Facing all kinds of adversity this year from badly timed injuries over long periods of time, a number of players leaving for different reasons, games where the Klippers outplayed their opponents and still end up on the wrong end of the score, this season has officially ended too soon for a fantastic group of people with the Kindersley Jr. Klippers awards banquet Sunday night. It was an emotional one as for members of the team are officially graduating from Jr. A hockey; Andrew Schaab, Noah Lindsay, Matt Pesenti, and of course Jaxon Georget who shared just how close this team got this year.

"This group is special, we have a ton of character. All the boys are awesome in the room so it's a special group and it really means a lot just to be teammates with everyone."

Georget was the big winner of the night with three awards; the Community Award, Hustler of the Year, and one of the Three Stars of the Year along with fellow 20 year olds Andrew Schaab and Matt Pesenti. He may still represent the Klippers in the league scale as he is in the running for the SJHL's RBC Community Ambassador as he has advanced to the final four voting to just the coaches.

An emotional night all around saw players hugging and chatting for the last time before they go on their separate ways for the summer, and the comradery this team built together is something that Head Coach and GM Ken Plaquin is going to miss. 

"I was going to say this at the banquet actually, but at the end of every practice they would get together in a huddle and they would yell 'one, two, three, family', and I honestly think this is one of the most family like hockey teams I've ever been around. They loved each other and I loved them and it's sad that it's over but it is a very, very special group."

While the night was a celebration of the accomplishments of this team and the graduating players, the feeling was still bittersweet as the Klippers were a team that deserved more than they got this year. At the start of the season they thought they were a championship level team, but that didn't happen with all the different kinds of adversity plaguing them this season, but the sentiment the team is focusing on is how they've set themselves up for the future.

"For any fans out there that were disappointed, we're disappointed too. We're going to come back stronger, better, and faster next year so look forward to that."

Volunteer of the year: Cheyenne Bosch and Paulette Samson

Klippers volunteer of the year awardSamson and Bosch were the front gate workers this season for the Klippers, showing up to every game and helping make sure everything ran smooth on game days.

Klippers Community Award: Jaxon Georget

Community player of the year awardAlready the Kindersley Klippers' RBC Community Ambassador, Georget is now in the running for the Community Ambassador for the entire league and waiting on a vote between the coaches in the league to see if he will earn that title.

Most Dedicated: Noah Lindsay

Most Dedicated AwardWhen not scoring in the shootout to give his team the win, you could often find Noah Lindsay out in the community helping with younger team's practices or shovelling driveways of community members. Often the unsung hero of the leadership group, Lindsay will be a favourite in the community for some time.

Plus/Minus Award: Liam Bell

Plus Minus AwardAlong with his defensive partner Josh Morton, Liam Bell was traded to the Klippers halfway through the season and immediately made an impact. He was the best defensive defenceman the Klippers had, always prioritizing keeping the puck out of his own net with every play he made, and it clearly worked as he boasted the team's best plus/minus.

Hustler of the Year Award: Jaxon Georget

Hustler of the Year AwardKlippers Governer Kyle Adamson said it best when presenting the award to Georget: 'through 102 games in the SJHL as a Klipper, you couldn't count five games off for Georget'. Whenever Georget stepped on the ice, no one outworked him, and he exemplified what it meant to be the captain of the team.

Rookie of the Year: Tylin Hilbig

Rookie of the Year AwardWith the pandemic messing up hockey seasons so that many players didn't get their 19 year old season, Tylin Hilbig was in prime position to make a statement in his rookie 18 year old season. Not only did he lead his team in points, but with seven goals this season in the first 1:30 of a period, he was often involved in some of the biggest moments of the season.

Most Improved Player: Josh Danis

Most Improved AwardIn and out of the lineup this season, Josh Danis' attitude towards the game this year was all about improving himself. After waiting until after the holiday break to score his first goal of the season, he scored a couple more at big moments including a game winner and the goal that set off the entire rink during their Hookie for Hockey game.

Top Hitter: Ethan Hilbig and Cash Arntsen

Top Hitter of the Year AwardAlthough the youngest, Ethan Hilbig was one of the biggest players on the Klippers this season and threw some monster hits that always got the bench up on their feet, and his hit to start the game two weeks ago set the tone for the Klippers to pick up their only win over the Humboldt Broncos. As for Cash Arntsen, unquestionably the Klippers hardest hitting forward this season as well as the most competitive, he mixed it up with a number of fights this year and a couple of them inspired his team towards victory.

Scholastic Player of the Year: Ethan Hilbig

Scholastic Player of the YearBeing the only player born in 2004, Ethan Hilbig finished his final year of high school during the season and you could see his brains on the ice as well. He was smart about how he played, only stepping up offensively when needed while staying smart on the backcheck and poking away the puck for the safe play. 

Three Stars of the Year: Andrew Schaab, Jaxon Georget, and Matt Pesenti

Three stars of the yearWith Jaxon Georget often being the hardest worker on the ice, Andrew Schaab scoring big goals when the Klippers need them, and Matt Pesenti shutting things down in net each and every night, it comes as no surprise that these three were your three stars of the year.

Top Scorer: Tylin Hilbig

Top Scorer awardWhen Tylin Hilbig started to lead the team in scoring early on in the season, it took a lot of people by surprise. As the season went on, that surprise started to fade as Tylin Hilbig found a knack for scoring on the first shift of a period and finished his rookie campaign with 23G-18A-41P to lead his team.
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Top defenceman: Josh Morton and Brayden Koch

Top defenceman awardJosh Morton spent more time this season injured than anyone would have liked, but when he was on the ice he showed the ability to control a game better than anyone, slowing things down with a couple moves to get seperation and slow things down, or the opposite when he'd skate up ice and lead the rush. Koch on the other hand came in partway through the season and ended the season as an assistant captain. A great quarterback on the powerplay and a calming presence on the blueline, Koch has a chance to upgrade that 'A' to a 'C' in his 20 year old season next year.
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Klippers MVPNo goaltender in the SJHL faced more shots than Matt Pesenti, who was often worth the price of admission just for his play alone. Although he won't have a championship of an SJHL Goaltender of the Year award to his name, Pesenti's play has earned his spot next to men like Justen Close as one of the best Klippers' goaltenders of all time.

Coach's Award: Josh Pufahl

Klippers Coach's AwardThe Coach's Award is handed out to the Klipper that is integral to the comradery of the team, and no one exemplified what it meant to be a Klipper than Josh Pufahl. He was always the player that made people laugh, entertained his team, stepped up to help out, got the crowd fired up when he was injured, anything that needed to be done to inspire his team was not off the table for Pufahl, and he'll be welcomed back next season.