Wintoneak gets WJAC post

(from SJHL.ca)

The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) in partnership with Hockey Canada announced today the Coaching Staffs for Team Canada East and Team Canada West at the 2010 World Junior A Challenge.

Larry Wintoneak (Kindersley Klippers, SJHL) will return as Head Coach of Team Canada West after serving as an Assistant Coach in 2009. The assistant coaches for the West squad include Jomar Cruz (OCN Blizzard, MJHL), Andrew Milne (Canmore Eagles, AJHL) and Kevin Hasselberg (Olds Grizzlies, AJHL).

Jomar Cruz held the position of Video Coach at the 2009 World Junior A Challenge. Andrew Milne and Kevin Hasselberg were both members of the Coaching Staff for Team Pacific at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Rylan Ferster of the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) was recently selected as Team West General Manager. Rylan Ferster represented Team Canada West as an Assistant Coach in 2008 and Head Coach in 2009. Former General Manager Leonard Strandberg has been appointed as Head Scout.

Head Coach Todd Gill of the Brockville Braves (CJHL) will lead Team East alongside General Manager Troy Ryan (Halifax Lions, MJAHL). Gill returns for his second season as Head Coach while Troy Ryan has served as an Assistant Coach for Team Canada East since the inaugural World Junior A Challenge in 2006.

For a third consecutive year, Patrice Bosch (Inouk de Granby, LHJAAAQ) has been selected as Assistant Coach. Curtis Hodgins (Bowmanville Eagles, CCHL) will also join Team East as an Assistant Coach.

The Head Coaches of Team Canada East and West are both relying on experience to better their respective teams at the 2010 tournament. “Last year I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot, but did not achieve the goal we set out for our team,” said Head Coach Todd Gill. “The experience I earned through competing at such a high level of international competition, and the knowledge I gained of the selection process and team building was invaluable.”

“This is a great opportunity to enhance my coaching career and to represent my country. I look forward to having a second shot,” stated Gill.

“It was a tremendous opportunity to be involved in the World Junior A Challenge and work with Hockey Canada last year,” said Head Coach Larry Wintoneak. “Experience is everything and it will benefit me as a Head Coach and our entire staff in the preparation for this year’s tournament. The expectation to win remains the same.”

“It’s all about privilege and responsibility,” said Wintoneak. “It is a great privilege to be involved, and with that you have a responsibility to your country as a Coach and a player.”

The international tournament will feature the best 19 and under Junior A aged players from six competing countries. The World Junior A Challenge tournament will be held in November 2010, the respective dates and location will be announced shortly.

Created to showcase the talent in Canada's 11 Junior A leagues, the World Junior A Challenge debuted in 2006. Canada West has appeared in all four gold medal games, winning twice, while Canada East is a two-time silver medallist.

For more information on the 2010 World Junior A Challenge, visit www.hockeycanada.ca/wjac or www.cjhlhockey.com.

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Blogger note: This is a wonderful accomplishment for Larry and I don't think there is a more deserving candidate. Congrats coach!

Coach Wintoneak

Larry Wintoneak to coach Canada West at 2010 WJAC. http://www.sjhl.ca/news_item.aspx?news_id=1685
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Morning breakfast

They say the early bird gets the worm well this morning I got the last two eggs and piece of toast. It's going to be a great day!

There isn't much going on these days which has left a lot of time for observations so here it goes.

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Team Canada will play Slovakia in semi-final action at the Olympic games today. Someone mentioned on Twitter that this is reminiscent of 2002. The only difference is that the Slovak's are a much different opponent than the Belarus squad we breezed by 8 years ago. Still though everyone is breathing a huge sigh of relief after we spanked the Russians.

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I'm of the mindset that we are tied for first in the Olympic standings and by we I mean Canada as a country. Sure we may trail the US by a substantial number when you look at total medals won (gold + silver + bronze) but we have 8 gold medals which is the same number that both Germany and the US have. Traditionally the Olympics are won by the country that takes home the most gold medals. We're still in the ball game.

