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KLIPPERS MARCH ON |
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Friday, February 27, 2009
It was an image that no one in the West Central Events Centre will soon forget.
Larry Wintoneak running from the bench and hurling himself headlong onto a pile of celebrating players was the kind of moment that comes from pure emotion.
Johnny Calkins got the party started when he stuffed the puck between the post and Tommy Legault's pad 6:24 into overtime to give the Klippers a 5-4 win in Game 5 and a 3-2 series victory over the Estevan Bruins.
The Klippers now move on to face the Weyburn Red Wings, who won the Sherwood Conference. That series starts Saturday and Sunday in Weyburn.
"I kicked it to my stick right away and I was behind the goal line and (put it in) off his pad," said Calkins on the self-described biggest goal of his career. "It was a pretty big garbage goal but it got the job done."
The best-of-five elimination series ran the gamut of emotions for the Klippers, who came back from a two-goal deficit with under 13 minutes to go, but for Wintoneak, they were all happy ones afterward.
"Drained. Relieved. Happy," the coach managed. "It's a very proud moment for the organization and for the kids that compete each and every day. It was a tough series, no doubt about it. It was a war."
Indeed it was.
After splitting the first two games at home, the Klippers were forced to win at least once in Estevan, one of the toughest places in the league to play.
Things weren't looking good after a 4-1 loss in Game 3, but the Klippers responded with a 6-3 victory in Game 4 - led by a hat trick from Brett Leedahl - to send the series back to Kindersley for Game 5.
And what a Game 5 it was.
Richard Jodoin scored his fifth goal of the series just over a minute into the match after capitalizing on a turnover in the Klipper end. Three minutes later, Andrew Dommett tied it up when he banged in the rebound of a Kendall Holmes shot.
Braeden Adamyk gave the Klippers the lead at 8:19, finishing off a tic-tac-toe play by taking a pass from Calkins, walking out from the corner and beating Legault five-hole.
But just over three minutes later, Brody Haygarth silenced the home crowd when his shot along the ice somehow got through the pads of Ryan Nieszner.
Jodoin put the Bruins ahead for the second time 12 minutes into the second period, converting a cross-ice pass from Josh Elder. Then just over seven minutes into the third period, Chad Filteau made it a two-goal lead to all but clinch the series for the Bruins.
Well, that was what everyone thought.
Justin Perreaux blasted a point shot past Legault with 6:58 to play to give his team some life. And it appeared the Klippers had tied the game about 40 seconds later, but the potential goal was called off due to the net being knocked off.
But with 4:55 to go and the Bruins having just killed off a penalty, Steven Turner stepped around a forward at the blueline, worked his way into the slot and ripped a wrister past Legault to tie the game.
Leedahl believes the Klippers' deep playoff run last year played a big role in the team's two overtime wins against Estevan.
"It definitely comes out in overtime," he said. "Last year I think we had six overtime wins. Our guys know how to win in overtime."
Wintoneak saw that killer instinct kick in after Turner's goal.
"Once we tied it up, we dominated and took control. It didn't matter what (happened), (we) were hungry and (we) wanted it more than they did."
It has been a challenging couple of months for the Klippers, who entered the playoffs having lost 11 of 13 games. But Wintoneak maintained that the team's belief in itself is all that matters.
"We've been under the bus a few times this year. We've been knocked down a few times, but it's the character of the kids that come through. They knock us down, but we keep getting back up and competing hard."
The coach also fired a sarcastic shot at his team's critics.
"Well, we are a one-line team. It's all we have, one line, and one defenceman, and one goalie. They can say whatever they want to say. They'll just keep writing it and we'll keep posting it in the room."
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