hockey season can be a long grind. However, as exhibited by last year’s version of the North Stars, the champion teams battle their way through the doldrums of the winter and press on with a mindset that the season is a marathon, not a race. The job is to go out to win each and every game. It is anticipated this year’s club will do the same. They have the players, the skill, and the toughness to be champions. Their goaltending is certainly of superior quality. Joel Gryzbowski and Taryn Kotchorek rarely let in an easy goal. For the team, it is a matter of having fun at the game, playing with an edge, possessing unparalleled confidence, and imposing your will on the opposition. If you do those things, you will be successful. You don’t have to have the best skill, the best coaching, and the best skaters. It lies in the heart of the individual and the desire to play for each other that will seize and win the day. In the end, the players win the games. The coaches put them in a position to win and give them the confidence to be winners.
So here are a few Christmas delights for our players who all have a heart of gold:
1. Taryn Kotchorek – number one with a bullet. He is the Grinch that steals the other team’s confidence by making save after save after save…! Ultracompetitive and is almost ‘picture’ perfect… just ask his dad.
3. Cody Spagrud – the kids always depend on Santa showing up on time at Christmas. Cody is as dependable as Santa. He is always in the right place at the right time and gives his gift of labour each and every night. With his play, every night is Christmas Eve.
4. Matthew Fletcher – why does he remind me of Chevy Chase… Fletch. Matthew provides us with lots of smiles with his determination to become a superior player. He is no actor, he’s the real thing. There will be no Christmas Vacation for him. Matthew works at his game all year round!
5. Connor Smith – California Dreamin. He’d be safe and warm if he was in L.A., but Connor has come to the snowy north where people only play in their Santa sleigh… and on the ice. There may be thoughts of California on a winter’s day, but Connor prefers to think hockey and gives a gift to his coaches every night.
7. Conor Jensen – Conor loves a White Christmas. It reminds him of the snow-covered frozen tundra of old Bloomington Stadium, land of the Purple People Eaters and the revered Bud Grant. All Conor wants is his… front teeth!
8. Keith Anderson – Avalanche Andy – when this snowball starts rolling, the opposition just clears the track, just like Eddie Shack. Has a heart of steel and a desire to match. Perhaps he was the original Abominable Snow Monster!
9. Layne Young – or as the PA announcer at the Civic Centre says… Number nine, Layyyyyyyyyyyyyyne Young!!! He’s our Rudolf leading our group of reindeer. Just take a look at Layne when he comes off the ice after a shift… he always has a red nose!
10. Conor McIntosh – when Conor’s on the ice, there is always a lot of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. Conor likes to knock around the opposition player’s …ornaments…! He’s a real nutcracker.
11. Troy Gerein – okay, so let’s be honest. At the start of the year, Troy was in the Land of Misfit Toys. But we all know he is the heart and soul of the team and is now back in Santa’s good books. To his defense… he is best suited at that position.
12. Matthias Urbanski – don’t let baby-faced Urbanski fool you. Fearless, he’ll take a run at anyone. In fact, the original name of the classic was Grandma Got Run Over by Urbanski.
14. Levi Kleiboer – after a night of watching Levi’s Santa magic on the ice, we can all sleep in heavenly peace. Levi owes all his wealth of gifts to… Mama Gina! At least, that’s what she told me!
15. Dylan Williamson – okay, I’ve been looking at that unwrapped present. It is one of the bigger ones and it seems a little heavy. The gift that it brings may just have to wait until Christmas day!
16. Jacob Tibbatts – one of Santa’s elves who works tirelessly in the huge shadow of Santa Layne. But, we all know the elves are invaluable in creating the magic of Christmas championships.
17. Chaseton Braid – Here Comes Santa Claus! When the North Stars acquired Chaseton, you knew it was going to be a Very Braid-y Christmas! What a gift we received!
18. Blake Fennig – it’s always Home for the Holidays for our hometown boy, just like our Blake from yesteryear who continues to stay Young! No matter how for you roam, in your time with the North Stars, it will be home sweet home.
19. MacGregor Sinclair – the gift that keeps on giving. Has loaded lots of toys and goodies on his skates and is delivering goals on his sleigh. Santa and MacGregor are magic for fans from one to ninety-two.
20. Brad Girard – you won’t see Keith and Brad kissing under the mistletoe at any time of the night. My word… the visual! Brad may be smaller in stature, but he has a heart bigger than any chestnut roasting on an open fire. When he’s on the ice, it’s the most wonderful time of the game.
21. Owen Lamb – Owen wrote the song, The Twelve Days of Penalty Killing. Owen is our Silent Knight and he’s what we all want for Christmas.
22. Connor Manegre – this guy always manages to jingle their bells. When Connor is ready for one of his patented… and clean hits, the opposition always play this tune in their heads… Do You Hear What I Hear.
24. Tre Doyon – Run Tre Run. Tre’s work ethic on the ice makes it a Blue Christmas for anybody in another uniform. Tre is holly and jolly, but he isn’t the merriest with the opposition.
25. Elijah Loon-Stewardson – Christmas day comes once per year, but our number 25 comes to play each night. We love the song, Feliz Navidad, but with Elijah and the puck, it’s … palease give me dat, palease give me dat…
28. Dakota Huebner – this guy is our Little Drummer Boy. He is our new born King as he came to our club this year and has been royalty on ice. Dakota is one of our finest gifts.
30 Joel Gryzbowski – ‘twas the night before Christmas and all I could see was Joel stopping pucks and putting them under the tree. Gryz and Christmas having something in common – they are both perfect!
And now for the coaches and athletic therapist/trainer…
Brandon Heck – aka Frosty the Snowman… Brandon can be a little frosty when things don’t go so well, but he is now smiling a bit more behind the bench. The job of coaching the Battlefords North Stars with all its elves is a Christmas present in itself!
Boyd Wakelin – I just wanna hear Boyd sing a Christmas song on the public address at the Civic Centre… any tune… really… anything… maybe something from Handel’s Messiah.
Rachelle Matisz – the gift to the players throughout the year. She puts the players back together again. When all those injuries arose, North Battleford had become the Island of Misfit toys. Rachelle made those toys into gems, a pleasure for all us fans to see.
To all our North Star players, have a very merry Christmas! We are all in your corner and are pulling for you as we head towards another championship season. Home is where the heart is. Enjoy your loved ones during the holiday season and look after your bodies during the break… lay off too many treats!
Submitted by Garnet W. Elmer and his vital and vigorous elf, Ashlyn – she’s a keeper!