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It's pretty quiet in Klipper land as they wait to begin their Sherwood conference semi-final series with Notre Dame. The teams wait for the survivor series' to take place and that will start tonight. I'll direct your attention to the blogs of Craig Stein (voice of Terriers and Millionaires) and Darryl Skender (voice of Mustangs and Broncos) who will keep you more than informed on the two series.

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One interesting note from the SJHL website: Kindersley is 8-0-1 in Eston.

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All is quiet on the SaskGridiron.com front as of today. Never fear though as there are meetings planned for early March and the ball will get rolling soon. Announcements are coming I can tell you that much.

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A big thanks to Shayne Nieszner (father of former Klipper goalie Ryan) for the BlackBerry tip. A quick software update and the Storm is running like a dream.

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When Alex Ovechkin's blood work came back yesterday from his random drug test doctors found large amounts of maple syrup, back bacon and Molson Canadian. Suprisingly there were no traces of gold, silver or bronze! (roughly translated from a tweet that is no longer available)

Enjoy your breakfast and your day!

dd

Turner named defenceman of the week

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Steven Turner, Kindersley Klippers
1989 D Steven Turner (Eston SK) put up points in all three of his team's games last week and is being relied on heavily by the Klippers for crucial minutes going into the playoffs. Turner has also had a chance to play in his hometown down the stretch as the Klippers have gone an impressive 8-0-and-1 in Eston since the January 9th fire in Kindersley. Turner's season totals were 7-goals and 27-assists in 57-games.

Klippers/Hounds schedule set

Sherwood Conference Semi-Final
(2) Notre Dame Hounds vs (3) Kindersley Klippers

Game 1: @ Notre Dame Friday March 5th, 7:30pm.
Game 2: @ Notre Dame Saturday march 6th 7:00pm.
Game 3: @ Eston Tuesday March 9th 7:30pm.
Game 4: @ Eston Wednesday March 10th 7:30pm.
Game 5: @ Notre Dame Friday March 12th 7:30pm. *
Game 6: @ Eston Sunday March 14th 7:30pm. *
Game 7: @ Notre Dame Tuesday March 16th 7:30pm. *

*denotes if necessary.

Weekend blogging

The Kindersley Klippers won their second straight game last night beating the Battlefords North Stars 4-3. The win put the Klippers in a tie for second in the Sherwood conference but only for a moment. The Notre Dame Hounds beat the Yorkton Terriers 4-3 although they were out-shot 40-19.

The Hounds have two games remaining while the Klippers have one. Now I'm not sure what the format would be if the two teams end up tied in points. They would have identical number of wins and it may come down to the season series which is also tied 3-3. In that case it may be goals for (very close right now 177-175 for Hounds) or goals against (168-177 Hounds with 168).

Who knows?

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I'm working hard on SaskGridiron.com at improvements you will see next season.

-You will see on the site that we have started up a Facebook group with stories, discussion, photos and more. Sign up to be a fan and see pictures from the 2009 Provincial Championship.

-We've also joined Twitter. Sign up to follow Twitter.com/DarrenDupont and Twitter.com/SaskGridiron.

-We're also looking for fans who want to blog. E-mail SaskGridiron@yahoo.ca to sign up for a fan blog.

-And we've created a YouTube channel and hope to launch SaskGridiron TV for the upcoming season. Find the channel at youtube.com/SaskGridiron.

We are also very close with two more items that you can be very excited about. I won't say much more than that until I have confirmation that things are going ahead but it will be absolutely HUGE. Keep checking the site for the latest as this could be done sooner rather than later.

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Anyone else have a BlackBerry Storm and have as many problems with it as I do? It's constantly freezing with the little clock thing in the middle. It often freezes when there is an incoming call and then I'll hear my ringer after the fact and they've already left a voice mail. It's frustrating. When it works without problem it's fantastic but I just don't know anymore.

Anyone else have one and experiencing the same problems? How can I fix it? Anyone suggest a different device?

