Hometown product Justen Close has had a solid season in net for the Klippers.

Kevin McBain
of The Clarion

The Kindersley Klippers had a light schedule this week with just one game on tap.

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team was in Melfort on Friday to take on the league-leading Mustangs and came up just short, losing 3-2.

The teams exchanged first-period goals, with Jordan Funk scoring for the Klippers at the 11:25 mark.

In the second, it was the same story, with Melfort taking a 2-1 lead with a goal on the power play, before Wil Van der Sloot found the back of the net at 11:44.

The Mustangs would add the eventual game winner at the 19:11 mark of the period, again on the power play.

There was no scoring in the third period.

The Klippers were outshot 43-30, including a 21-12 disparity in the opening period. Justen Close was in net for the Klippers.

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The Mustangs were two-for-five on the power play, while the Klippers were shut out in four opportunities.

The loss drops the Klippers to 10-7-2-1 on the season and they remain in last place in the very competitive Olympic Division.

Close, who has been phenomenal for the club this year, said that things are going well and that the team has to stay positive and continue to work hard.

“We’re off to a pretty good start. If we control the style of play in the game and play within the system, we always have a chance,” he said. “We made a pretty good push in the end, but sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. Hopefully we can pick ups some wins in the upcoming games.”

He said he wants to continue to improve his game.

“I make sure I put my best forward every day, work hard in practice and prepare well for games,” he said.

The hometown product has played 907 minutes so far this season, and has a 2.78 GAA and a .926 save percentage.

The Klippers were scheduled to be in the Battlefords on Tuesday night and will host Notre Dame on Saturday for their first meeting of the season.

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