Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
It took 16 games for a team to beat the Kindersley Sr. Klippers in the 2018-19 season – now they’ve lost two consecutive games since the streak was snapped.
The team suffered its first loss of the season 5-3 to the Macklin Mohawks back on Jan. 13 in Macklin. The Sr. Klippers only played once this past weekend and it ended up being a 6-5 loss to the Nationals on Jan. 18 in Biggar. The game was decided by a shootout.
Kindersley was scheduled to host the Wilkie Outlaws on Jan. 19 but the game was postponed due to a snowstorm. Wilkie is the only team in a position to overtake Kindersley for the top spot in the Sask West Hockey League standings.
[emember_protected for=”2″ custom_msg=’For more on this story, please see this week’s print edition of The Clarion.’]
The Sr. Klippers are in first overall with a record of 15-1-1 and 31 points. The Outlaws are in second with a record of 12-1-2 and 26 points, so they are five points behind Kindersley with two games in hand. Wilkie still has to battle the Sr. Klippers twice, and both games will be played in Kindersley at the Co-op Arena.
Kindersley had a 2-1 lead in Biggar after the first period. The Nationals opened the scoring on the power play less than five minutes into the game, but goals by Jesse Ismond and Troy Boisjoli had the visitors in front after 20 minutes. Boisjoli’s goal came on a power play.
The teams traded goals in the first 15 minutes of the second period, but Biggar scorched the Sr. Klippers with three goals in the final five minutes of the period. The three late goals included a power play goal and a shorthanded goal.
Kindersley rallied with two goals in the third period to send the game to overtime. Neither team could score during the 3-on-3 overtime, so the game went to a shootout and Biggar ended up getting the win. Johnny Calkins scored for Kindersley in the second period, and both Boisjoli and Ismond scored for a second time in the third period to tie the game.
The Sr. Klippers recorded 45 shots in the game compared to only 26 shots for the Nationals, but the home team still got the win. Luke Sproule stopped 21 of 26 shots for Kindersley, but Connor Kidd managed a 40-save performance for Biggar.
Three of Biggar’s five goals were scored on special teams. The Nationals went 2-for-5 on the power play and they added the shorthanded goal. Coach Matt Glencross said the special teams were not great for Kindersley, but a lack of effort in the second period was the team’s biggest let down in Biggar.
“You can’t take a night off,” he said, recognizing that the team gave up four goals in the disappointing second period. “Any team can beat anyone in this league and when you go in and don’t play a full 60 minutes, you’re going to be in tough.”
Glencross said the team fought back in the third to tie the game and salvage a point, but he believes the team was fortunate to get the point on a night when it did not play its best. Still, he said the point is big for the Sr. Klippers because there is a close race shaping up with Wilkie for first place.
[/emember_protected]
