NORTH BATTLEFORD - The Battlefords North Stars host the La Ronge Ice Wolves on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Access Communications Centre.
The game is part of the Ice Wolves’ current western road swing. On Friday night the Ice Wolves are in Kindersley, taking on the Klippers.
For the North Stars, they come into Saturday’s game on a high note after winning in Melfort on Wednesday night 4-1. It was a much-needed rebound win for the North Stars after dropping two weekend games to Humboldt, losing 3-2 at home last Friday and then 6-4 to Humboldt on Saturday.
The North Stars enter this weekend looking to hold onto first place in the tight Global Ag Tech Solutions division race. Through ten games, they have a record of 6-3-1 for 13 points, one ahead of Humboldt who are second at 6-3.
For La Ronge, they are trying to turn their season around. They are currently running last in the Sherwood division with a 3-6 record. They are also coming off weekend back to back losses to the division-leading Mustangs, losing 6-2 last Friday and 2-0 on Saturday.
Against Melfort on Wednesday night, the North Stars took a quick 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Steven Kesslering and Easton Rask.
Seth McCulloch cut it to 2-1 through two. But North Stars’ third period goals by Colby Bear and finally by Jake Â鶹ÊÓƵgate into an empty net erased all doubt for a 4-1 final score.
Â鶹ÊÓƵgate’s empty netter has catapulted him into the top five of SJHL scorers so far this season, with six goals and seven assists. So far it is Humboldt’s Connor McGrath who leads the scoring race with five goals and 12 assists.
