The Battlefords North Stars look to avoid their sixth consecutive loss tonight when they head to Warman to take on the Wolverines.
Tonight’s game follows an 8-4 loss in Warman on Saturday, when the North Stars allowed seven goals in the second period.
“Just five minutes of breakdown. You look at the game and that’s sort of been the case for us all through the year. We played lots of stretches of good hockey in each game,” said North Stars head coach Connor Logan.
“You got to be striving for 50-plus minutes of good hockey and 60 minutes of mentally invested hockey.”
“For us, it’s making sure that we’re mentally sharp enough to contain those storms and lean on each other and bring a brand of hockey that allows you to get through some of those tough moments and get back to your game quickly.”
In their last game, the North Stars scored on the power play for the first time since Sept. 19, ending an 0-for-22 drought. Logan hopes the breakthrough will provide a confidence boost as the team works toward greater consistency in all aspects of its game.
“At certain points throughout the first nine games, we’ve been elite in all three areas, never at the same time. So I think if we could put it all together, it’s going to start working for us,” Logan said of the power play, penalty kill and five-on-five play.
The North Stars have lost five straight games, while the Wolverines have won three in a row.
Chase Kettles will start in goal for the North Stars after stopping 10 of 12 shots in relief in their last game.
Michiel Leenders leads the North Stars in scoring with three goals and five assists for eight points in nine games.
Trey Markus is the Wolverines’ top scorer with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 12 games, one point shy of the league lead.
The Ultra Print pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by NAPA Auto Parts North Stars hockey at 7 p.m. on CJNB and CJNS.
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