North Stars’ road to the final

“If you’re not expecting to [win a championship], I think you’ve got the wrong mindset and the wrong frame of mind for your team,” Klimosko said. “Right from the beginning, I told the 20-year-old’s back in June, we’re going to win a championship here; that’s what we’re building, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Klimosko believes the team’s success this season can be attributed greatly to their ability to handle adversity with a positive outlook, and bounce back when faced with tough circumstances, singling out a couple of late-season occurrences in mid-late January that saw the team endure some hard hitting losses, that were great tests of character.

The one stretch in particular the coach referenced was from Jan. 22 to 26. Following a four-game winning streak to take the division-lead for the first time during the season, the Stars returned home on the 22^nd for their lone game of the month at the Civic Centre. The team lost to Kindersley 6-0 that night, falling to second in the division, followed by back-to-back heartbreakers the 25^th and 26^th to Flin Flon, to close out the month third in the division and seventh overall.

Rather than letting things snowball, the North Stars banded together to rattle off an 8-1-1 record through February before going a perfect 3-0 in March to return to top spot in the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division just in time to clinch the division title with an overtime win in the final game of the year against Kindersley and ride into the playoffs as the hottest team in the league.

In the first-round against Flin Flon however, there was further adversity dealt when – after three-straight wins to open their quarter-final, best-of-seven series with the Bombers – the Stars lost the next three games. This included a triple-overtime defeat in game five to bring the series back to the Civic Centre with the team’s season at stake.

Rather than let the pressure get the best of them, the team came together once again, to rise to the occasion and dominate the seventh game, taking the contest 4-1, the final.

“In game seven [against Flin Flon] there are a lot of teams that I think, after you lose those three straight, could easily roll over and die,” Klimosko said. “But with us, we were just ready for the challenge. We were up for it and we were ready to go, and we were successful because of it.”

After going up 3-0 in their following semifinal series with the Terriers, the Stars also showed that they had learned from their experience, taking no chances as the team beat the Terriers 3-0 in game four to complete the series sweep.

The North Stars are now looking to make the most of their time in-between series’, as the team awaits their finals opponent, whichever of Estevan or Melfort wins their semifinal series, currently tied at two games’ apiece.

As for which of the two teams the coach would rather draw, Klimosko said he doesn’t have a preference so long as the series goes the distance.

“It doesn’t really matter; both teams are made differently and win different ways, but either one is going to be a tough one for us and we’re ready for the challenge,” he said. “I think the one thing we’re hoping for is a lot of overtimes and that it goes seven games.”

Game one of the Canalta Cup Finals will be played Friday, April 12 at the Civic Centre. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. on NAPA North Stars Hockey.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

North Stars’ road to the final

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