In his first season as head coach of the North Stars, Brayden Klimosko led the team to a division-title, and the second seed overall in the SJHL Playoffs. The team will now play Melfort in the league Final for the Canalta Cup Championship. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

At the helm

Stars’ coach, Klimosko ‘enjoying the ride’ in first season with team

Apr 11, 2019 | 4:58 PM

For North Stars’ head coach, Brayden Klimosko, the 2018-19 season has been a long time in the making.

After spending three seasons as assistant coach with his hometown Humboldt Broncos from 2013-16, and an additional year, last year, as assistant coach with Drumheller of the AJHL, Klimosko said he is enjoying the experience this season has brought. This is his first as head coach at the “Junior A” level, and is just trying to make the most of the opportunity the North Stars have earned this season.

Klimosko, who joined the Battlefords in June 2018, said while the general expectation from around the league may have been for this to be a rebuilding year for the team, the organization itself believed they had what it takes to not only compete, but ultimately contend right from the very start of the year.

“I think no matter what, as a coach, you’re expecting to win every year,” Klimosko said. “I think if you’re not expecting to do that, then you have the wrong mindset and frame of mind for your players. Right from the beginning, I told the 20-year-old’s in June, we’re going to win a championship here, that’s what we’re building, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

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The team posted a 35-13-10 record over the regular season to clinch top spot in the Global Ag. Risk Solutions Division. Now, following victories over Flin Flon and Yorkton, they sit a single series away from achieving that goal with game one of the league final against Melfort just around the corner.

When asked about the key to his team’s success this season, Klimosko narrowed it to a single word.

“Resiliency,” the coach said. “I think the ride has definitely had some rough patches, [and] at the start of the year, it wasn’t very easy, but we [have] gutted our way through it, and we’ve earned everything we’ve gotten.”

The toughest challenge for the team this post-season was during its quarter-final matchup going up three games to none on Flin Flon. The Bombers stormed back with three-straight wins of their own to tie the series. It forced a winner-take-all, game seven at the Civic Centre, that the Stars took convincingly, 4-1.

“Game seven [against the Bombers], there’s a lot of teams that, after you lose those three and are tied, would roll over and die,” Klimosko said. “With us, we were just ready for the challenge; we were up for it, and we were ready to go. We wanted that adversity and we were successful because of it, so it’s a team that’s very resilient and we have been since day one.”

As for the team makeup itself, while his fingerprints are all over the squad’s identity, the coach is the first one to share the praise when it comes to accomplishments.

“I can’t take all the credit; there were a lot of good pieces that were here already,” Klimosko said. “I’m very fortunate as a rookie coach to have all the pieces that were here. Going back all the way from Kevin Hasselberg, who was here four years ago recruiting some of those 20-year-olds, and Nate [Bedford] and Brandon [Heck] the years after that, as well as Wylie Riendeau, who’s the assistant GM; they all have a little bit of a stamp on this hockey team. Obviously we’ve changed a few things up, but overall it’s been a group effort for sure.”

The Stars’ Assistant Coach Rob Holoien grew up playing against Klimosko. The two faced off at virtually every level – from the grassroots stages of the sport, on throughout their junior careers, and even into senior hockey. Despite a bitter rivalry throughout their playing days, Holoien said he couldn’t say enough good things about what Klimosko has brought to the North Stars this season, not just as a coach, but as a man.

“Honestly, we didn’t like each other much [growing up],” Holoien said with a laugh. “[But] it’s actually pretty special to see what the game of hockey does. We complement each other well, and he’s been excellent with me. I’ve been learning every day. Brayden’s won at most every level he’s played, and his leadership shows with these young guys, they really look up to him and listen when he talks.”

Game one of the final will be played Friday, as the Stars welcome the Melfort Mustangs to town at the Civic Centre The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. on 1050 CJNB.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1