From the outhouse to the penthouse: small Sask. college battling for hockey title

It's a very Saskatchewan story — a small school with a lot of pride and a robust sports program.

Briercrest College and Seminary is a small Christian college in Caronport, Sask., about 85 kilometres west of Regina.

After decades as basement dwellers in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), the school's Clippers men's hockey team finished this year's regular season in first place and is headed into the playoffs as a legitimate contender.

Success hasn't been easy, but with the help of alumni, school staff, students and the small town of Caronport, winning has become contagious.

"Funny thing is, I've actually heard people say they don't want to stop at one," said team captain Jacob Arsenault. "They want two banners, so we'll see.

"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves."

The men's hockey team was formed in the late '50s and had a lot of success through the years. But then the school joined the ACAC before the 1997-98 season.

It was a rude awakening. The team struggled, including losing back-to-back games 12-0 and 12-1, both to Mount Royal.

Jamie Ramer was on the team that first year in the ACAC.

"That was a big jump, a big transition for us," said Ramer, who returned to Briercrest in 2014 as head coach and is now assistant athletic director.

"[We] had a great group of core guys committed to it, but [it was] a real eye-opener, that first game in Mount Royal at the time. They shellacked us pretty good."

The Clippers won just 13 games in the first eight seasons in the ACAC and for 24 years never won more than 10 games in a season.

Last year, after 24 seasons of building, the team finally produced a record above .500.

It was Sam Klassen's first year as head coach.

"There's a lot of excitement around the program,"