Klips vs. Stars Live Blog

6:54 p.m.: Warmup is underway. It's so weird seeing Down and Tabin wearing 22 and 24. Just finished reading the first SJHL Overtime magazine of the season. It has previews for every team, written by their local radio/newspaper guy. Good to know what I wrote about other teams in my Sherwood preview was on the money.

7:00: Half an hour to game time and I have goosebumps. There is nothing in the world like a season opener.

7:20: Lights have dimmed. Here come the North Stars player introductions. Vince Sauvie is in the line-up wearing #25.

7:25: Klippers' starting line-up is Dommett, Calkins, Adamyk, Leedahl, Flanagan, Hellyer.

I'll only be posting period recaps from here on out.

8:02: What a finish to the period for the Klips. Colin Phaneuf had scored with 3:08 left to put Battlefords ahead 1-0. In the final two minutes, Kurt Leedahl put the Klippers ahead all by himself. His first goal came with 1:57 left when he lobbed a soft wrister from the right point past Sirard off the face-off. He had just finished a 30-second argument with ref Kyle Paulsen. Then, with 19.9 seconds left and the Klips on the power play, Leeds struck again with a wrist shot from the outer edge of the left circle.

After 20 minutes, Kindersley leads 2-1 and also has the edge in shots at 11-10. Both teams have had one PP. It was a very sluggish start for the visitors, with the Stars dominating most of the first 12 minutes or so. The Klippers started to push back and really started to roll once their timing kicked in. There's also a bit of bad news, as Riley Down left the game at the 14-minute mark. It looked like possibly his shoulder, but I can't say for sure.

Brett Penner and Pearce Gourley both look great out there. Both guys have been physical and making some smart plays, especially Penner. Sanfred King's line logged a ton of minutes in the period - I'd say as many as the Calkins unit - and was in on both of Leedahl's goals. King assisted on both and Jesse Mysiorek had a helper on the second goal.

8:54: It's Stars 4, Klippers 3 after two periods. Penalty trouble hurt the Klips big time in period two, although I'm at a loss for why a couple of them were called. I'll just put this out there - Kyle Paulsen is the same ref who called eight straight penalties against the Klips in a game against Nipawin last year.

Cade Kimery tied the game 2-2 at the 7:15 mark, beating Hellyer with a wrister from the top of the left circle on a 5-on-3. Pearce Gourley was already in the box when John Sonntag facewashed Colin Phaneuf in front of the Klipper net and also got the gate, giving the Stars a two-man advantage of about 1:40.

Only 35 seconds after that, with Sonntag still in the box, Shayne Morrissey one-timed a centering pass past Hellyer to give the home side a 3-2 lead. But Andrew Dommett tied it up less than two minutes later, converting a rebound to the left of Alexandre Sirard.

With five minutes left in the period, Taylor Wasden was called for slashing and the Stars regained the lead on Brett Miller's low shot from between the dots.

Battlefords also had a pair of near misses. Only 57 seconds into the period, they had a goal called back because Phaneuf had bowled over Scott Hellyer. And late in the period, Miller had a half empty net but hit the left post.

In total, the Klippers received five penalties in the frame compared to zero for Battlefords. They will be shorthanded for the first 43 seconds of the third thanks to a slashing call on Lance Tabin. Shots are 26-22 KIN.

9:44: Andrew Dommett just scored with 27.4 seconds left to give the Klips a 7-6 win. The puck bounced off of someone up front, right to Dommett at Sirard's left, leaving the tender helpless. Calkins was penalized with 6.4 seconds left but the Klips held on.

Other goal scorers were Shay Neufeld, Sanfred King, Brett Penner, Tim Rollins and Braeden Adamyk.

More later tonight when we get to the hotel in PA.

