Terriers top dogs in SJHL

The Canalta Cup, emblematic of being Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champions, will reside in Yorkton for the next year.

The local Junior Terriers earned the title with a win Sunday in Game 6 of the league final against Humboldt. The win gave Yorkton a four-games-to-two edge in the best of seven affair, and Yorkton's first title since 2005-'06.

With the win the Terriers advance to the Western Canada Cup in Nanaimo, BC. The five-team tournament also featuring the Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia Junior league champions, and the host Nanaimo Clippers, begins Saturday, April 27. The Terriers will meet the host Clippers that night, the Manitoba champions the following afternoon, Alberta the afternoon of April 30, and BC reps May 2.

The top two finishers advance to the RBC Cup in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.

Dawson MacAuley was all smiles after the game as the Terriers celebrated on the ice.

"It's pretty unreal," he said. "I've won in Midget before, but that's so minor compared to this. This is something special."

MacAuley said it was a team victory, noting everyone on the Terriers "has been pulling so hard in the right direction. We worked so hard."

The Terriers entered Sunday's Game 6 up three-games-to-two in the series, and they hit the ice smelling victory.

A minute into the game Patrick Martens found himself alone in front of the Humboldt net with the puck, and promptly deposited in the twine high over Bronco netminder Matt Hrynkiw's left shoulder.

Nathan Murray would make it 2-0, and then Austin Bourhis would score on the powerplay to make it 3-0 before the first period was over.

But the defending SJHL champion Broncos would not roll over without a fight.

Neil Landry would use the powerplay to score Humboldt's first goal of the contest 7:52 into the second period.

Matthew Audette would make it 3-2 with a Bronco goal 2:50 later.

Then in the third Adam Antkowiak completed a Bronco comeback tying the score with a goal at 15:47.

The game looked headed to overtime until the Terriers scored the series winner in the final minute of regulation play.

Terrier Captain Devon McMullen was credited with the goal, but in post-game interviews said it went off teammate Jeremy Johnson.

In the Terrier net MacAuley, who would share SJHL playoff MVP honours with Brady Norrish, faced 32-shots in the win.

Hrynkiw faced 33-shots in the loss for the Broncos.

MacAuley said the hot start was one the team knew would be hard to maintain.

"It was too good to be true," he said, adding the Broncos are a very good team that didn't just give up. "They battled right to the end."

As for the last minute goal, MacAuley summed it up simply as "a great finish."

McMullen said it was what he expected.

"We knew it was going to be a hard fought battle. We knew they were a good team as well," he said.

The win was a huge one for the Terriers offered McMullen.

"The last two times we lost in the championship," he said, adding a home ice win was special.

Brady Norrish said "we came out hard. We wanted it," adding they knew going in the Farrell Agencies Arena was a good place for the Terriers. "We've played great on home ice all year."

As for the Bronco comeback, Norrish echoed "they're a great team. You can't take anything away from them."

McMullen said it was the sort of game you would expect in a deciding game.

"It was back and forth. They pushed right back," he said.

Asked about his announced game winner, McMullen said he simply "shot the puck," and it went off "JJ in front of the net."

Johnson said it was unfortunate "we let them come back in the game," but they still found a way to win. "It couldn't have been more exciting." He added it was a game they knew they needed. " We didn't want to go back there (Humboldt) for Game 7."

That is especially the case for Johnson.

"Winning the last game at home in front of all the fans was great," he said.

Norrish said it was a huge thrill too.

"It's something I'll never forget, especially sharing it with my brother (Chase)," he said.

No one was smiling more when they lifted the Canalta Cup than Terrier general manager Don Chesney. He explained when he was a player in 1972 he lost the championship final to Humboldt, and then again as a GM with the Terriers in 2010 and 2011.

"It's my fourth time to be in the final. What a way to win," he said with a huge smile.

Chesney said this edition of the Terriers was a close knit unit which worked hard to achieve the success, and they did it by "beating the best program in the province."

Terrier head coach Trent Cassan said this edition of the Terriers is a special one.

"They're all great guys buying into the team aspect and realizing what we had to do," he said. "It's a great collection of players that buys into the team aspect."

Cassan said the Terriers let up a bit in the second period. "That's why we had to take the time out. I didn't think our energy level and compete level was there."

The Terrier coach said it was a tough schedule too, playing Sunday, after five periods in Humboldt a night earlier. Fatigue was a factor.

"I think a bit of that caught up to us in the second period," he said.

Norrish was also happy about the co-MVP honour.

"That's something very special too," he said, adding it's not about individual awards. "You play this game for the team." That said the MVP "is still pretty cool."

"It's a huge honour especially to share with a guy like Dawson," he said.

Overtime

Game five would prove to be a long one in Humboldt Saturday.

Matthew Audette would give the host Broncos a lead with the lone goal of the opening frame.

Tyler Giebel would knot the score with the only goal of the second.

And then goaltenders MacAuley and Hrynkiw took over. They held the teams scoreless through the third period, sending the game to overtime.

The first 20-minute extra frame would not decide the contest as the two goaltenders combined to turn away 15 shots.

A second overtime period saw Humboldt fire 12 shots and Yorkton seven, but to no avail as the goaltenders held their ground.

Finally 1:10 into the third overtime Jeremy Johnson notched the winner for Yorkton with the Terriers' 52nd shot of the night.

MacAuley faced 51 in the win.

McMullen said the overtime win was huge since the Terriers did not have home ice advantage in the series.

"We knew we had to steal one," he said, adding they wanted "to do it before Game 7."

Cassan said he didn't see Game 5 as any more critical than any other road game.

"We just talked before the series we had to win one on the road, it didn't matter which one," he said.

Game 4

The fourth game of the series was played in Yorkton Thursday.

The first period was scoreless.

Tyler Giebel gave the Terriers a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the second period.

McMullen made it 2-0 7:19 into the third, but David Miagza replied with the Broncos only goal of the game only 17-seconds later to make it 2-1.

Jeremy Johnson scored at 10:31 to restore a two-goal lead for Yorkton, with Giebel adding an empty-netter to complete a 4-1 win.

MacAuley faced 23-shots in the win, with Hrynkiw taking on 32-shots in the loss.