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Ever wonder who won the 9-man crown back in 1961? It's listed on SaskGridiron.com! Check out the past champions tab and find out who won the championship each year dating back to 1961. You'll know which two teams were in the final along with the score.

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My rear is leaving quite the imprint on the couch this week. I have watched an overwhelming amount of Olympic coverage and am not even close to ready for the games to end. CTV is doing a bang-up job with these games and it has made the viewing enjoyment that much better. Moments like last night's goal medal skeleton run by Jon Montgomery really make you proud to be Canadian and the network is doing a good job to make it quite the moment.

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The Stars and Klippers play the back end of their home and home tomorrow night at the Civic Centre. The Stars will be without Tony Oak who has been tagged with a 5 game suspension. Read all about it on Dan O'Connor's blog linked on the left hand side.

Enjoy your Saturday folks!

dd

Klippers vs Stars

Here's a game preview through the eyes of Stars play-by-play voice/blogger Dan O'Connor:

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KINDERSLEY

Record: 30-20-3-3 (66 points. Two points back of Notre Dame for second place in the Sherwood Conference.)

Who's Up Front:

The Kindersley Klippers have outstanding depth, and boast two lines that are equally as dangerous. Not only do the Stars have to concern themselves with stopping the likes of Jordan Braid, Taylor Duzan and Sanfred King/Jordan Hoffman, but the line of Braedon Adamyk, John Calkins and Andrew Dommett is fantastic. Dommett in particular has been brilliant against the Stars. Who could forget his four-goal effort on November 28th at the SJHL Showcase? In speaking with Kyle Birch yesterday, he confessed that he may be one of the toughest shooters to face in the entire league.

Who's on D:

Steven Turner leads the way defensively for the Klippers with 31 points in 55 games. He's reliable at both ends, and is a key cog in the Klipper's power-play. Kurt Leedahl, Jonothan Sonntag and Sean Flanagan are also quality players who can make an impact if given the opportunity. Offensively though, the two biggest threats in my opinion are Turner and Flanagan.

Who's in Goal:

In a game of such importance, it is almost a foregone conclusion that we'll the 17-year-old Josh Thorimbert. Thorimbert is my choice for SJHL Rookie of the Year. If Jordan Braid and Andrew Dommett don't play for Kindersley, Thorimbert is the team's MVP. Thorimbert has been dynamite for the Klippers this season. His save percentage is very impressive at .917% and his GAA is not too shabby at 2.65. Thorimbert has been streaky though against the Stars this season. On January 3rd he looked brilliant in a 3-1 Kindersley victory, but has looked human against the Stars in other instances this season.

X-Factor:

Taylor Duzan. He's only 18 but he's in the midst of a fantastic season for the Kindersley Klippers. He's listed at 5'4 and 163lbs, but he plays like he's 6'4. His 42 points in 55 games are nothing to sneer at, and he's only going to get better with time. This kid could lead the SJHL in scoring when he's 20 if he keeps up this type of play. If the Stars can limit his time and space, they'll give themselves a better chance to win.

BATTLEFORDS


Record: 33-18-1-3 (Clinched second place in the Bauer Conference.)

Who's Up Front:

The Stars depth was once again on display Wednesday night in their 3-1 win over Melville. Mitch Wall (14), Woody Klassen (9) and Ward Szucki (16) were the goal scorers, and all will be expected to bring a similar effort tonight. The line of Josh Daley, Blake Peake and Shay Neufeld may have been the most dangerous combination Wednesday, as they had chance after chance to score. I look for those three to bring another strong effort tonight.

Who's on D:

Tonight it's all about developing good work-habits. If the Stars collectively can stop the likes of Braid, Dommett, Duzan, they'll find success. Perrault and Brodbin need to be physical, Fahnhorst needs to use his size, Folstad needs to make good passes and Woody and Jesse need to establish a presence at both ends tonight. No one clear defenceman will be under the microscope tonight, it will definitely be a 'committee'type' effort tonight for the Stars to be successful on the road.

Who's in Goal:

So, what did you think about Canada/Switzerland game last night????

