By Nathan Kanter

All 3 North Stars cut from team Canada West

Dec 7, 2016 | 4:25 PM

Levi Kleiboer, Cody Spagrud, and Layne Young were all cut from team Canada West on Wednesday afternoon, and will not compete in the Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta. this December.

They were three of 60 players who were invited to Leduc, Alta. for tryouts over the past couple of days.

North Stars head coach Nate Bedford said it’s unfortunate all three were cut.

“I feel bad for them,” Bedford said. “I think all three of them went out anticipating they would make the team. I can only imagine how disappointed they are.”

However, having all three back for two games this weekend plus four next week is certainly a plus for a team that has won 16 of its last 17 games.

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“We get to have them back now, which makes it better for us but we would have liked them making that team,” Bedford said. “The consolation prize isn’t that bad.”

There were a number of coaches from the SJHL, BCHL, AJHL, and SIJHL involved in the selection process, including Mike Reagan from the Flin Flon Bombers, who is serving as an assistant coach.

Just three total SJHL players made the team: Brandon Lesko and Cory Thomas from Flin Flon, and Reagan Sieferling from Yorkton.

Five other SJHL players were cut in addition to the three North Stars – goaltender Brandon Wells from Melville, Dakota Boutin from Melfort, Adam Dawe from Notre Dame, Mike Eskra from Weyburn, and Kaelan Holt from Estevan.

Canada West will compete against Canada East and international teams from the Czech Republic, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States.

Meanwhile, for the North Stars, they will host Yorkton on Friday and Kindersley on Saturday.

Then the Bombers are in town next week on Wednesday and Friday, and they will be without Lesko and Thomas.

The North Stars finish up their December schedule with road games in Yorkton and Melville on Dec. 17 and 18.

Nathan Kanter is battlefordsNOW’s sports reporter and voice of the Battlefords North Stars. He can be reached at Nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca or tweet him @NathanKanter11