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When the new Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season began following a late coaching replacement in August, the Battlefords North Stars weren #39;t exactly shooting for the stars in terms of goals and expectations.Yet, those same Stars are enjoying some lofty heights in the Bauer Conference standings.Indeed, they entered SJHL action Tuesday night, at home against the reigning SJHL champion La Ro football free games nge Ice Wolves, with an impressive, albeit surprising, 1140-1 record. Under new head coach Kevin Hasselberg, the Stars began the new season with an open mind and a clean slate.-It #39;s not something we talked about or pushed for, or anything like that,- Hasselberg said Tuesday of his team #39;s first-place status, just ahead of the slumping Nipawin Hawks.-It #39;s kind of the results of the football free games work we #39;ve put in. Our thought process right now is just to continue to get better each day and that has kind of been our goal since Day 1 that we #39;re going to continue to build on that philosophy, to do things better than they #39;ve ever been done before.-It #39;s been a team effort, stresses Hasselberg.-We #39;re getting contributions from everybody,- he stressed. -It #39;s a different p football free games layer every single day, whether it #39;s solid goaltending or team defence or getting offence from all four lines. Everybody #39;s contributing to the team #39;s success each day. We #39;ve been very fortunate for that and we haven #39;t made a lot of roster changes to our hockey team. We #39;ve just stayed the course; we haven #39;t changed a lot.-One roster change that was done was reducing the football free games goaltenders to two from three with the departure of Jared Knott.-You don #39;t want to put anybody in that situation (three goalie rotation),- offered Hasselberg. -We were fortunate that all three goalies were playing well while we had them, so our decision was a very difficult one but we felt we got the right two goaltenders (Graham Hildebrand and Connor Creech) in our mix and they #39;ve both pr football free games oven that up until this point.-Other than that, this Star team is currently status quo.-If the opportunity comes to improve our hockey team, we will, but I don #39;t think, at this point of time, we #39;re looking for it,- said Hasselberg. -If something falls on our lap and it #39;s something we can #39;t turn away, then obviously we won #39;t do that, but we #39;re quite happy with what we #39;ve football free games got on paper right now and going forward with it.-The Stars are relying on their veterans, the likes of Blake Tatchell, Brett Miller, Travis Sparrow, Brody Luhning, Tanner Schwab, Boyd Wakelin, Tim Rollins and Zach McLellan.-We #39;re getting offensive leadership from Blake and he #39;s scoring at big times or providing offence, whether it #39;s him or his linemates - Braeden Johnson has done the football free games same,- Hasselberg said of Tatchell, who #39;s playing on a line with the former Saskatoon Blade prospect Johnson and Rollins.-We #39;re getting defensive leadership from our captain, Travis Sparrow, who was named defenceman of the week (last week). (This week) our goalie, Graham Hildebrand, was named goalie of the week, so he #39;s been a solid leader as well.-Fellow goalie Creech leads the SJHL football free games with a2.04 goals-against average and 92.7 save percentage.All in all, it #39;s been a good start for the Stars and a notso-good start for the 2012 Royal Bank Cup host Humboldt Broncos, who have been languishing near the bottom of the Bauer standings, yet to figure things out. For now-You know they will,- promised Hasselberg. -It #39;s kind of a given. Those teams that are front-loaded and have an football free games opportunity to build their roster, they #39;ll get better.-SJHL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK The SJHL player of the week is Jesse Ross, of the Weyburn Red Wings, who had five goals and one assist in three wins last week. David Haaf of the Kindersley Klippers is the SJHL D-man of the week after erupting for two goals and three assists in three games.Hildebrand, from the North Stars, won both of his starts l football free games ast week, including a shutout while posting a miniscule 0.50 GAA and lofty 98.3 save percentage.BREAKAWAYS: The Nipawin Hawks cleared up their goaltending situation, dealing 1993 G Stephen Klein (Saskatoon) to Alberta #39;s Drayton Valley Thunder for futures. The Hawks settled on a pair of 1992 #39;s, Taran Kozun, who was recently re-assigned by the WHL #39;s Kamloops Blazers, and St. Albert #39;s football free games Davis Jonesdzary@thestarphoenix.com Play Fantasy Hockey, now with Pro Leagues! Updated 2 hours, 12 minutes ago football free games
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