With North Stars down 3-0 to Bruins, it’s all about belief

It can be done, especially in junior.

“Inside the room, we just believe,” North Stars captain Layne Young said on Tuesday morning during an optional morning skate. “We know we can do it. We know it’s definitely possible. It’s there if we really want it. We just have to believe. We can’t think we’re out of it. If we do that, then we are out of it.”

The North Stars were close in games one and three, losing 5-3 and 5-2 with an empty-netter, but ‘close’ isn’t good enough.

Head coach Brandon Heck insisted on Tuesday his team hasn’t played anywhere near their best yet, saying Monday’s performance, where they outshot the Bruins 38-37, was ‘very average.’

“Not even close to our potential,” he said. “We want to win this next one and then we’ll look at game five. We believe we’re capable of winning a game at any time, against anyone. We just need to bring it that night and that’s what we intend to do.

“We ran hot when we didn’t have full lineup from Novemeber to the trade deadline. We haven’t given ourselves a chance… It would be easier to accept if we played some of our better games.”

Game four is set for Tuesday, which will be the fourth game in five nights.

The Bruins have outscored the North Stars 17-7 in the three games, however the North Stars have had a marginal advantage in shots on goal in the series, edging Estevan so far 102-93.

Estevan netminder Bo Didur has been a big difference-maker in the series with 95 saves on 102 shots, for a .931 save percentage. The good news is the North Stars have got at least two pucks past him in each game, so it’s not like he’s completely shutting the door.

“We’ve got to get bodies to the net. We’ve got to make his life harder than we have the first few games,” Young said. “There’s been a lot of times where he’s seen a lot of shots and he can’t be seeing them.”

A good way to start on Tuesday will be scoring first.

The Bruins have struck first in each and every game.

In fact, the North Stars have not had the lead at any point in this series, not even for a minute. They’ve been tied for just over 23 minutes of the 180 played so far, but they’ve been playing catch up for the remaining 156 minutes and change.

“We need that first goal and not playing from behind,” Heck said. “Our mindset needs to change from we want to play desperate but we want to play the right desperate. Not trying to force things and cheat our way to goals. Play the right way and the goals will come. We’ve got to believe that.”

Young added the team is trying to keep things loose, despite the situation.

“Obviously it’s tough when you’re down 3-0 but we’re trying to stay light,” he said. “Just go out and play your game. We can’t play nervous. Just do what we do best and that’s being hard and physical on teams and getting pucks to the net.”

Puck drop for game four is 7:30 p.m. at Affinity Place in Estevan. NorSask North Stars hockey begins at 7 p.m. with the Ultra Print pre-game show on CJNB/CJNS. If the North Stars do force a game five, that will go Thursday at the Civic Centre.

nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @NathanKanter11

by Nathan Kanter

With North Stars down 3-0 to Bruins, it’s all about belief

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