(That is me, dancing around this subject.)

X-Factor:

I haven't used this one yet this year, so here it goes - Coaching. Ken Pearson and Blair Atcheynum are tonight's x-factor. They have the unenviable task of trying to motivate a team that is playing on the road, in a game where nothing is at stake. I have no doubt that both Ken and Blair are going to treat tonight's game with a real sense of urgency, and it's up to the players as well to 'buy in' and produce results.

From Calgary to Kindersley

Hockey team donates $6,000

By Jordan Hartshorn, Saskatchewan News Network; Canwest News Service

What started as a bag of paper money and spare change has become a boon for Kindersley.

Last Friday the bantam Westwood Warriors, a minor hockey team from Calgary, presented Kindersley with a cheque for $6,000 to put toward the rebuilding and refurbishing of the town's rink.

Team manager Neil Jobin had initially indicated the team would be donating $500, but after subsequent corporate and private donations the total ballooned to $6,000.

"I almost fell out of my chair," said Kindersley chief administrative officer Sherry Magnuson. "It was unbelievable.

"When we announced that, people just kind of gasped."

Kindersley has been without a rink since a Jan. 8 blaze damaged the West Central Events Centre, and resulted in the levelling of the attached Exhibition Stadium.

The SJHL's Kindersley Klippers have been playing in Eston, while minor hockey games have been moved to other surrounding communities.

Gwen Giese, a parent of one of the Warriors players, heard of the town's plight on a Calgary radio station and sent images of the charred arena to other parents and members of the team.

"The boys said, 'You know, we should try to do something,' " said Jobin. "For our kids that really struck home."

Added team captain Paul Turko: "Holy crap. I couldn't imagine that happening to a place that I would play in."

The players rounded up $250 of their own money and the parents decided to match the total. Last week, Jobin and another hockey parent, Jim LeGuilloux, spent eight hours calling businesses and people in the Calgary hockey community in the hopes of collecting more coin before stopping in Kindersley en route to a tournament in Saskatoon.

"We literally didn't have time to collect money from all the people who wanted to contribute," Jobin said.

"The bus left at nine o'clock and we had people calling us asking, 'Hey, where's your bus?' "

And the money is still coming in. Jobin said he has received more than 40 e-mails from donors pledging an additional $1,000. He plans to encourage other minor hockey teams to replicate the Warriors' efforts.

"Hockey is really one of those things that brings us together as Canadians," said Jobin.

"But more than that, though, is our ability to help each other and really that's what we're trying to do -- help the community of Kindersley get their arena back."

The National Hockey League Players' Association has chipped in as well via its Goals and Dreams fund.

With support from Kindersley natives Derek Dorsett of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Curtis Glencross of the Calgary Flames and Steve MacIntyre of the Florida Panthers, the association is going to help provide up to $30,000 worth of equipment, including nine sets of goalie gear and 25 sleds and sticks for the town's sledge hockey program.

© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

Update...

I'm enjoying some downtime this week and I'm taking in as much of the Olympics as I can. With the CTV broadcast consortium it's nearly impossible to miss an event and I don't think I've missed too many.

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The Klippers wrapped up their second 3 game/3 night road trip in as many weekends this time picking up 2 of a possible 6 points. They're still 2 points back of Notre Dame but the Hounds have 2 games in hand.

Just three games left this season for the Klippers. They'll host Melville on Wednesday before a home and home this weekend with North Battleford to put a wrap on the regular season.

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There's also some irons in the fire with SaskGridiron.com. I've been working on some new ventures for the 2010 season and am hoping to be able to announce some good news in the coming days. Stay tuned for that.

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For now it's off to the gym and then back to the couch for more Olympic games.

Enjoy your day!

dd

Registration for Team Saskatchewan.

Football Saskatchewan will be accepting player application forms via online only for the U-18 Team Saskatchewan Canada Cup Squad. Registration will be available after February 15th. This event will give 40 Saskatchewan football players a chance to attend a week long National Championship. Players must be under 18 as of July 31st, 2010 to be eligible for the Canada Cup.