Tonight's roster

Dommett - Calkins - Adamyk
Duzan - Hoffman - Mysiorek
Gourley - King - Exner
Taylor - Penner - Wasden

Leedahl - Flanagan
Sonntag - Bartel
Tabin - Down

Hellyer

Scratches: Benn, Gerwing, Kissick, Long, Haaf

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On a personal note, this roadie started on a brutal note for me. I got on the bus and everyone was laughing at me. I sat down and Larry pointed to my butt. I looked around and there was a huge hole in my pants, with only my wallet pocket there to hide my right cheek. I just got a new wallet and it hasn't really broken in yet. Somewhere between my apartment and meeting the bus, that wallet ripped a hole in my pants.

I had to gun it back to my place and change my pants.

It can only get better from here.

Game Day.

The day we've all been waiting for is here. The quest for the 2010-11 SJHL championship begins in less than 10 hours.

The team is leaving Kindersley around 3 p.m. and arrives in North Battleford at 5.

I hope to see at least a few folks from Kindersley tonight. Two hours isn't that far to drive for a season opener. I will post tonight's roster when I get it. I'll also do a game blog, but the updates will be a little sporadic because I'll also be busy getting photos for the Clarion.

Turns out ex-Bruins goalie Alexandre Sirard will be between the pipes for Battlefords tonight. They cut Garrett Montour earlier this week and picked up the 19-year-old tender from Estevan for futures.

The Klippers only saw Sirard once last year in a 3-2 home win on Jan. 31. Sirard gave up three goals on 26 shots in a game that also happened to be Scott Hellyer's second SJHL start. Full game summary is here.

This means Stars coach Ken Pearson will have a tough decision to make when Kyle Birch and Graham Hildebrand return to the line-up. Birch is 20 while the others are 19. Which goalie do you get rid of? Personally, I was more impressed with Hildebrand last season, although Birch had his moments too (like that 7-6 OT win over the Klippers on showcase weekend. Birch and Joshua Baker were both phenomenal that night despite all the goals).

One more note before I start my day - I'll be doing colour alongside Brenden Ullrich for tomorrow's game in La Ronge. I did colour a few times last year with Kris Hussey and, as someone with a play-by-play background, I love getting to do it, although it can't replace the thrill of PxP.

See you in North Battleford!

EDIT: I just checked my gmail account (my secondary email) to discover a new email from Larry Wintoneak. Lo and behold! The team roster complete with jersey numbers.

It also includes the team's alternate captains for the year, which had not been released until now. They are Kurt Leedahl, John Sonntag and Braeden Adamyk.


Aside from the new players, the other changes this year are Riley Down moving from #2 to #22 and Lance Tabin going from #3 to #24.

For your viewing pleasure:

Goaltenders


#30 - Scott Hellyer - April 14, 1990 - Brandon, MB
#31 - Justin McDonald - March 16, 1992 - Turtleford, SK

Defencemen

#3 - Jeff Bartel - May 27, 1992 - Steinbach, MB
#5 - David Haaf - Sept. 17, 1992 - Medicine Hat, AB
#7 - Kurt Leedahl (A) - April 13, 1990 - Saskatoon, SK
#8 - John Sonntag (A) - Aug. 13, 1990 - Goodsoil, SK
#20 - Sean Flanagan - May 18, 1992 - Kindersley, SK
#22 - Riley Down - April 30, 1991 - Kindersley, SK
#24 - Lance Tabin - March 23, 1990 - Regina, SK

