The Terriers have the makings of greatness this year, but despite a 3-2 win Friday night against La Ronge, Yorkton needs to close the gap. Really.
It isn’t the first time this has happened, either. As of late, Yorkton has a hair tearing trend of gaining a strong lead by the second period, followed by the visiting team getting a shot in later in the game, tying it up. Sure enough, La Ronge was bolstered by their first snap goal, then building momentum for a second with no visible fight from the Terriers to defend their lead. Huh?
Hardy souls following the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990s would recognize this pattern, and those old enough to recall may be having more than simply faint echoes of deja vu.
This isn’t, of course, to say that Leafs fans don’t seem to enjoy, at least on some level, the sadism that comes with post 1967 fanaticism, though arguably one could wager that our hometown fanbase does not subscribe to the desire of such fanatical self-flagellism. Surely, we’ve more faith in our team than that. Absolutely, even.
But the Terriers, thankfully, are not the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are a champion calibre team with every capacity to do so again. Hockey really is a game of inches, and when you have a two point lead -- or a lead of any kind -- you have to fight to keep it, even if you’re far ahead.
But this shouldn’t be a subplot from the Ministry of the Faintly Amusing.
The team came perilously close to a textbook case of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory”, and it’s happened a few times already this season. That pattern needs to be sent in the direction of coming soon to a toilet near you.
Mat Hehr is an excellent coach, and no doubt he is telling the players again and again (and again and again, and perhaps again) that they need to really do two key things -- close the gap and keep the opposing team from pushing into their zone, and dial up the fight to defend a lead rather than dial it down. But that advice seems to be going in one ear and out the other in the case of the team, and they really need to be listening to Coach Hehr, here.
Realistically, this was a game that should have never gone into overtime.
The Terriers held a solid two point lead well into the second period, but then, as is wont for this team lately, couldn’t seem to keep up steam after the Wolves upped the ante. Verily, La Ronge tied it up in the third. Yorkton got its winning goal, courtesy Chantz Petruic in a shootout.
Of note on Yorkton’s side is the mighty fine goaltending of the Terrier’s own Ryan Ouelette. Ouelette’s eagle eyes and quick reflexes have made home net a force beholden to those daring to score.
The talent is there. One can see a degree of hesitation on the ice -- all the Terriers really need to do at this point is realize their greatness and manifest that into the confidence they’ve every right to have on the ice.
There weren’t a huge amount of penalties, which was interesting. Yorkton did have a few (it wouldn’t be a Terriers game witnout it -- after all, this is hockey).
Petruic was nailed with a two minute penalty at around 2 minutes in the second period, for which he was promptly benched. Kaeden Taphorn was also sent to the bighouse for committing the same sin, at just under eight minutes in the third, while left winger Brett Legrandeur got yanked for slashing at 9:21. La Ronge’s penalties were a little more interesting - Stewart Pond was collared for a rather nasty cross check, while Jordan Mish took 2 minutes for tripping and Aaron Greyeyes got a 2 minute heave-ho for goaltender interference. Tsk-tsk. Come on, guys. Everyone knows you can’t go behind the counter at 7 Eleven.
A bench call was made for too many men on the ice, served by Nolan Doell.
In short, the Terriers need to provide a little more fire when getting a lead.
So, team: listen to Mat. Close that gap. It’s your ice. Own it. You’ve got the deed, don’t give it away.
If they don’t, well, people aren’t stupid.
Eventually, other SJHL teams are going to capitalize on this pattern and, if that happens, we really are going to see some Toronto style hockey. After all, that’s not what we want...is it?
