Klippers start season back-half with clean slate
By Jordan Parker
The first part of the SJHL Kindersley Klippers’ season hasn’t gone the way they wanted.
They sat dead last in the league headed into the holiday break with a 6-17-2-4 record, but they’re putting that in the past.
“We laid things out, and that first half of the season is behind us. We’re considering the next 27 games as a whole new chance,” said Assistant Coach Tyler Traptow.
“We got some key guys back from injury, and we’re going to take this one game at a time. We know what we need to do to win.”
With two games against Battleford over the weekend, Kindersley was back in action for the first time since Friday, December 16, when they were downed 5-2 by the Humboldt Broncos. Battleford won both games over the weekend by identical 5-1 scores.
The Klippers dropped a pair of 5-1 contests to the Battleford North Stars over the weekend. Photo by Kate Winquist
This was a weekend that saw the return of a number of familiar – and much-needed – faces.
“We’re still missing Logan Cox, Logan Linklater, Ethan Hilbig, and Cameron Rimstad,” said Traptow. “But Nathan DeGraves, our goalie Logan Falk, and Cash Arnsten are playing again.”
With a boost to their roster, Traptow underscored the team can have success with players coming back and renewed vigour.
“The team needs to just control what we can control. We got dealt a tough hand with injuries and some bad luck. But that’s hockey,” he said. “We just need to focus on this better second half and do what we have to do.”
Among the rising stars on the Klippers team are the first and second stars of the month for December, Kyler Smith and Logan Linklater.
Smith logged two points in five games, and Linklater netted five in five games prior to injury.
“Kyler has just gotten better every day. He isn’t flashy, but that’s what makes him a great defenseman. He’s doing the right things every day, and it’s nice to see him rewarded on the scoreboard,” said Traptow.
“We only had Logan Linklater for a month, but he’s a great offensive guy. We’ve been discussing playing both ends of the ice with him, and he’s so dynamic. We hope to have him back soon.”
The Klippers have three sets of brothers on their roster this year: Adam and Spencer Paplawski, Tylin and Ethan Hilbig, and Logan and Danton Cox. These players have found great chemistry and accounted for over 60 points in the first half of the season.
“I’ve truly never seen anything like this. I played with my own brother for half a year when I was 17, and I know from experience how cool it can be,” he said.
“Having three sets like this is unheard of. But they don’t stick to each other – They help the entire roster do well and elevate. It sure does make it easier for families to come see games.”
As of now, Traptow is thankful for a holiday break that gave the Klippers the rest they needed.
“It just came at a good time. With injuries, it was great to have two-and-a-half weeks to get guys back. But we also got a reset,” he said.
“December didn’t go our way. We went home, we took our minds off things, and now the guys have fresh eyes. Let’s see where we go from here.”