Forwards


#6 - Kiley Long - Dec. 31, 1992 - Loreburn, SK
#9 - Andrew Dommett (C) - July 15, 1990 - Major, SK
#11 - Taylor Duzan - March 8, 1991 - Saskatoon, SK
#12 - Brett Penner - Nov. 29, 1992 - Medstead, SK
#14 - Braeden Adamyk (A) - March 3, 1990 - Neepawa, MB
#15 - Tanner Exner - April 23, 1991 - Regina, SK
#16 - Johnny Calkins - Dec. 10, 1990 - Kyle, SK
#17 - Ryan Benn - June 19, 1991 - Spruce Grove, AB
#18 - Jesse Mysiorek - July 5, 1991 - Fort Qu'Appelle, SK
#19 - Beau Taylor - Feb. 1, 1991 - Wamberal, Australia
#21 - Pearce Gourley - June 15, 1992 - Saskatoon, SK
#23 - Jordon Hoffman - Aug. 12, 1991 - Major, SK
#25 - Taylor Wasden - Aug. 26, 1991 - Saskatoon, SK
#26 - Justin Gerwing - Feb. 21, 1992 - Saskatoon, SK
#27 - Tanner Kissick - Aug. 6, 1993 - Kerrobert, SK
#28 - Sanfred King - Jan. 14, 1990 - Brandon, MB

Guess tomorrow's line-up

With 16 forwards heading to Battlefords and La Ronge, it's going to be interesting to see which guys actually play. Safe to say we'll see a different line-up for each game as Larry tries to get a look at everyone in regular season action.

The first three lines are more or less set in stone with Dommett-Calkins-Adamyk, Duzan-Hoffman-Mysiorek, Gourley-King-Exner.

After that you have Benn (LW/C), Taylor (C), Wasden (RW), Gerwing (LW), Penner (C/RW), Kissick (RW) and Long (LW) in the mix on the fourth line. Obviously the first three are the returning players, but it would be a little hard to make the final cuts if the new kids all sat in the press box.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to construct the fourth line we'll see against Battlefords. Players must be in their natural positions listed above. Go!!!

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Estevan defeated Melville 6-4 in the first SJ game of the season last night at Melville Stadium. I have a dish, so I wasn't able to watch it on Access, but I did listen to Craig Stein online (great work as always Steiner). Estevan led 3-0 at one point in the second, although Melville had a PP marker called back for being kicked in that sounded like it might have been legit.

On that note, I want to say that Melville has the best-named rookies in the league. Godric Tham. Roger Tagoona. Nuff said.

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I was going to write a brief tribute to Pat Burns in this space after hearing reports he had passed away this morning. Except now it's becoming clear that someone jumped the gun. All the media outlets who reported this have pulled their stories, and numerous reports are now saying Pat is in fact alive.

This from Bob McKenzie on twitter: 

1.  TSNBobMcKenzie 
   
   This from a member of the Burns family: "Pat is surprised to learn he's dead." Pat Burns, as of this moment, is still alive.
    TSNBobMcKenzie 
   
     
   Typical. If Pat were able, he'd call me, say, "Tell those f****** I'm not dead yet" cuz he'd do that after stories of how sick he was.
   It's not the first time this has happened with a reported death, but it's much more likely to happen now that news explodes instantly on twitter. I can only imagine what Pat's family was going through this morning. I don't know where this originated, but this is where the mainstream media has to take a hard look at its pack mentality. Don't report something because someone else did, check it out yourself and report it if it's accurate.
   OK, I'll step down from the pulpit now.
   EDIT: McKenzie says Burns called him and said this: "Here we go again. They're trying to kill me before I'm dead. I come to Quebec to spend some time with my family and they say I'm dead. I'm not dead, far f------ from it. They've had me dead since June. Tell them I'm alive. Set them straight."

Exner expected to play this weekend

Several points of interest this afternoon.

1) I just booked my room in Prince Albert for Saturday night (that's where the team is staying before heading up to La Ronge). I'm excited to catch the first two games of the season, and I've never been to La Ronge (or PA for that matter) so I'm looking forward to that, too. I love going to new places.

2) Larry Wintoneak told me this afternoon that Tanner Exner should be able to play this weekend. I don't think it's 100% just yet, but he seemed pretty confident that he'll be in the line-up.

3) Guess how many forwards are going on the trip? 16. Yeah, that's right, 16 forwards. Dommett, Calkins, Adamyk, Duzan, Hoffman, Mysiorek, King, Exner, Taylor, Wasden, Benn, Kissick, Gourley, Penner, Long, Gerwing.

