It is Semi-Final Saturday at the 2023 Centennial Cup and the Battlefords North Stars will return to the ice after three days off as they do battle with the Portage Terriers.
The Battlefords North Stars last played Tuesday night when they knocked off the Steinbach Pistons 3-1 in their final round robin game to finish with a record of 3-1 and thanks to the Portage Terriers and their win over the Collingwood Blues, it was the Stars earning the Bye straight to the semi-final.
Portage earned their spot in the Semi-Final thanks to a gutsy 2-1 win over the Yarmouth Mariners Friday night in the Quarter-Finals. The Terriers scoring both of their goals on the power-play.
These two teams met on Monday. A fast paced game that saw both teams wheel up and down the ice and earn a plethora of scoring opportunities, but both goaltenders playing superb, making critical saves at critical times.
The difference in that hockey game was the power-play for the Battlefords North Stars as they found the back of the net twice on the man advantage.
On the other side of the special team battle, the North Stars penalty kill has also been superb in the 2023 National Championship as well, as they have yet to allow a power-play goal against in the tournament.
Puck drop between the Terriers and Stars is at 6:30pm (Sask) and you can catch the game on the Hockey Canada website, or you can follow along on with live updates throughout the game on the SJHL’s social media.
The winner of Saturday night’s Semi-Final will move on to face the winner of the Semi-Final between the Brooks Bandits and Ottawa Jr. Senators, which is set for 2:30pm (Sask).