Kindersley Klippers VS Wisconsin Lumberjacks

September 8, 2022

1 minute read

It was a very hot Sunday outside and even hotter inside as the visiting Wisconsin Lumberjacks with a chip on their shoulder took on the Kindersley Klippers at the WCEC. Wisconsin was playing their 3rd game of a 5 game “road trip” and were looking for a better performance as they they stumbled and were out shot and out scored in Okotoks and Brooks. This was only the 2nd pre-season game for the Klippers as their game scheduled to be played in Prince Albert against Flin Flon was scrapped due to mechanical difficulties with the Flin Flon bus.

Wisconsin played well in all 3 periods as their goalie, Kyler Lowden, seemed to stand on his head to make saves. The fast skating game took just over 2 hours to play and even though the Klippers outshot the Lumberjacks 49 to 19, Kindersley managed to hang on and win by a score of 3 to 2. It was a most exciting final 10 minutes as Wisconsin pressed to tie the score.

Wisconsin assistant coach Ken Turnbull, said his team has been happy to visit Canada and play against such high calibre teams. Even though the outcomes weren’t what they wanted, they take a positive approach and try to learn something from every game. This will only help their players develop into better players as we play a more physical game here on the prairies than they are used to.

Travel in their own league is a bit of a nightmare as the closest rival is a 7 hour bus ride away while the longest is 14 hours! Currently there are 8 teams in their league with plans to expand to 11 next year. This team from Spooner, Wisconsin takes on the Melville team Sept. 6th (Tuesday) while the Klippers travel to North Battleford for a game Tuesday and then back home to play Battleford on Wednesday.