It's gonna be a crowded bus trip.

Luke Boechler to undergo stem cell transplant tomorrow

This week brought fantastic news for Luke Boechler. The Yorkton Terriers goalie, who has been battling leukemia since January, is scheduled to undergo a blood stem cell transplant tomorrow in Calgary. Craig Stein's blog has the latest update from Luke's dad. It's great to see that Luke is at a stage where he can make some real progress in this battle. I don't know what the timeline is like after a stem cell transplant, but I sincerely hope to see him finish off his junior career at some point this season.

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This isn't a Battlefords North Stars blog, I swear, but they seem to be the only team making moves this week. The Stars have pulled the trigger on a major trade with Estevan, sending 1991 defenceman Dominic Perrault to the Bruins for a pair of Ds in 20-year-old Dakota Johnson, a Nova Scotia product with QMJHL experience, and 17-year-old Nathan Zimbaluk. They also picked up ex-Humboldt blueliner Cade Kimery. Details are on Dan O'Connor's blog.

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I've said before that I don't put much stock in pre-season power rankings, and the Klippers being third in the SJHL rankings released this week really means nothing until they hit the ice. That said, it's good to see them get some recognition. Mike Stackhouse also has a set of power rankings up on his blog and he has the Klippers second behind the North Stars.

Here are the SJ rankings:

1.   La Ronge Ice Wolves. They are the defending champions so why not put them at the top of the ladder. The team may have lost playoff MVP Dustin Stevenson and many other core players that were key to winning, but Bob Beatty still has many players left from last year’s team that would love nothing more than to make it two in a row.

2.   Battlefords Stars. Head Coach Ken Pearson already has a very good lineup with a talented group of forwards including Brett Miller and Colin Phaneuf. They should be near the top of the rankings if not at the top many times this season.

3.   Kindersley Klippers. The line of Andrew Dommett, Braeden Adamyk and John Calkins might be the best one in the league.  This trio will be hard to stop with all possibly finishing in the top 10 in this year’s scoring race.

4.   Estevan Bruins.  Head coach Karry Biette admits this is probably the best team he has had during his tenure in Estevan at the start of the season. The addition of Ben Findlay and Joel Danyluk from La Ronge makes this team a serious contender.

5.   Weyburn Red Wings. The Wings would love to make their 50^th season a special one. If Drew George gets on a roll, he could take Weyburn a long way.

6.   Nipawin Hawks. This team has not done well over the past few seasons, but only three players from last year’s team are not back. It’s a nice situation for new coach Doug Johnson to walk into. The Hawks may have the hottest player going into the season as Tanner Dusyk had four goals in his last two pre-season games.

7.   Notre Dame Hounds. They lose leading scorer Travis Janke, but the Hounds are confident they have enough offensive production to take a serious run at the title.

8.   Flin Flon Bombers. I realize the Bombers are the highest ranked team in the opening CJHL rankings of the year, but they have a major hole to fill with the loss of Matt Weninger.  Matt Lecours, Cory Tyrell, and Tanner Korchinski are solid players in this league and can take their game to the next level. If they do it quickly, the Bombers will rise in these rankings.

9.   Humboldt Broncos. The Broncos welcome back SJHL MVP Andrew Bodnarchuk in goal, but with the Broncos hosting the RBC in 2012, will coach Dean Brockman trade guys like Bodnarchuk, and Justin Buzzeo in order to make sure his team is ready to compete for a national title as the host team in 2012? It’s tough to know what way they will go.

10.  Melfort Mustangs. There is a good mix of young and new in Melfort. How long will it take for Darrell Mann’s crew to gel.

11.  Yorkton Terriers.  They have the goaltender in Devin Peters, but who is going to score. Trent Cassan needs to know who he can count on for goal-scoring and hope that Peters can limit the damage until the answer is found.

