Senior Klippers mark season with strong start

By Jordan Parker
Your Southwest Media Group

The SWHL Senior Kindersley Klippers got off to a solid start, winning their first two games in the 2022-2023 campaign. They took down the Macklin Mohawks 8-2 and then trounced the Wilkie Outlaws 5-2. Their game against the Unity Miners Saturday saw them win 9-1.

Manager Brady Newmeyer is happy with the way the team played to start.

“We faced Wilkie, and they’re always tough. Pretty overall happy with the play. Good defense and goaltending have been big hallmarks,” he said.

Their early strengths include their offensive prowess, as evidenced by the high scoring totals against their opponents.

“Overall we’re four strong lines. Defense is excellent, and goaltending has been amazing,” he said. “We just want to stay defensive minded, be strong in our end, and things will come along. We have to keep working.”

Early standouts include forward Johnny Calkins, Shayne Neigum, and Brody Ryberg who have 12, 10 and 8 points respectively.

“Things are going well. Our top two lines are elite, and then those bottom two lines put the puck in as well,” he said.

“Our top-end guys are scoring when we need them to, and everyone is chipping in. Everyone has a job to do, and we have a team mindset.”

To their credit, after three games, 16 different players had scored on the team, lending credibility to their depth.

Goaltending from Travis Child has also served as a difference-maker early for the formidable squad. In his first two season games, he saved 71 of the 75 shots he faced. The Unity game saw goalie Luke Sproule stop 23 of 24 shots he faced. “Travis is a CIS player, and he played in the western league, he’s been great for us,” he said. “He’s a goalie to make the first and second save. To get scored on, he has to be beat clean. We need to keep man-to-man coverage, and not give anything clean.”

Another huge reason the Klippers have succeeded is the penalty kill. They had a perfect record on 14 kills through the first two games alone.

“One of the big things is we have 10 guys who can kill a penalty. But we would love to stay out of the box, be disciplined, and keep our composure,” he said.

As for Unity, who they face again November 18, 2022, he knows there are things they have to do to win.

“Unity is a young hockey team. They come at you hard, and they have big guys who play physical,” he said. To keep momentum this season, Newmeyer says a few things are important.

“We need to keep a level head, stay out of the box, and do all those little things right,” he said. “You have to get better every game. The league isn’t won in a month.”