Klippers rebound with five wins in seven games
By Jordan Parker
With parents weekend on the horizon in the SJHL, the young Kindersley Klippers team is feeling a spark.
With a 5-1-1 record in their last seven, the Klippers have catapulted to a .500 record and are in the top half of the league standings.
In their game on Nov. 2, the team was felled 2-1 in a shootout, but held their own against league leaders, the Humboldt Broncos.
“The Broncos embarrassed us on home-ice early in the season, and it was amazing to play this much better against them,” said Assistant Coach Mitch Topinka. The team was beaten 5-1 at their West Central Events Centre in Kindersley on October 2nd.
“We weathered the first 10 minutes this Friday, and we capitalized and got up by a goal. We led for a period-and-a-half, and their goal came off our mistake on a face off.”
He says mental errors are still difficult for the team, but that overall play has improved.
“These things happen, and our game against Humboldt was fast-paced, and we played right along with them,” he said.
“Matthew Pesenti (our goalie) stood on his head, and our guys came up big. We wanted to win, but we were happy to get a point and we’re continuing to climb.”
After a rough start to the season, the Klippers are clipping along at a fast pace, and taking advantage of their chances and speed.
“We’ve been playing well. We said from the start, we’re a fast team and we’re finally going after it. Our last six-or-seven games, things have been clicking. We had those injuries, and we’re close to a full lineup now. Guys are back, and it certainly helps,” he said.
“The buy-in has been working, and our penalty kill is first in the league in shorthanded goals. With our hard word, we’re figuring things out.”
Topinka says they’ve been considered underdogs all year, but he’s never felt that was true.
“We started slow and we hit that injury bug, and it hurt us. We could easily be 12-4 on the year with a full lineup, but that’s what we’ve been dealt. The boys are coming along,” he said.
“It’s just so nice to see. It’s a matter of capitalizing on games we should win and surprising other teams in the league.”
Topinka had praise for the points leader on the team, Tylin Hilbig, who has 14 points in 17 games played in his rookie season.
“Tylin works really hard, and he’s doing really well on a line with Aidan Bangs and Matthew Mazzocchi. It almost seems like those two are brothers, because they always know where each other are. Tylin finds a way to slide in there and capitalize so well,” said Topinka.
“He’s always in the right spot at the right time. He’s coming up big and is a big body in front of the net. I think he’s one of the best net-front guys in the league, he has great hands, and he’s a huge piece for us this year.”
Hilbig says that the team is hot, and having many players back from injury has had a huge impact.
“Even picking up the shootout loss against Humboldt was really big. We’re hot right now, and I’m really happy,” he said.
“I’m loving getting to the net and into the dirty areas to pick up the garbage. I have amazing linemates, and I think my size is helping me win battles.”
After a rough start, the 5-1-1 spark is something Hilbig and the team are proud of.
“You can tell everyone is just meshing together and feeling better about things. It’s helping our confidence,” he said. “We started off rough, but having it all come together now is a really good sign.”
As the Klippers head into the weekend, they’ll be playing in front of their parents and pushing for dominance and more push in the standings.
“This is a huge weekend. The main thing is we get four points, make sure we play a full 60 minutes, and keep the speed up start-to-finish,” he said.
Photo Kindersley Klippers
