Defencemen Dustin Glackin and Will Rathje of the Wilkie Outlaws watch as a shot taken by Jesse Ismond of the Kindersley Sr. Klippers eludes goalie Jared Herle in a game on Jan. 26 at the Co-op Arena. The Outlaws would get bragging rights after winning 4-2 to leapfrog the Sr. Klippers for first in the Sask West Hockey League standings.
Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
The Kindersley Sr. Klippers are on a four-game losing streak after starting the season 15-0. The recent slide has cost the team to fall from first place.
Kindersley played two home games this past weekend and the team lost both games. The Sr. Klippers were booted from first place in the Sask West Hockey League standings after losing to the four-time defending SWHL champion Wilkie Outlaws by a score of 4-2 on Saturday.
The Macklin Mohawks beat Kindersley by a score of 3-2 on Friday night, and it was the team’s second straight loss to Macklin. The Mohawks scored all three of their goals in the second period and while the Sr. Klippers fought back with two goals in the third period, they could not complete the comeback.
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Kindersley led twice in the game on Saturday versus Wilkie. The Sr. Klippers were up 1-0 early in the game and 2-1 at the end of the second period, but the Outlaws scored once late in the second period and twice more in the third period to win the game and to move into first overall.
Wilkie’s second and third goals were scored on the power play and both of Kindersley’s goals came with the man advantage. The Sr. Klippers also had a power play goal on Friday against Macklin, but the Mohawks scored twice on power plays.
Jesse Ismond and Jon Haughn scored for Kindersley in the loss to Macklin, and Ismond and Troy Boisjoli scored the goals in the team’s 4-2 loss to Wilkie. Luke Sproule stopped 18 of 21 shots against Macklin and 42 of 46 shots against Wilkie. The Outlaws return to Kindersley to play on Friday night.
Kindersley (15-3-1) is in second with 31 points – a point behind Wilkie (15-1-2). The Sr. Klippers are guaranteed to finish no worse than second with only one game left in the regular season, but first place could be out of reach.
There is only one scenario that could allow Kindersley to finish first and earn the top seed in the SWHL playoffs. The Sr. Klippers have to beat Wilkie on Friday, and then the Outlaws must lose to the Biggar Nationals on Saturday. If Kindersley wins on Friday, they would own the tiebreaker against the Outlaws.
Coach Matt Glencross, who was not on the bench for Saturday’s game versus Wilkie, said the team showed a lack of discipline in the game and it cost Kindersley the game and first in the standings. He said the guys are disappointed after their most recent results.
He noted that he does not believe the team has played terrible hockey during its four-game losing streak, but the balance has shifted and the bounces are going the other way. Glencross said bounces were going Kindersley’s way early in the season, but the puck luck has shifted at the end of the season.
The coach was on the bench for the Macklin game and he said the team missed on a couple of open nets, and it could have been the difference in the game. Mohawks goalie Nathan Hargrave turned aside 49 shots to earn the win.
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