For Battlefords North Stars captain Kendall Fransoo, the realization that his junior hockey career was officially over was immediate after his team lost to the Penticton Vees in the 3 vs. 4 playoff game at the Western Canada Cup on May 6.
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鈥淚t pretty much set in for all of us that are graduating once the buzzer went, and we were all pretty upset,鈥� Fransoo said. 鈥淲hen you start to look back on everything though, you realize how great a season it was.
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鈥淓veryone on the team stuck together and we worked hard every time we stepped out on the ice. This entire group just clicked right away and we are pretty much like one big family.鈥�
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The 2016-17 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champions officially wrapped up their memorable campaign Wednesday evening as they held their year-end banquet at the Wildlife Federation Building.
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During the event, Fransoo, Connor Sych, Zach Nedelec, Logan Nachtegaele, Connor Logan, Coby Downs, Keaton Holinaty, Reed Delainey and Jared Blaquiere all received jerseys that they wore during the season as parting gifts as they all move on from the North Stars.
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Unlike the rest of the group, Sych is eligible for one more season in the SJHL, but he鈥檚 elected to start his education at the University of Saskatchewan where he鈥檒l be studying kinesiology.
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鈥淎ll three years have been great here,鈥� Sych said. 鈥淚 remember coming in as a 17-year-old and having guys like Nick Fountain and 鈥楩ranny鈥� showing me the ropes, so it was nice to help mould the younger guys and show them what it takes to be a North Stars as I got older.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 been such an awesome experience with this team. Everything from the board of the directors, to the coaches and the fans is of the highest quality.鈥�
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For Delainey, the highlight of his tenure with the team was an easy one to pick out.
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鈥淪ince I came here four years ago this team has had a chance to win it all but we just weren鈥檛 able to pull it out,鈥� Delainey said.
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鈥淭o finally have the opportunity to win a championship it means a lot, especially as this was my final season with the North Stars. To be able to win it for the team that I grew up watching was a dream come true.鈥�
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After winning their second Canalta Cup over the Flin Flon Bombers, which was the first title for the team since 2000, the North Stars finished in fourth place at the Western Canada Cup with a 1-3-1 record.
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While they didn鈥檛 earn a spot at the RBC Cup, the graduating players feel that those that are returning to the team next year can take several things out of the week as they move forward.
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鈥淭he speed of those teams is such a huge factor out there, especially in some of the other leagues where they are used to that on a nightly basis,鈥� Delainey said. 鈥淵ou have to be able to adjust to that in today鈥檚 game and I鈥檓 sure that鈥檚 something everyone will take away from the week.
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鈥淭he experience we got from playing the other leagues was huge as this was the first time this group had been to a tournament like that,鈥� Fransoo added. 鈥淚 think with the guys that are here now, you鈥檒l see them build off of that and have the opportunity to go an RBC Cup very soon.鈥�
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The North Stars will also find themselves in a different situation next year, as they will enter the 2017-18 campaign with a target on their back.
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鈥淚 think the biggest thing I鈥檇 tell the returning guys is that they can鈥檛 be complacent,鈥� Downs said. 鈥淓veryone in the league will be trying to beat them, but I know that with the group of guys that are here, they鈥檒l show why they deserve to be on top.鈥�
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So far, two of the graduating players from the North Stars are set to continue their career at a post-secondary level.
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Downs will be playing for the current NCAA Division III national champion Norwich Cadets, while Delainey will be suiting up for the RIT Tigers in the NCAA Division I ranks.
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鈥淥ur camp starts in August so there鈥檚 going to be a lot of work at the gym in the off-season to make sure I鈥檓 in game shape,鈥� Downs said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long year so I鈥檓 going to take a couple of weeks off to reflect on everything that鈥檚 happened, and then it鈥檒l be back to work to get ready for that next level.鈥�
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鈥淧laying in the SJHL has helped me a lot in getting used to the physical side of the game and I think that鈥檒l help me a lot at RIT,鈥� Delainey added. 鈥淥ne thing I noticed at the Western Canada Cup was that the hitting wasn鈥檛 quite as profound as it was out here, so being used to the physical style of play here with the speed of the college game is going to be huge as I adapt to playing down there.鈥�
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Two year-end awards were handed out at the banquet as Downs received the team鈥檚 top scorer and playoff most valuable player honours.
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It was also announced during the event that a total of $984 had been donated to Telemiracle from CJV the Carpet People and Reed Delainey鈥檚 grandparents through the Miracle Mission initiative that raised money for each of the 39 points that the Edam product put up this season.
