Home ice advantage through the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs belongs to the Battlefords North Stars.
Thanks to a 2-1 win on the road over the Melfort Mustangs Friday, the North Stars clinched first place in the SJHL standings for the second straight season.
For North Stars general manager and head coach Nate Bedford, the key now for the team is to make sure their playing well heading into the post-season so that they can avenge their loss in last year’s semifinal to the Flin Flon Bombers.
“It’s going to be hard to stay motivated here during the last six games of the regular season, so I’m curious to see how dedicated we’ll be in playing in all three zones and what our character will be like,” Bedford said.
“It’s the little things like blocking shots and being physical that wins you games in the playoffs and I’m interested to see if we do that over the next few games.”
The last team to win back-to-back regular season titles in the SJHL were the Humboldt Broncos in 2012 and 2013.
The Broncos actually finished in a tie with the Yorkton Terriers in 2013 with 76 points, but won the tiebreaker with a 3-1 record in head-to-head matchups.
When it came to the playoffs, the Broncos won it all in 2012 but were defeated in the finals by the Terriers in the following campaign.
The Terriers would win the regular season crown outright a year later during their successful run to the 2014 Royal Bank Cup.
Friday night’s game in Melfort saw the North Stars fall behind 1-0 in the first period, despite holding an 11-4 advantage in the shot department.
“I’m not sure if it was bus legs or a bit of complacency that played into it, but it took us 20 minutes to get going,” Bedford said. “We weren’t moving the puck and we weren’t making the easy plays, and that catches up with you after awhile.
“In the second period, we did a much better job of moving the puck into their zone and everyone was getting involved in the plays.”
Jared Blaquiere and Connor Logan each had a goal and an assist in the victory while Taryn Kotchorek made 15 saves.
Reed Gunville had the only goal of the night for the Mustangs, who have a 20-26-2-4 record and hold an eight-point advantage over the Melville Millionaires for the 10th and final playoff spot in the SJHL.
The Millionaires, who lost 5-0 to the Notre Dame Hounds Friday, have two games in hand on the Mustangs.
Evan Plotnik was stellar in between the pipes for the home team as he made 41 saves.
Next up for the North Stars, who have won six straight games and have a 43-8-1-0 record, is a 7:30 p.m. home contest with the Broncos Saturday at the Civic Centre.
The Broncos have a 27-23-0-1 mark and are only two points ahead of the Terriers in a tight battle for the fifth seed in the post-season.
Heading into Saturday’s slate of games, only five points separate fifth through ninth in the league standings as the Broncos, Terriers, Hounds, Weyburn Red Wings and Kindersley Klippers all look to avoid playing in the Survivor Series.
