By Gary Moskalyk
22 Games 11-8-3 Points 25 WPct .568
5th place, 3 points back of 4th, 4 games in hand with Red Lake (28 points) and Sioux Lookout (30 points)
GF 84 GA 72 +12
GFPG 3.82 GAPG 3.27 +0.55 goals per game differential
Penalty minutes 22.5 per game
PP% 17.2 PK% 87.3 Shorthanded GF 3, Shorthanded GA 1 Shutouts 1
TOP SCORERS GP G-A-PTS
Edison Weeks (22 GP, 14G-10A-24 PTS), Dylan Winsor (22 GP, 8G-14A-22 PTS), Noah Broughton (18 GP, 7G-10A-17 PTS), Dimitri Trahiotis (17 GP, 9G-6A-15 PTS), Carter Anton Rookie Defence (22GP, 0G-13A-13 PTS), Colby Feist (10 GP, 6G-6A-12 PTS), Matt Halushak Defence (19 GP, 6G-6A-12 PTS), Jake Parker Rookie (10 GP, 3G-8A-11 PTS), EJ Paddington Rookie (20 GP, 3G-8A-11 PTS).
GOALIES GP W-L-T GAA SV% Shutouts Minutes)
Conner Lemieux (12 GP, 6-4-2, 3.07, .917, SO 1, 704)
Keenan Marks (8 GP, 5-1-1, 2.16, .942, SO 0, 445)
The North Stars have been flying under the radar. They’ve played only 22 games, forfeited an 8-1 win for using an ineligible player in their very first game, and some key pieces have been missing all year long.
One of them is back. Forward Mason Wesley has three mid-December games played. He collected three helpers. William Demkiw and Zack Davis are waiting in the wings. Jamie Fuchs and RJ Dickie should be back sooner rather than later.
“I think we’re excited,” said Robbie DeGagne, assistant head coach turned head coach while dad (Rob) recovered from a brief illness. “I think we’ve got a really talented team. We’ve got a lot of character in the room, and we’ve got a lot of grit and toughness. We’re excited for the second half, especially with some of these injuries coming back. Big time players, especially Demkiw and Davis. Huge having Mason Wesley back.”
Fuchs, Jake Parker and Colby Feist have infused a lot of offence in their half-season stint. Feist has 12 points in 10 games, Parker has 11 in 10 games, and Fuchs has nine in eight games. Approximately 20 players in the league average a point a game. Stars’ leading scorer Edison Weeks (14-10-24) and Dylan Winsor (22 points) are two of them.
“We had a decent start to the season. I don’t think there’s anything we’d go back and change. I don’t think we’ve done bad by any means,” said DeGagne.
Goaltending has been a plus. Conner Lemieux has six wins and solid numbers. Keenan Marks is 35 minutes short of having the best GAA and SV% in the league.
“Marks is a gamer. He came through the Kings organization. He’s used to playing in those high pressure situations,” said goalie coach Mike Evanyk.
“We’re happy to have both of those guys. In a lot of ways they push each other,” said DeGagne.
The Stars kick off the 2023 portion of the schedule with three away games, an instant test. On January 5th it’s a one-off against Red Lake, and then two versus Dryden–three in three days.