Senior Klippers defeat Eston Ramblers in first playoff game

By Jordan Parker

The Senior Kindersley Klippers managed to best the Eston Ramblers 5-3 in the first game of the North Semi-Final Saskatchewan B Provincials.

Manager Brady Newmeyer was happy with the team’s play. They’re currently facing Eston in the North Semi-Final Saskatchewan Hockey Provincials as well as the Wilkie Outlaws in SWHL semi-final action.

“During the Eston game, both teams battled hard. Our goaltender Luke Sproule was excellent. We got great play from Kylar Hope, who recently joined the team for provincials,” he said.

“We did have some penalty trouble, but we weathered the storm, and it was overall great play.”

The team played at the Co-op Arena at the West Central Events Centre in front of a 600+ crowd.

“It was amazing, and something we hadn’t seen in nearly two-and-a-half years. Seeing crowds like that is a big boost for the guys,” he said.

“COVID-19 has been so challenging for us all, but to be energized by all those people was great.”

Their game against Wilkie was not as favourable, as they dropped that game 5-3.

“We ran into some penalty trouble in Wilkie. You can’t let a team like that go on the powerplay that much,” he said.

“It was the key to our loss. We took so many penalties, and Wilkie will bury you if they get a chance.”

He says if they come out hitting and are ready to do battle in playoff-style hockey, they’ll be successful.

“It’s about the atmosphere. The guys play all year for the provincials and playoffs. We work hard and you need to want to win,” he said.

Byron Ismond had quite a game against Eston, as he faced his little brother Jessie. The latter also used to play for Kindersley.

“We played together a long time before he made the move, and things were a bit different this time around,” he said.

“We’ve always been really competitive. We’re two very different players, so to have that edge during the game was big.”

To continue to be successful, Ismond knows they have to try to stay out of the box.

“We played good offensively against Wilkie, and our top lines were producing. Our goal-tending is top-tier, but we got carried away with penalties,” he said.

“We are notorious for getting on refs about calls. We need to forget about what refs are doing, play, and take calls as they come. Looking too much into calls gets us in trouble.”

Though the team will be short a few guys going into the weekend, he isn’t worried.

“We’re ready for the matchup. We just need to generate offense, be careful, and stay out of the box,” he said.

They play Eston again on Friday, February 25, and then play the Wilkie Outlaws again the following night.