After a Division win last Tuesday, the Terriers dropped a pair of shut out losses, but remain in third spot of the Viterra Division with a record of 17-27-1-3 for 38 points.
Weyburn remains atop to Viterra, with 67 points, third best in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, with Estevan second at 53. Melville sits fourth with 30..
On a night when 30 penalties would be called on the two teams, the Nipawin Hawks would use their power play to good effect as they scored three with the man advantage to defeat visiting Yorkton 4-0 Friday.
Eric Bolden would score what was the eventual game-winner 3:30 into the first period with the first Hawk power play goal.
The game would hold at 1-0 until the third period.
Keegan Kjargaard would strike 1:39 into the final frame with the game’s only even strength effort to make it 2-0 for the home team.
Garret Dunlop would score with the man advantage at 7:39, and Kjargaard would do the same at 13:55 to round out the 4-0 Hawk win.
Kristian Stead earned the Nipawin shut-out turning away 23-shots, while Jakob Severson also faced 23 taking the loss in the Terrier net.
“We had a good second period,” said Terrier head coach Trent Cassan, suggesting the first and third were not the team’s best efforts.
“We didn’t get a whole lot of productive play… I don’t think we really challenged very well.”
A night later the Terriers hosted the Battlefords North Stars - the SJHL’s top team going into the game with 74-points.
The first period was a scoreless affair, with the North Stars finally breaking the deadlock when Igor Leonenko scored 12:39 into the second. It was a powerplay marker.
In the third Reed Delainey made it 2-0 at 5:05, with Coby Downs adding a man advantage goal at 14:20, to round out a 3-0 shutout for the visitors.
Tyler Fuhr turned away 32-shots in the Stars net for the shut out, while Matt Kustra took the loss facing 37.
Cassan summed up the game succinctly.
“They (Battlefords) are the best team in the league,” he said, reiterating something he has said often this season “… pretty much every game we go into we are the underdogs.”
“We have a lot of respect for how thus play and how they are coached, and they play that way every night.”
That said, the Terrier bench boss was not down on his team.
“It was a solid effort,” he reasoned. “We blocked shots. The guys stood up for each other. There were some things we did well that we can learn from.”
Cassan said the Terriers often find a way to play well against top teams, finding the challenge the motivation they need as underdogs.
“We’re not the biggest team so we have to be a good skating team,” he said.
Overall though Cassan said when they review game tape there will be positives to build on from the Terrier game, and they can learn some things from the way Battlefords performed too.
“We had a few good chances,” added Cassan.
Fuhr though was up to the chances the Terriers did have, making a few key saves.
“Matt Kustra played real well for us too,” noted Cassan.
Of course there were things the Terriers need to continue to work on, as one might expect following back-to-back shut-out losses.
Cassan said there were too many times the Terriers didn’t make one more move to find some open ice to give themselves a better chance, and instead were going one-on-one, or even one-on-two with a Stars player.
“Support is something we still need to improve on,” he said.
Tuesday action
Estevan rolled into the Farrell Agencies Arena last Tuesday to face the Terriers.
A goal 16:08 in by Brandon Sookro gave the home side a 1-0 lead through 20-minutes of play.
Lynnden Pastachak struck on the powerplay 6:08 into the second to tie the score.
But Yorkton erupted for a trio of goals, Tyler Baier at 9:16, Chantz Petruic at 16:00 and Matthew Perkins at 17:59 to take a 4-1 lead, before Josh Reiger added a last minute goal for the Bruins to make it a 4-2 contest through 40-minutes.
For affiliated player Petruic, up from Moose Jaw of the Saskatchewan AAA Midget Hockey League the second period goal would be his first in Junior hockey, in first game. He would also record two assists for a debut three-point night.
In the third Darcy DeRoose would draw Estevan within one with a goal at the five-minute mark.
Regan Seiferling would add an insurance marker for the Terriers in the final minute to round out a 5-3 home ice victory.
Matt Kustra was in the Terrier net facing 31-shots in the win, while Daniel Wapple took the loss facing 36 in the Bruins cage.
Up next
Yorkton was scheduled to host Flin Flon last night (Tuesday), but results were not available at press time.
Friday Yorkton will be in Melville, with the Millionaires back in Yorkton Saturday for a rare 2 p.m. game time.
Asked Saturday about the importance of the upcoming set with Melville, Cassan said the Terriers can’t look that far ahead.
“We’re going to focus on Flin Flon. Flin Flon is a top team in the league,” he said, adding after Tuesday’s game they will begin to prepare for the Mils.
