The Terriers started the week well with two wins over Estevan, then dropped a pair at the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's annual Showcase Series.
The week's work left the Terriers with a record of 6-8 for 12 points, tied with Weyburn for third in the SJHL Sherwood Conference. Estevan sits atop the Sherwood with 16 points, with Melville second with 13 points. Notre Dame has 11 points, with Kindersley trailing the pack with seven.
At the Showcase held in Estevan this year, Yorkton met Battlefords Friday.
Dawson MacAuley had his third start in the Terrier nets and for the third game allowed five goals, this time on 29-shots.
While the Stars pumped in five goals, the Terriers responded with two, Jamie Vlanich and Brady Norrish with his first marker of the season.
On Sunday, Yorkton played Estevan.
The Bruins led 1-0 after 20-minutes on a goal by Connor Milligan.
After two periods, the score was tied at 2-2. Zak Majkowski and Brent Struble scored for Yorkton, while Ben Johnstone for Estevan.
Dylan Smith scored the game-winner for the Bruins in the third.
Warren Shymko was back in the Terrier nets, facing 32-shots in the loss.
Two wins over Bruins
Yorkton and Estevan also hooked up for back-to-back league games last Tuesday and Wednesday, the Terriers won both.
In Tuesday's affair in Estevan, Kale Thomson became the fourth netminder to start a game for the Terriers this season. He faced 38-shots in earning a 4-1 win, being beaten only by Ben Johnstone on the powerplay in the second period.
Meanwhile the Terrier offence accounted for period leads of 1-0, 2-1 and finally 4-1.
Jeremy Johnson led the attack with two goals, with Riley Paterson and Jamie Vlanich adding singles.
A night later, the teams took to the ice at the Farrell Agencies Arena in Yorkton.
The Terriers again took period leads of 1-0, and 2-0, until the Bruins exploded for three goals in three-minutes in the dying minutes of the second period to go up 3-2.
Thomson would hold the Bruins off the board in the third, while the Terrier offence scored three to secure a 5-3 win.
Thomson faced 34-shots in the victory.
Johnson was again the offensive catalyst with a hat trick and four points. Linemate Brent Struble scored his first of the season after missing the first part of the campaign with an injury. Both scorers were aided by a four-assist effort by third linemate Zak Majkowski.
Paterson contributed the other goal to the win.
After the home game, Thomson said he was happy to finally get an SJHL start under his belt.
"It feels pretty good. I've been waiting a few years for this opportunity," he said, adding it was good to get to play in front of the hometown fans.
He added the games were a chance " to show them I can play."
While he notched the wins in net, Thomson was quick to share the success noting "the guys played pretty good in front of me."
As for the lapse in the second that saw the Bruins score three in rapid succession, Thomson admitted there were some breakdowns in front of him.
"It happens We just let up for a couple of minutes on the second period," he said, adding the team made up for it in the third coming back for the win.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan said Thomson "played well," in the two wins, adding Thomson has been a good team player working hard in practice as he "waited for his opportunity."
For Johnson, the hat trick was a big one.
"It feels really great," he said, adding that he couldn't say any of the games were highlight film material, but a case of going to the net and making things happen.
That may have been the case for the first two goals, but the third was a long shot late in the game into an empty net, a shot that had it missed would have iced the puck giving the Bruins a face-off in the Terrier end.
"I knew if I missed the net I'd be in so much trouble," he said, adding he had been hitting the net from that spot in practice, so took the shot.
Cassan likes the way Johnson approaches the game in terms of offence.
"The thing about Jeremy is he wants to score goals," said the Terrier head coach.
"He has good instincts on offence to go to the right places. He's not afraid to shoot the puck."
Up next
The Terriers host Notre Dame at the Farrell Agencies Arena tonight (Wednesday).
Yorkton heads to Humboldt for action Saturday, with the Broncos making a return visit next Tuesday (Oct. 25).
