Klippers battle way through SJHL Showcase week
By Jordan Parker
The three-day Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League showcase proved chock-full of learning lessons for the Kindersley Klippers.
Last weekend – prior to the showcase – the Klippers succumbed to a 5-1 trouncing by the Humboldt Broncos but bounced back in resilient fashion 5-2 against the Melville Millionaires.
The Klippers split their games Tuesday and Wednesday, between the October 4-6 Showcase week, downing Flin Flon 2-1, and falling to the La Ronge Ice Wolves in a tough 5-3 decision.
“The weekend saw us go a bit AWOL and play on our heels. We got the result we deserved against Humboldt, but Sunday was different. We had a better start, but we got those two points,” said Assistant Coach Mitch Topinka.
“Our team needs to come out strong. Everyone can beat everyone in this league, but if the guys go down two-or-three goals, and we aren’t ready to play, we can lose. We need to go right off the hop.”
As the team pushes along through the season, the Klippers still can’t seem to stay out of the penalty box. The trend continued through the SJHL Showcase, which happened in Warman, SK, and saw 200 scouts attending from the NHL, CIS and NCAA.
On Saturday versus the Broncos alone – in a game where the two teams incurred a combined 149 penalty minutes – the Klippers themselves saw Austin Lamotte, Aidan Bangs, Brendan Lee, Mark Snarr, and Cash Arnsten all receive 10-minute misconducts.
Sunday saw Ethan King get another misconduct. In the first period of Wednesday’s final night showcase against La Ronge, Matthew Mazzocchi received 15 minutes in penalties for a 10-minute game misconduct and a check from behind.
“You get on the kill, and you maybe kill it off, but we are constantly going on the penalty kill. We keep losing momentum, and eventually, pucks go in the net. The guys are starting to realize it’s draining,” he said. “It’s been addressed in the last few days, and we can’t punch guys in the back of the head or hook guys.”
Early in the season, a huge bright spot has been the play of goalie Matthew Pesenti, a consistent force on the ice.
“Matty has been great for us. He’s taken the blame on some losses, and he doesn’t need to at all. We start to go, and our penalties are costing us. It’s early in the year, but there’s a time and place for penalties. When we are taking penalties at stupid times, Matt gets peppered on the powerplay. But he’s keeping us in these games,” said Topinka.
“He’s one of those guys who apologizes at the bench after every goal. We look at him and tell him wild bounces and things like that aren’t on him. He’s an amazing team guy, and it’s at the point where guys are realizing he’s keeping us alive in games.”
Coach Topinka says that the Klippers as a whole are starting to subscribe to a certain amount of accountability on their individual games as well.
“The guys know that we are the highest penalized team, and we’re the smallest team in the league size-wise. It’s not a bad thing to get hit and not retaliate. There’s firepower throughout the league on different teams, and that can cost us,” he said. “It’s a full team effort, and we need to tighten it up.”
Goalie Pesenti says he’s been trying to get the best results this season.
“The first few games didn’t go the way we wanted. But we’re building momentum, we feel good about our game, and we’re trying to figure out how to move forward as a group,” he said.
“I’m happy with my performance. Humboldt wasn’t the performance I wanted, but I was happy with Melville. I think Humboldt was a one-off night, but I feel good. This team is a great group, and we love playing for each other. We work hard and want to get better.”
Pesenti is working on small issues and just trying to strengthen his play all the time. He sees the standard he holds himself to as a good trait.
“Most guys on this team expect a lot from ourselves. As long as you have confidence, I don’t think those high expectations are an issue,” he said.
“My teammates are great. If I have an off night, they’re all there for me, and they aren’t worried. When I play well, they’re supportive. At the end of the day, we all just want to win. We are trying to figure out how to work well together.”
Photo courtesy Kindersley Klippers
A huge bright spot for the Klippers this season has been the play of goalie Matthew Pesenti.
