The SBAAHL South Division final between the Yorkton UCT Terriers and the Balgonie Prairie Storm could very well be touted as the series between the immovable object vs. the unstoppable force.
The two SBAAHL South Division clubs combined for a total record of 56-3-3 this season with Yorkton going 30-1-0 and the Prairie Storm compiling a record of 26-2-3 (their only two losses coming against Yorkton).
Both teams had relatively easy times in their first two series as well, with Yorkton sweeping both Melville and Estevan aside while the Prairie Storm needed three games to defeat Weyburn before easily handling the third ranked Regina Monarchs in two games.
So something had to give on Wednesday, March 11 at Yorkton’s Farrell Agencies Arena when the two teams met for Game One of their Best-of-Three SBAAHL South Division final series.
However nothing gave early in the game as the two teams skated to a scoreless opening 20 minutes as both goaltenders, Yorkton’s Nolan Maier and Prairie Storm’s Riley Christison, stymied each and every offensive attempt in the period.
The second period saw the visiting Prairie Storm open the scoring 8:10 into the frame when Prairie Storm forward Jake Tremblay put the puck past Maier for a 1-0 visitor lead.
Yorkton’s Kaeden Taphorn quickly responded less than three minutes later with his fifth goal of the postseason to cut bring the UCT Terriers back even however a pair of Prairie Storm goals, one each by Taylor Halbgewachs and Blake Hubick gave the visiting side a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
The third period saw the UCT Terriers once again carry the play, but unfortunately for them Christison was equal to the challenge, thwarting each and every Yorkton attempt en route to the 3-1 Prairie Storm Game One win. Christison made 31 saves for the victory while Maier stopped 12-of-15 in the loss.
The Game One loss, Yorkton’s first in SBAAHL action since the Estevan TS & M Bruins defeated them 5-4 back on November 29, 2014, meant that the UCT Terriers’ next game, Game Two in Balgonie on Saturday, March 14, was a do or die game.
A win and the series continued, a loss and the season is over.
The first period saw the UCT Terriers come out strong, catching the Prairie Storm off guard, causing Adam Herold and Blake Hubick to each take a penalty within the first five minutes.
Unfortunately the UCT Terriers could not solve Christison early on, despite some strong chances by both Carson Miller and Brett Kemp, the latter who was robbed in tight by the glove of Christison on the second Yorkton power play.
A Keanan Sperling cross-checking penalty gave the Prairie Storm an opportunity to open the scoring on the man advantage midway through the period, however the home town Storm could not get their offence set up in the attacking zone as the UCT Terriers demonstrated top quality penalty killing.
That seemed to frustrate an already over emotional Prairie Storm club resulting in Prairie Storm defenceman Austin King-Cunningham running Sperling hard into the end boards moments after Sperling finished serving his penalty.
King-Cunningham received a five minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct.
Christison kept the UCT Terriers off the scoreboard for the first minute of the five minute Yorkton power play, however he couldn’t stop them all as defenceman Kaleb Bulych took the Brett Kemp feed and put the puck past the Balgonie net minder for a 1-0 Yorkton lead with seven minutes left.
Bulych’s goal would be the only one scored in the first period as Yorkton took a 1-0 lead into the first inetermission.
The host Prairie Storm were a different team in the second period, wreaking havoc for the Terrier puck carriers, stealing the puck from the Yorkton players and pressuring the defencemen into making bad passes while the UCT Terriers simply could not get much of anything going in the middle frame.
However Yorkton still managed to increase their lead when dynamic offensive talent Carson Miller put a little fluttering shot up and over the left shoulder of the diminutive Christison for a 2-0 Yorkton lead five minutes into the second period.
The Prairie Storm would cut the Yorkton lead in half late in the period when Benjamin Solomon put the puck past Maier to make it 2-1 after 40 minutes, however that was as close as the Prairie Storm would get as a third period unassisted breakaway goal by Keenan Taphorn with 6:14 remaining in the game sealed the deal for the Yorkton UCT Terriers as they evened the series at one with a 3-1 win.
Christison shouldered the loss, his first of the playoffs, while Maier picked up his fourth win of the second season.
Maier’s play was also one of the biggest reasons the UCT Terriers picked up the win as the Prairie Storm continually built up their momentum from the second period on. “He was solid,” UCT Terrier head coach Graham Garrett said when asked about the play of his goaltender. “The goal that we gave up was a giveaway in our end in the slot and we basically tee’d one up for a one-timer for them.
“He had no chance on that one but he’s been solid for us here for the last few months and you need that type of goaltending in the playoffs and we got it today.”
Garrett then mentioned that his team needs to play much better in Game Three should they want to continue their season. “We were able to escape with a win here but it was a poor effort,” offered Garrett, continuing, “We were individual, we were soft. I thought our heads weren’t in it, our focus wasn’t there.
“We made tons of errors. We had so many giveaways that you can’t even count them.”
Next action
The Yorkton UCT Terriers were in action last night (Tuesday) however results were unavailable at press time. Please check www.sbaahl.ca for up to date results.