Football Saskatchewan is proud to participate in this event as it offers our province's players and coaches a chance to compete on a national stage, and presents as opportunity to showcase Saskatchewan football to the rest of the country. The 2010 Football Canada Cup will be held the 2nd week of July in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Registration begins after February 15th and the deadline for applications will be Friday, April 30th, 2010.

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At last year's Canada Cup in the U-17 division 9-man football was represented by the following players:

DB Dustin Payne - Delisle

REC Kjell Bonli - Melfort

RB Ryan Stumborg - Humboldt

OL Parker Friedlund - Rosetown

OL Nathan Heide - Warman

OL Terry Thesen - Martensville

DL Glen Joorisity - Lumsden

Asst. Coach Kyle Stroeder - Nipawin

At last year's U-19 Canada Cup 9-man football was represented by the following players:

DB Andrew Abbs - Humboldt

RB Andre LaLonde - Tisdale

LB Dylan Kemp - Rosetown

OL Andrew McGonigle - Rosetown

OL Kyle Gordon - Delisle

OL Keenan Carrier - Tisdale

DL Brayden Bertoia - Unity

LB Ben Cressman - Rosetown

Klippers take one on the chin

Weyburn 10 Kindersley 0.

Keep your heads held high. A win tonight and you take 4 of 6 points on a big three game road trip.

Klippers game day: Weyburn

The following game preview comes from the blog of Wings' voice Kevin Smith of AM 1190 in Weyburn. You can read his blog titled Views from the Booth by clicking on the link on the left hand side of the blog.

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The Kindersley Klippers did the Weyburn Red Wings a favour last night by beating the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox.

Tonight, the Red Wings will look to pay the Klippers back with a win over Kindersley.

Weyburn will be looking to run their winning streak to 4 tonight.

Weyburn leads the Hounds by 5 points for 1st in the Sherwood.

This will be the 6th and final meeting between the two teams during the regular season. Weyburn is 3-1-0-1.

The last time the Klippers were in Weyburn there was that disallowed goal in the 3rd period that clearly went in and then Weyburn scored to make it 2-1 to win the game by that score, so I'm sure the Klippers will look for some revenge tonight.

Opening faceoff is 7:30 at Crescent Point Place.

9-man communities to host Skill I.D. camps

Three 9-man football communities will host upcoming Football Saskatchewan Skill Identification camps this spring.

Yorkton, Melfort and Unity are the three 9-man football communities that will host a Football Saskatchewan Skill I.D. camp for players eligible to return to high school football in the fall.

The camp in Yorkton takes place May 1st while the camps in Melfort and Unity will be held on May 8th.

Top talent from these camps will be identified and selected to take part in the Roughrider Bowl (formerly the Elite 100 and before that the Top 90) in Regina from June 11th-13th.

For more information on the Roughrider Bowl (formerly the Elite 100) you can read about it here.

Wintoneak real driving force for Klippers

By Darren Zary, The StarPhoenixFebruary 3, 2010

Larry Wintoneak is not only coach and general manager of the Kindersley Klippers, he is also chief cook, bottle washer and bus driver -- yes, bus driver.

Wintoneak has been hauling his team -- displaced in Kindersley ever since a fire on Jan. 8 gutted their home rink -- out to nearby Eston for morning practices on non-game days. Each morning, the Klippers depart Kindersley at 8:30 a.m. to arrive in Eston for a 10 a.m. practice.

"We have a bus, a smaller school bus that I drive," Wintoneak explained Tuesday from a temporary office in the Town of Kindersley community centre. "Yes, sir, it's added to my resume. No complaints. We realize what has happened to the community here. We just go about doing our own business."

"We have to get back before 1 p.m. so the guys can go to school," noted Wintoneak. "It works out."

Ever since the fire left them homeless, the Klippers have gone on to hold their own in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Sherwood Conference. They currently sport a 26-16-3-3 record and 58 points. Playing all their home games at Eston, the Klippers have not missed a beat.

