North Stars in Review
The Battlefords North Stars recently completed their season after being ousted by the Kindersley Klippers. The Notre Dame Hounds then proceeded to down the Klippers in six games and will now meet the Melfort Mustangs in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League final. At the end of the regular season, it could be argued the Hounds and Mustangs were the superior teams in the circuit and are deserving of their finalist roles.
It is next year country for our North Stars. After a promising start to the season, they never fully reached their potential. In the end, a poor home record and inconsistent play led to their place in the middle of the overall standings. After a tough series with the Estevan Bruins, the Stars had to compete in their first game with Kindersley the very next night which, to say the least, was scheduling at its worst. The Klippers trounced the Stars in that first game and our local team was never able to recover. A multitude of injuries throughout the year left them with nothing left in the tank. There appeared to be not enough leaders to lift them over the next hurdle. However, they battled, but it just wasn’t enough.
The players had their unique characteristics. Here is a few observations:
#1 Spencer Tremblay (G): In his final year of eligibility, he battled hard every night. On many nights, he should be credited for keeping this offensive-challenged team competitive.
#2 Connor Sych: In his first year of Junior ‘A’ hockey, played the difficult position of defense as well as any rookie. A tremendous future ahead if he decides to become a student of the game.
#4 Michael Statchuk: We say goodbye to our puck rushing defenseman who became our Captain later in the year. He could drive you crazy with the odd giveaway, but you knew he had the heart of a lion.
#5 Brock Weston: This young man impressed with his dedication and good puck presence. He has a bright future as his defensive play became more solid as the year wore on. It is regrettable that we did not see him on the ice until early in 2015.
#6 Kendall Fransoo: Needs to curtail his temper, but he was a solid and dependable defenseman. We need him on the ice. But, he has the skill set and determination to prolong his hockey career.
#7 Jake Calverley: In my mind, he has the makings of being a stalwart on defense. He is tough and sticks up for his teammates. Jake could be a vital cog if he sticks around to play next year.
#8 Connor Vermeulen: You could just tell that he loved having the puck. With another year under his belt, he could be the ‘go to’ guy on the power play.
#10 Baxter Kanter: Loved watching this player. As with Kendall, he will need to continue to play it physical, but will need to learn to play within the rules and not place the team at man disadvantages. You could always count on Baxter playing hard every shift, which is vital to the spark of any Junior ‘A’ hockey club.
#11 Nick Fountain: A leader who produced more offensively than we could have hoped. He was the backbone of the team and led by example. Nick battled every night. Singled out by the officials on some nights, he continued to play hard and produce. He will be missed.
#12 Logan Nachtaegle: Has the makings of a terrific power forward. He will be depended on for more goal-scoring next year if he dedicates himself to the game.
#14 Ben Greenaway: Yes, I know Ben graduated last year. We really needed a player with his leadership and competitiveness this past year.
#16 Jake Erickson: Admittedly, my favourite player this year who exhibited shut down defensive play and a knack for picking his spots when rushing with the puck. Good luck to Jake in furthering his academics and hockey career.
#17 Bryce Hall: We watched his brother, Kyle, play with the North Stars. In my mind, Bryce may surpass his brother’s success if he continues to foster his skills and bulks up as he gets older. He could be a real crowd favourite as he progresses with the club.
#18 Brenden Heinrich: Loved to watch this guy skate. A fabulous defensive forward who could take over in the offensive zone as a forechecker. A privilege to watch him play.
#20 Reed Delainey: It was unfortunate that his year was cut short with injuries. He has a University scholarship to look forward to in a few years. Hopefully, he comes back next year and becomes the leader the club needs him to be. His goal scoring ability will be needed.
#21 Otto Mitchell: His face-off skills were valued by the club. Smooth skater who will need to become more involved offensively if he wants to round out his impressive game.
#22 Jordan Townsend: Had a good rookie year. This young import has the ability to become a good offensive player if he continues to play a team game and use the natural skills he possesses.
#23 Brady O’Sullivan: A smart hockey player who is a dependable two-way player. It was good to see him become more physical near the end of the year.
#24 Jake McMillen: When Jake was going, usually the team was going. Needs to perform consistently every night. That being said, he has the talent to be successful.
#25 Igor Leonenko: This year, we saw it in the eyes of Igor that he wanted to play well. He missed the first half of the year which was extremely unfortunate. Igor became more aware of his teammates and was a playmaker this year. Hopefully, he will remain with the club for another year to show that he can blossom into the player we all believe he can be.
#29 Matthew Havens: What an offensive talent. He needs to learn that carrying the puck with no end result does not translate into success. However, during the last part of the year, Matthew was arguably the most improved player on the team and showed his leadership skills. His ability to be a physical player showed that he cared, and you need that on any successful hockey team.
#30 Ryan Rewerts: With a year under his belt, hopefully he can progress into the number one spot next year. Showed flashes of brilliance and with a good off-season of solid training and dedication to fitness, he may be the answer as a solid puck stopper the club requires on a nightly basis. Any successful Junior ‘A’ hockey club needs to have solid goaltending night in and night out.
Coach Kevin Hasselberg: He can be hard on his players, but you know that he cares about them. There is the pressure of having to put a successful product on the ice so that people fill the stands. He should be proud of the players that move on and become successful scholastically and in their communities. That being said, to promote the financial viability of the club, we need to become a more dependable club at home. Hopefully, that will put more people in the seats. It is good to know, that we have stability at the GM/Head Coach level. We always know we will be competitive. Let’s hope we can take the next step in 2015-16 and bring home a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League championship.
Assistant Coach Braeden Johnson: Intense! A valuable addition to the staff. He played with the club and the players know that. Hopefully, they will gain from his experience.
Thank you, North Stars. Thank you for your dedication and for showing us what a team is made of when things got tough late in the season with all the injuries to key personnel.
Go Stars Go!
