By Gary Moskalyk
28 Games 16-9-3 Points 35 Pct .625 Streak 1-0-0 L10 3-5-2
5th place.
Goals for 106. Goals against 92. Goal differential +14
Goals for per game 3.79. Goals against per game 3.29.
Penalty minutes per game 16.5.
Powerplay 15.9%. Penalty kill 83.7%. Shorthanded GF 3. Shorthanded GA 3. Shutouts 2.
TOP SCORERS GP G-A-PTS *-rookie
EJ Paddington (28 GP, 17G-25A-42 PTS), *Easton Mikus (28 GP, 19G-21A-40 PTS), Edison Weeks (28 GP, 12G-26A-38 PTS), Tyler Jordan (23 GP, 14G-10A-24 PTS), Dimitri Trahiotis (27GP, 4G-15A-19 PTS), Drew Caddo D (24 GP, 4G-13A-17 PTS), *Cohen Tangedal (27 GP, 6G-10A-16 PTS), Connor O’Brien D (28 GP, 4G-11A-15 PTS), Beau Helmeczi (19 GP, 5G-7A-12 PTS).
GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts Minutes)
Keenan Marks (19 GP, 12-6-1, 3.08, .912, SO 1, 1,072)
Ethan Barron (12 GP, 4-3-2, 3.14, .895, SO 1, 611)
Hot Stove with North Stars head coach Rob DeGagne
“You can say we’re 3-5-2 in our last 10, but everybody forgets we had 15 in a row or 14 in a row without losing (in regulation) right? It’s going to catch up sooner or later,” said DeGagne. “One thing about it is, there’s a lot of parity in the league. Everybody is pretty close. We felt against the Walleye this year we were almost .500, so that’s where we want to be since they are the first place team.”
The 15-game point streak including three straight home wins against Sioux Lookout.
“We’ve played well against Sioux Lookout, this year. So far we’ve beat them every time at home, but they beat us there. We have to be better on the road. We’re not good enough on the road. We have to learn how to win on the road a little bit more. Our focus after the break is not only to play well at home but to play well on the road and play with that same intensity as we do at home.”
The North Stars are 10-4-1 at the Gardens, and 6-5-2 on the road.
Delving back into the 15-game ride, DeGagne offered the inside scoop on the amazing streak.
“A lot of that is you get on a roll, you get confidence. You play loose. It’s just the opposite of these last 10 games. You’re not playing loose, you’re not playing with confidence. Things are fragile. You have to nurture the guys when they need it, and when they’re rolling you got to ride it, keep them on that same mindset. They played loose, they were hungry on pucks, they battled. They were having fun. Sometimes you work hard, you don’t get the puck luck that you had prior, it’s just not the same.
“For the most part, before Christmas, we were competitive in almost every hockey game we played other than two or three. I’m very happy about that. There are a lot of good teams.”
The Stars have the league’s top point producing line in EJ Paddington, rookie Easton Mikus, and captain Edison Weeks. Tyler Jordan has 14 goals in 23 contests. Keenan Marks and Ethan Barron have been solid between the pipes. Drew Caddo and Connor O’Brien provide some punch from the blue-line.
The injury situation includes some key players.
“Tristen Bear should be back first part of the new year. We only had him for two periods before he got hurt. (Former Kenora forward first played Dec. 1st) Sammy Skillestad probably needed a good rest, which he’s getting. Anton broke his foot. He missed five or six games. We’ll be getting him back. He’ll be healthy. By the 10th, 15th of January we’ll be all ready to go.”
The Stars have 21 games left before the playoffs start.
“I’m looking forward to the second half of the season,” said DeGagne, who saw his team fall short in game-seven of the SIJHL finals against Kam River last year. The Stars also overcame a three-games-to-one deficit against Dryden to get to the finals. “Before you know it we’ll be in the playoffs. We’ll see if we can get to the Centennial Cup. It’s wide open again this year. There’s probably five teams that have a realistic chance. You can add Red lake in there. We’ll see who can put it all together when they need to.”
Thunder Bay travels to Fort Frances for the first time this year on January 5th for a two-game set. They’re 2-0-0 against the Lakers so far this year.