Friday’s clash between the Battlefords North Stars and Kindersley Klippers marked the first time in over a year that the Klippers had a legit opportunity to finally solve their archrivals.
In the end, however, Levi Kleiboer had other ideas.
The North Stars defender received a pass from newly minted captain Layne Young and fired a shot past Klippers netminder Justen Close just 70 seconds into overtime as the reigning Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champions kicked off their title defence with a 1-0 win at the West Central Events Centre.
“I had just gone out on the ice when I saw that Layne was racing down there, so I knew that I had to chase after him,” Kleiboer said.
“He continued to head off into their zone and I was yelling at him to pass the puck. He sauced it over to the far side and I just ripped it on net. I played against Close when I was younger and he’s got a good glove hand, so I went blocker side on him.”
It was a moment of redemption for Kleiboer as he missed a wide-open net late in the first period that would have given the North Stars an early lead.
“I remember talking to him after the first intermission and telling him that he was going to get another chance,” North Stars head coach and general manager Brandon Heck said moments after earning his first SJHL win. “He was quick to remind me of that after the game.”
Friday’s triumph was the 12th straight for the North Stars over the Klippers, with Kindersley’s last victory coming in their own rink on March 24, 2016 in Game 4 of a quarter-final series between the two sides.
The North Stars have won their last 21 regular season games with the Klippers and have picked up 13 straight regular season victories at the West Central Events Centre, with both streaks dating back to the fall of 2014.
Although the North Stars outshot the Klippers 38-29, the game was a lot closer than the shot total would indicate as the hosts had more quality chances over the course of the night.
“We were a little bit rusty in our first game together,” Kleiboer said. “We moved the puck alright, but there were times that we were fighting it as well.”
“We had the territorial advantage in the first and third period, but in the second period they won the round by a 10-8 score,” Heck added. “In that intermission, we talked about cleaning up our pinches and staying out of the penalty box, as that was taking the wind out of our sails at that point.”
North Stars goaltender Taryn Kotchorek played a huge role in his team’s win as he turned aside all 29 shots he faced.
His best save came during the second period of play during a wild sequence, as he was able to get a piece of the puck with his blocker on a shot by Klippers forward Devon Cyr just moments after Cyr and Tanner Thompson both missed a wide-open net.
“You can always depend on Taryn,” Kleiboer said. “He’s always stellar back there when you need him.”
Close turned an excellent performance as well, as he finished the evening with 37 saves.
Friday’s game also marked the debut of blueliner Brandon Armstrong, who was added to the North Stars roster following Thursday’s team kickoff breakfast.
Armstrong, an 18-year-old from Maple Ridge, B.C., played with the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors last year and had two points in 34 games.
The North Stars also picked up 19-year-old blueliner Connor Smith, who did not dress in the season opener.
A native of Santa Margarita, Calif., Smith started the season with the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League’s Oceanside Generals and had two assists in two games.
He suited up for the Anaheim Jr. Ducks U18 program last year and had nine assists in 32 games.
The two sides will square off again Saturday at the Civic Centre at 7:30 p.m., which will also see the North Stars receive their 2017 championship banner in a pre-game ceremony.
Friday SJHL Recap
The 2017-18 season got underway at the Whitney Forum in Flin Flon, where the host Bombers cruised to a 5-1 win over the La Ronge Ice Wolves.
Nick Shumlanski paced the Bombers on offence with a goal and two assists, while Chrystopher Collin, Tyler Nyman, Donavan Houle-Villeneuve and Kurtis Rutledge also found the back of the net.
Justin Bill had the only goal for the Ice Wolves, who played in their first competitive contest Friday after both of their scheduled pre-season affairs were cancelled.
The Ice Wolves also made a trade prior to the game as they acquired Egan Wolford from the Notre Dame Hounds in exchange for a player development fee.
Wolford, a 19-year-old from San Jose, Calif., had three goals and two assists in 38 games for the Hounds last season.
In a game where they outshot their opponents 41-18, the Estevan Bruins scored three unanswered goals in the third period on their way to a 4-2 home win over the Melville Millionaires.
Zach Goberis was a dominant force all night long for the Bruins, as he would set up goals for his teammates Aigne McGeady-Bruce, Isaac Embree and Michael McChesney before scoring an empty-netter in the final minute.
McChesney also had a solid night offensively as he had two assists to go along with his game-tying goal in the third.
Alex Maticic and Clayton Eisler replied for the Millionaires, who received a 37-save performance from goaltender Colby Entz.
A wild and woolly battle between Sherwood Division rivals went to overtime in Melfort, as the host Mustangs edged out the Nipawin Hawks by a score of 4-3.
After Zach Cox was given a goaltender interference penalty just as time expired in the third period, defenceman Loch Morrison made the Hawks pay as he scored the game-winner in his Mustangs debut.
Tanner Zentner paced the home side on offence with a goal and an assist, while Carson Albrecht and Jaxon Joseph also scored.
Austin Mikesch, Jordan Simoneau and Michael Grant replied for the Hawks.
Finally, Logan Bateman made 36 saves in his SJHL debut as he helped the Yorkton Terriers skate away with a 3-1 road win over the Weyburn Red Wings.
Slater Strong and Shane Sherban each had a goal and an assist in the triumph, which also saw Dalton Ossman score on an empty-net in the final seconds.
Dawson Atamanchuk answered for the Red Wings, who received a 31-save performance from Arik Weersink.
Saturday SJHL Schedule (All Games at 7:30 p.m.)
Kindersley vs. Battlefords
Notre Dame vs. Humboldt
Flin Flon vs. La Ronge
Estevan vs. Melville
Melfort vs. Nipawin
