Slow starts and penalties have been an issue for the Kindersley Jr. A Klippers so far this season, and both problems were present in the first period against the La Ronge Ice Wolves on Wednesday. The Klippers came back strong in the second and third, but ultimately the Klippers fell short in a 5-3 loss.

In the first period, the Klippers for once got the first opportunity on the powerplay just under five minutes in, but it wouldn't go well as the Klippers would give up a shorthanded goal that Matt Pesenti would probably like back. Daxton Lang was able to get down the ice on a breakaway and he head faked before sliding the puck through the fivehole, and Pesenti immediately looked to the sky after the fact with 31 seconds left on the man advantage.

Pesenti made a quick save after the powerplay on a two on one, and his team went the other way with the puck on a 2-on-0 break with Austin Lamotte in possession of the puck and Charles Obobaifo open on the left, and with a quick pass, Obobaifo one timed it for his team leading fourth goal of the season just 1:08 after the Ice Wolves broke the ice.

End to end action continued as the Klippers went on the penalty kill and Matt Mazzocchi was denied on a shorthanded breakaway, and the Ice Wolves powerplay came back up the ice and scored when Brandon Della Paolera looked like he was going down into the corner, but then shoveled a pass into the traffic piled up in the slot and Gavin Mattey swatted at it to retake the lead for the Ice Wolves just past the halfway mark of the period.

With seven minutes left in the period, Matt Mazzocchi was nabbed for checking from behind and ejected from the game, leaving the Klippers with five minutes of penalty kill without one of their best penalty killers. With only four seconds left in the man advantage, the Ice Wolves extended their lead. Cash Arnsten had a big shot block for the Klippers but the puck bounced back to the Ice Wolves forward Aaron Greyeyes on the right point. He passed to the middle of the blue line for Cole Chauvette and he took a slapshot the Pesenti couldn't see until it was too late.

After 1: Klippers 1 - 3 Ice Wolves, shots 17-11 Ice Wolves

The Klippers locked things down defensively and kept the offence up in the second period. The started to generate chances on two powerplays in the first five minutes of the period, but couldn't get anything past Xavier Cannon. At the other end, Pesenti had another robbery on the breakaway when Nolan Doell tried to sneak a backhand short side and Pesenti kicked out the pad.

After killing a penalty of their own, the Klippers finally got on the board again with less than four minutes in the period left. On the powerplay, Austin Lamotte finally scored his first of the game when Aiden Bangs sent the puck into the corner for Lamotte to pick up. He stepped up front and tried to find a cross ice pass, but he hit an Ice Wolves stick and the puck bounced right back to Lamotte. With Cannon already sliding left for the onetimer, Lamotte potted his own rebound and made it a one goal game.

Less than two minutes later, it was a tie game. On a 2-on-1 with Cash Arnsten on the right and Carson Baylis on the left, the puck was chipped ahead into the skates of an Ice Wolves defender who quickly tried to clear it. Arnsten knocked it down and got around the flat footed defender, then centred the puck for Baylis who tipped the puck home to tie it up.

After 2: Klippers 3 - 3 Ice Wolves, shots 24-24 even, 13-7 Klippers in the period

In the third, neither team took a single penalty and both went back and forth at either end. Pesenti had another good save on a 3-on-2 when he stopped a cross ice wrist shot from Aaron Greyeyes. Charles Obobairfo had a chance for the Klippers about five minutes in tight but fanned on the puck before falling and swiping the puck towards an open cage, but sent it wide. Mason Svarich also had a chance from the same spot as Obobaifo, in tight right side of the net, but was just barely denied by the blocker. All of this happened as part of a seven minute stretch that didn't see a single whistle until the Klippers went offside with 11:26 left in the period.

After that offside, the Ice Wolves won the faceoff and slowly brought the puck up towards centre on the stick of Aaron Greyeyes. He slowed up as he crossed the blueline, freezing the defender in front of him and passing it ahead for Tristan Lambert, who rifled a shot short side to beat Pesenti and give the Ice Wolves the lead with half the period left.

The Klippers pulled their goaltender with about two minutes left and were able to generate a couple shots, but nothing especially dangerous. The Ice Wolves put a bow on the game with an empty net goal from Aaron Greyeyes, and the Klippers end up with the loss in a very fun game that came down to just two mistakes in the first period.

FINAL: Klippers 3 - 5 Ice Wolves (EN), shots 35-34 Ice Wolves, 11-10 Ice Wolves in the period

The Klippers have Thursday off to travel to Flin Flon where they will finish up a six games in eight days stretch with a double header Friday and Saturday at the Whitney Forum against the Bombers.