NORTH BATTLEFORD - It's been a much longer wait than usual, but the Battlefords North Stars were back on the ice this past weekend.
It was their annual fall camp held Aug. 27 to 29, featuring the top hopefuls looking to crack the North Stars lineup for this upcoming SJHL season.
The weekend culminated Sunday with the Black vs White game featuring the top 40 prospects from this year's camp. While the game was a showcase for top players to show their stuff, a number of veterans were scratched from the lineup such as Ryland McNinch, Dylan Esau, Jake Southgate, Steven Kesslering and newcomer Holden Doell.
In the end the Black team beat the White team 7-3, in front of an enthusiastic number of fans in attendance at the newly renamed and repainted Access Communications Centre.
It was a welcome return of hockey to the venue after losing almost the entire 2020-21 season to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The North Stars had only managed to get three regular season games in before the season was suspended and ultimately wiped out.
The North Stars also conducted their Hockey School over the past two weeks. The hockey schools ran from Aug. 16-20 and Aug. 23-27, and provided an opportunity for young hockey players to hone their skills directly from the North Stars' coaches and players.
In addition to the return of North Stars' activities, the "ACC" also hosted Battlefords AAA Stars hockey. The Stars beat Warman 3-2 in overtime last Wednesday to kick off the preseason at home; the game marked the return of competitive hockey to the Battlefords for the first time since last fall's shutdown.
As for the North Stars, their preseason schedule is just around the corner. It begins on Labour Day Monday on the road against the Kindersley Klippers, followed by a rematch with the Klippers on Wednesday at Access Communications Centre. Game time on Sept. 8 is 7:30 p.m. that night. The regular season itself begins Sept. 24 at home to Kindersley.
