The Weyburn Red Wings will be taking to the ice Friday night against the Battleford North Stars as they open the SJHL quarterfinals. The Wings are coming off a 2-1 wildcard series win over the Melville Millionaires, with the series wrapping up Wednesday night in overtime. As for the Battlefords, they have enjoyed a few days off, while waiting to see who their opponent would be.

This is the second year in a row the North Stars and Red Wings have met in the quarterfinals. Last year, it was a sweep for the Battlefords, as they took on a Red Wings team which was relying on third and fourth string goaltenders to get the job done. This year, the Wings don’t have the issue.

Coming into the series, Arik Weersink has been playing phenomenal hockey. He allowed just five goals over the three games against the Millionaires and recorded a shutout in game two. His GAA of 1.55 was the best of all four goalies in the wildcard round as well.

The Battlefords will be relying on Taryn Kotchorek for the most part. Kotchorek had some success against Weyburn this year, allowing just two goals in three games. His overall numbers, though, were comparable to Weersink’s, who finished the year as the Goalie of the Year in the Viterra Division.

One can’t mention the North Stars without making mention of Layne Young. The league’s player of the year, MVP, and top scorer, he eclipsed the 100 point mark this year and was a dynamic player to watch all season. His linemate MacGregor Sinclair benefited from having him there as well, as he reached career bests.

The Red Wings have the top rookie of the year, Cade Kowalski, along with what many consider to be the most improved player of the year in the SJHL, Ben Hiltz, who has been lighting it up all season as a sophomore. Weyburn also has two of the most talented offensive defensemen in the league in Erik Olson and Mike Eskra.

The Red Wings had one of the top power plays in the SJHL this past season, and it showed during their series with Melville, as they finished the series with two goals in nine chances. During the regular season, they put up similar numbers, with a conversion rate of 22 percent. The North Stars, on the other hand, had a mediocre power play, particularly in the latter half of the season. They were converting with the man advantage just 17 percent of the time.

When shorthanded, though, the North Stars are amongst the top in the league, allowing just 41 power play goals all season, and scoring 10 shorthanded goals. The Wings ended the regular season with a penalty kill of 79 percent, but made strides against Melville, allowing just one power-play marker.

The series will open in North Battleford Friday night, and the second game of the series will be Saturday. Games three and four will be back in Weyburn on Tuesday and Wednesday. Game five, if necessary will be in North Battleford next Friday, game six back in Weyburn next Sunday, and game seven in the Battlefords on the following Tuesday.

All of the games can be heard live on Red Wing Radio, K106. The games will all start at 7:30 p.m. and the broadcasts begin with the pregame show at 7:20 p.m.