"It's been pretty good," said Wintoneak. "If you look at our record, we've played six games there (Eston) and we've gotten 11 points out of 12. We lost in overtime in Melfort. It hasn't hurt us. Our fan base, actually, has been pretty solid.

"We had 568 (fans for Monday night's game versus the Nipawin Hawks) -- that's pretty good."

Wintoneak says he doesn't expect his team to return to the West Central Events Centre this season -- the team has already submitted its ice-rental request for the playoffs -- so Eston is the Klippers' second home.

"The town of Eston has embraced us," said Wintoneak. "That's our home away from home and we understand that. It was right from the get-go. It took us maybe one day, I would think, after the fire to get organized and these people opened up their community."

The Eston Ramblers senior team has been a tremendous help, Wintoneak adds.

"They've basically given their dressing room to us, which, I think, is a real nice thing. It makes a difference of feeling at home because it has stalls, a little private area, and it's a pretty good little senior room."

Wintoneak says the Eston rink has seating for about 850 fans -- 1,200 if you include standing room. A few years ago, the Klippers moved a playoff game with Humboldt out to Eston after the ice plant in Kindersley went down.

"It's not the first time," noted Wintoneak, "that the Klippers have been there on kind of an emergency basis."

The fans have followed the Klippers out to Eston. At first, the team supplied a bus (no, Wintoneak was not driving that one) to take fans from Kindersley out to Eston, but team management realized that it would become too costly of a venture, if continued.

"We had been trying to help our fans out, but it's a cost, obviously," said Wintoneak. "We have to watch our pennies, too. The revenue might be down a little bit. The cost to travel now, with fuel and little incidentals, it's going to take its toll over the course."

For now, however, the Klippers have stayed the course and Eston suits them just fine.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Humboldt Broncos forward Justin Buzzeo, who led all SJHL players with five goals and two assists in three games this past week, is the SJHL player of the week. Despite a pair of losses to end the week, the Windsor, Ont., native scored all three of Humboldt's goals. He began the week with a four-point performance in a blowout win over La Ronge.

Blaine Tendler of the Yorkton Terriers is the SJHL defenceman of the week. The 1990-born D-man from Viceroy helped the Terriers earn a split in Flin Flon over the weekend by contributing a goal and two assists in two games played. Tendler, a Western Hockey League veteran who joined Yorkton in December, now has one goal and six assists in 19 games.

The SJHL goalie of the week is AJ Whiffen of the Weyburn Red Wings. The 1989-born Newfoundland native backstopped his team to a 3-1 win over the La Ronge Ice Wolves with 30 saves. Whiffen lowered his regular-season goals-against average to 2.24 and increased his save-percentage to .922. Overall, his record is 18-3-3. Since Dec. 1, Whiffen has been close to unbeatable, with a sparkling 1.48 GAA and a .944 save percentage.

dzary@sp.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

Zawatsky finished in Yorkton

Head coach and GM Ed Zawatsky has been relieved of his duties with the Yorkton Terriers. The press conference was held this morning at the Gallagher Centre. Assistant coach Trent Cassan has been named interm head coach.

Zawatsky led the team to 2 of it's 4 league championships during his tenure.

January Klipper thoughts

A decent start to the new year for the Kindersley Klippers has them solidly in third place in the SJHL's Sherwood conference.

Through the month of January the Jr. K's racked up a record of 7-2-2 for 16 points and now sit 10 points up on fourth place Yorkton with three games in hand. However, the team is still 9 points behind second place Notre Dame with two games in hand.

The Klippers took advantage of 8 home games in the month of January. On home ice this season the K's are 17-4-4.

Having a 10 point cushion is only good news for the Klippers.

Kindersley will play seven of their final ten games on the road and so far this season they have only won 8 times on the road (not including 'home games' played in Eston) in 22 tries.

If the Klippers ARE to gain ground on Weyburn and Notre Dame it can be done this weekend. The Klippers head out on a big three game road trip in Weyburn, Notre Dame, and Estevan. Three games in three nights will be a great test to see what this team is made of.