SJHL Klippers headed on the road

By Jordan Parker

The puck luck is starting to come for the SJHL Kindersley Klippers.

A showing at home during a Saturday, January 14 tilt against Flin Flon saw the team make the most of their chances.

In the 3-2 win, they had only 16 shots on goal, but managed to pull out a win.

“It's always nice to prove you can beat top teams. While we didn't play as well afterwards against Humboldt, we are looking to bounce back,” said Assistant Coach Tyler Traptow.

“We beat them earlier in the year. But this time we didn't play nearly as well as we can. We see them three more times this season, and we'll look to nab wins.”

Though the Flin Flon Bombers outshot the Klippers 42-16, Traptow says the totals don't tell the story of the game.

“We did a good job defending. Logan Falk played, and it was his first night back from illness. They were lots of perimeter shots,” he said.

“We were outshot big time, but we were also opportunistic and got that puck luck we hadn't been getting prior.”

The Flin Flon game was also billed as a Better Together & Mental Health Awareness tilt.

“We didn't see everything that was happen during the game. But there was a booth set up, the game was well-attended, and it's an important thing to support,” said Traptow.

“On the Sunday, we sat down for a presentation. The whole team went and it was informative. Mental health is an important thing to talk and learn about.”

The team also went down to Rosetown, Sk to help with practice for younger players, something Traptow says is incredibly important.

“To go once or twice a week to surrounding communities and help with practices is important,” he said. “I did it when I was a player, and know first-hand how much it can help younger kids. If it creates fans, that's a plus. It's so much fun, and they like seeing new faces.”

A familiar Klippers face made a big move last week as well, as he ages out of the league and heads on to new opportunities.

Current Klippers captain Brayden Koch committed to the University of Alberta's Augustana Vikings for next season. He will join last year's Klippers captain Jaxon Georget.

“It's a huge opportunity for Brayden, and he picked the right fit for him. He has been talking to them for a while,” said Traptow.

“Jaxon is there, and he talked to Brayden about it. All the cards fell into place, and we're all really excited for him.”

Koch – as well as Matt Mazzochi and Aidan Bangs – will change over next year when they age out of the league.

“Technically there are only three new spots next year. But there are plenty of 19-year-olds, and we may need to make changes and add new faces,” said Traptow.

The Klippers following their 3-2 SO loss against Nipawan in a game played in Rosetown on Saturday will now travel to Weyburn for a game on January 24th.

“We are gone all week. We've been brutal on the road, so I hope we turn that around,” said Traptow. “If we want a chance for the playoffs, we need to figure it out. We're decent at home, but we just can't find our mojo on the road.”