12.  Melville Millionaires. The Millionaires are in the same boat as the Terriers. Great goaltending, but who puts the puck in the net.  Jamie Fiesel can perhaps answer that question for me when I visit his fine city Thursday for the season  opener.

Here's what Ian Hamilton of the Leader-Post had to say about the Klips in his season preview today: 

Head coach-GM Larry Wintoneak is stringing a line this season when it comes to his team.


Three 20-year-olds -- Andrew Dommett (who tied for the league lead with 36 goals last season en route to a team-best 60 points), Johnny Calkins (50 points) and Braeden Adamyk (47 points) -- comprise a unit that Wintoneak calls "a very, very dynamic trio."


They're joined up front by vets like Taylor Duzan, 19, and Jordon Hoffman, 19. The defence is led by 20-year-olds Kurt Leedahl and Johnathan Sonntag and 18-year-old Sean Flanagan, while Scott Hellyer, 20, is the No. 1 goalie.


Joining the 15 returnees are rookies like 18-year-old forward Pearce Gourley and goalie Justin McDonald, 18.


"We have to be consistent," Wintoneak says. "One of the things we've talked about as a group is our road record. We had 11 road wins last year. With the group we have back, we have to be better in that area."

Wednesday tidbits

A few news items and personal thoughts as the Klippers get ready to open the season in three days in North Battleford.

First, it's looking like the Klippers will fire shots at Garrett Montour again. He was the Stars' goaltender in the rookie game last week and he didn't look too bad despite giving up eight goals. Now, he's probably going to get the call for the season opener, with both Kyle Birch and Graham Hildebrand unavailable.

Birch will serve the last game of his three-game suspension for fighting Dauphin goalie Brett Willows on Friday, and it sounds like Hildebrand won't be ready to return from a knee injury he's been nursing.

This will be the first time I've seen a third-string goalie start a season opener. Bizarre. You can bet the Klippers will be taking shots from everywhere in the first few minutes.

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In other North Stars news, they have added Vince Sauvie to the camp roster, according to Dan O'Connor on twitter. Sauvie was the main attraction for the West Central Rage in Kerrobert last season. As a first-year PJHL team, the Rage managed only four wins on the season, but Sauvie lit it up. The 1991-born right winger led the league in scoring with 37 goals and 80 points in 42 games. It was a phenomenal feat for a player on a last-place club.

I know the Klippers were interested in Sauvie for a time last season. I'm not sure how much they pursued him. His rights were owned by the Neepawa Natives (MJHL), who traded him to the OCN Blizzard earlier this summer. After going through training camp with OCN, he apparently wanted to be closer to home (Cando SK) so he was sent to Battlefords.

This is a team that's already quite deep as far as forwards go, so it may be tough for Vince to grab a roster spot. 

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During my quick chat with Larry Wintoneak yesterday morning, I asked him about the extent of Tanner Exner's shoulder injury. He gave me the "loose lips sink ships" routine. Normally Larry is pretty good with talking about injuries and how long players might be out - although he never reveals what the actual injury is, which is understandable. I'm going to chalk this one up to the charged atmosphere that comes with opening the season.

If Exner isn't ready to start the season, I wonder what Sanfred King's line will look like. It's a good bet he'll have Pearce Gourley on his left side, but who on the right? My first guess would be Taylor Wasden, as he's one of the few right shots among those bottom six candidates (heck, maybe the only one). Or perhaps it'll be Ryan Benn, who's got a little more offensive creativity and might be a good fit with King if he's comfortable playing his off wing.

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Here are the suggestions for a new nickname for the Dommett-Calkins-Adamyk line:

-Banjo line (Braeden-Andrew-Johnny)

-TSN line - The Scoring Network

-ATM line - Money in the bank

-CAA line (Calkins-Adamyk-Andrew) - There when you need us

I really don't have a favourite, so I might just ask the boys what they think this weekend. That's if I end up going on the bus to Battlefords and La Ronge, which is the plan right now.