Klippers competing in Fouillards Cup
By Jordan Parker
The SJHL Kindersley Klippers emerged victorious in the first game of the highly-touted Fouillards Cup. The rivalry series between the team and the Melfort Mustangs – named for long-time sponsor Fouillards Carpet Sales store – kicked off on October 15, 2022. The Klippers beat the Mustanges 7-4 for the series lead.
The brand-new Fouillards Cup will be presented to the winner of the series to hold onto for the summer before next season.
Photo by Doug Klassen
“It’s always positive to have games during the regular season that have this sort of healthy competition,” said Kindersley Assistant Coach Briar McNaney.
“The season is so long and so much of it is a grind. These types of things get the guys to giddy up and give them motivation. The whole goal of the regular season is to win games and get to the playoffs. It’s nice to see something new.”
The October 15 first game saw Klippers Liam Bell, Adam Paplawski, Matthew Mazzocchi, Tylin Hilbig, Ethan Scriven and Kayden Ostrom net goals to mark a huge offensive effort. It was a welcome change for McNaney.
“It was just a good feeling. We went through a three-game goalless drought, but as soon as we got our first goal against Melfort, it was like the floodgates opened,” he said.
“The whole town had been going out of their way to motivate us and cheer us on. The fans got involved, told us we were playing great and supported us.”
He said that while the Fouillards is definitely useful, the team doesn’t take any game lightly. The start to the season leaves the team with a 4-7-0-3 record, and they’re in the midst of a large chunk of time off before Tuesday’s game against La Ronge.
“We take every single game as a rivalry game. But the cup definitely adds fuel to the fire and gives guys a drive,” he said. “It’s tough to have this kind of time off in the middle of the season. But it’ll be nice for the guys to rest, find balance, and do a mental reset. We just need to get back to playing our game.”
Klippers Captain Brayden Koch says the Fouillards adds motivation for the team.
“It’s really cool to play against a team for something big. Confidence definitely went up after that win in the first game,” he said.
“We have a good group of guys, and it was just a rough start to the season. We’re finding consistency, and I know we’ll start playing like we can each night.”
There are plenty of new faces in the locker room this year, but Koch says everyone is fitting together really well.
“We set a culture early that everyone was welcome, and our new guys are just contributing a lot,” said the defenceman.
“There are also new assistant coaches with Briar and Tyler. It’s nice to have that different element. We can lean on and talk to Trapper, and Briar has brought so much to the table.”
One new addition is goaltender Logan Falk, who begins his SJHL career with the Klippers. He’s had a 1-3-0-1 record over six games, and has a .920 save percentage.
Though he was nervous coming from Drayton, Falk is already fitting right in.
“As soon as I got to Kindersley, I felt a sense of relief, This is just a really great, tight-knit community,” he said.
“We had a tough start, but we’ve put together a really good last few games. We acquired Logan Cox, which was a great trade. If we can tie a few more wins together, everything will keep going smoothly.”
Falk shares goaltending duties with fellow newcomer Cody Jaman, and the two are having a great bit of competition in the crease.
“There was pressure coming in, but I’ve proved myself and had a few solid games. Cody has too, and it’s turning into a great tandem. We can rely on each other, and the whole team is coming together,” he said.