SWHL Kindersley Klippers enjoying strong early start

By Jordan Parker

Heading into the weekend, the Kindersley Senior Klippers were trouncing opponents with a 4-0-0 record.

Not only had they won all their games, but they were dominating them – As evidenced by their recent 8-1 win over the Unity Miners.

Manager Brady Newmeyer says everything has been clicking together for the group as a whole.

“We’ve been slowly building off each other as a team, and we’ve had a good start,” he said. “But we can’t underestimate other teams. It’s going to be really interesting as the season progresses.”

They were ahead by four points on the next team in the standings, the Outlaws, and their 8-1 win against Unity was also marked by major performances from the Dziurzynskis, as well as early standout Jonny Calkins.

Calkins was tied for first in league scoring with the Biggar Nationals’ Brett Novak with 14 points headed into the weekend, and continues to impress.

“He’s been a great addition. He’s back after a few years in Eston, and he’s been pretty amazing,” he said.

“He just makes the team that much stronger, and he’s been playing well. We just want to have fun and keep things rolling along.”

The Klippers followed up over the weekend winning 2-1 over the Biggar Nationals and 7-4 over the Wilkie Outlaws.

One thing that’s been huge for the team is that the Kindersley home crowd has been with them the entire way through their early journey.

“Our crowd is always behind us. We also have a good following for our road games too. Friday signalled out fourth home game of the season,” he said.

“We’re going to be on the road a lot in December. We just need to keep playing and keep getting better, and we’ll find ourselves in a good position.”

Though the game against Unity was a big win, Newmeyer isn’t counting on all games being that lopsided for the team.

“Unity is a good hockey club. They’re young, and our team is definitely a bit older. We are fortunate to have some ex-junior players,” he said.

One thing Newmeyer has been really happy with is looking at the goaltending for the team.

“Luke Sproule and Travis Child have been sharing the crease and they’ve been great. They play a team game,” he said. “They’re just focused on helping each other and being better every night.”

He says the dressing room has been great lately, and everyone has been really enjoy each others’ company.

“Everyone has been upbeat and positive. We just have to keep our heads on our shoulders,” he said. “At the end of the day, the regular season doesn’t mean anything. We have to play one game at a time.”

The big things is that there’s been a buy-in from the whole group of 27 guys, even the ones with less ice time than others.

“The guys are all just really involved, even if they’re in-and-out of the lineup. They’re chipping in, and understand this is a team game. We’re working hard, and as a group, we understand that we need to build together,” he said.

“There are four or five guys just out of Midget who don’t play a lot. But they come to games, and come to the dressing room between periods. They’re our future, and they’re important.”

Newmeyer is proud to see the younger guys really getting involved in the team both on-and-off the ice.

“There’s a huge atmosphere of investment. I played in Senior hockey too, and I get not playing every night. But you build on the culture, and what it means to put on a Klippers jersey. There’s a lot of heritage there,” he said.

“It isn’t just about hockey, but about being part of the team, knowing your role, and coming to the rink when called upon.”