At the beginning of the fall and throughout a memorable 2022-23 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season, the Battlefords North Stars have had two goals in mind.
Those being winning a third SJHL title and claiming the Centennial Cup.
So far, the North Stars are 1-for-1 in that journey and starting this week will set their sights on the one trophy that has eluded the program for decades.
Ranked second in the country and only losing in regulation five times in the SJHL regular season, the North Stars enter the tournament in Portage la Prairie, Man., as one of the favourites to win the Canadian Junior ‘A’ championship amongst the other league champions represented.
“You see the best of the best and that’s the one exciting thing about it,” said North Stars head coach and general manager Brayden Klimosko.
“You don’t know how many more opportunities you’re ever going to get at this. So, you try to take advantage as best you can, you get prepared as best you can and you make sure that you’re doing whatever you can to win it in the end.”
Battlefords was as dominant during the SJHL playoffs as they were in the regular season, going a perfect 12-0 after losing their opening game of the first round to the Weyburn Red Wings.
A big part of that equation has been the play of starting netminder Josh Kotai, who most recently has been nominated for Canadian Junior Hockey League goaltender of the year.
Kotai has had a post-season for the ages with a 12-1 record while posting a goals against average of 1.72 and a .945 save percentage, stopping 392 of 415 shots that he’s faced to this point.
“The hard work started from the off-season and into the whole season just keeping that going,” said Kotai. “Once you have that train rolling, it’s easy to keep that going.”
Seeing his goaltender record three shutouts already these playoffs, Klimosko added the consistency shown all season long from Kotai will be key with Battlefords playing in four round-robin games over a six-day stretch.
“In a one-game, winner-take-all type of tournament, you got one of the best back there,” said Klimosko. “If not, the best in all of Canada.”
Battlefords will be tested by Canada’s best Junior ‘A’ franchises over the course of the tournament, looking to unseat the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits who have won back-to-back national championships.
If the North Stars would wind up as Canadian champions, they would bring home the first national title since the formation of the franchise in the early 1970s.
Klimosko believes his group has the talent and pedigree to rise to the occasion however, with the goal of making history in Portage.
“That would solidify a team that I think is the best in our history to be honest,” said Klimosko. “I think overall it’s been a special year and to top that off would be icing on the cake.”
The North Stars kick off the 2023 Centennial Cup on Thursday morning, as they open the tournament against the Superior International Junior Hockey League champion Kam River Fighting Walleye out of Ontario.
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