Following their 4-3 shootout loss in Estevan Wednesday, the Terriers managed to turn things around with a pair of back-to-back wins on home ice as they downed the visiting Flin Flon Bombers at the Farrell Agencies Arena over the weekend.
Saturday night, in a scrappy contest, the Terriers managed to shutout the Bombers 4-0 backstopped by Terrier netminder Warren Shymko who claimed his second shutout of the season.
Terrier blueliner Blaine Tendler opened the scoring for Yorkton midway through the second period with a power play goal assisted by Jeremy Boyer and Justin Buzzeo.
Kyle McLeod added Yorkton's second goal of the game late in the period assisted by Nathan Murray and Riley Paterson.
Buzzeo notched a power play goal midway through the final period assisted by Clarke Breitkreuz and Tendler.
Boyer rounded out the game scoring with a short handed goal late in the frame assisted by Devon McMullen and Buzzeo.
Terrier goalie Shymko turned aside 30 shots on goal on his way to the shutout.
Sunday, a pair of goals in the first frame and three second period markers did the damage as the Terriers outshot the Bombers 48-32 on the way to a 5-2 win.
The Terriers took a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes on a pair of goals by Robbie Ciolfi and Zak Majkowski.
Tendler and Buzzeo earned an assist apiece on Tendlers goal while Brietkreuz and Struble were credited with assists on Majkowski's marker.
Both Flin Flon goals came in the second period as first Jesse Mychan and later Corey Tyrell slipped the puck past Shymko to tie the game at two.
Boyer notched what proved to be the game winner assisted by Buzzeo and Tendler.
Craig Eisenhut scored the insurance marker assisted by Boyer and Majkowski.
Boyer capped game scoring with his second goal of the night assisted by Breitkreuz and Brant Remenda.
"It was good to play in from of the home town crowd and show them what I could do," says Shymko following his second win at home over Flin Flon.
He was happy with the shutout on home ice as well. Shymko attributes his shutout win to the Terriers defense. "All the shots were outside. It was pretty easy for me. I didn't have to do anything special at all. It came really easy for me," he recalls.
He admits both Bomber goals in the second period were his fault, but he got back on his game and did what he had to do to win the game.
The time out called by the Terrier coach was key to getting back on track. It changed the momentum and gave the team a little breather to settle things down after the two Flin Flon goals.
He says he's content to backup Devin Peters and step up to do his job whenever he gets the opportunity.
Recent Terrier acquisition Jeremy Boyer says he and his teammate Justin Buzzeo were happy to learn they'd been traded to Yorkton. They saw it as an opportunity to play for a team that was really pushing to be a winner. "It feels pretty good to come to a city like this. There are great people here and the organization's amazing," Boyer states.
He says he, Buzzeo and Breitkreuz are playing well together, moving the puck well. "They say when we keep our feet moving it's hard to handle us, so we're going to keep on doing what's working," he says.
The duo is accustomed to playing with a different third player on their line which made it easy for them to adjust to playing in Yorkton. Boyer says it's easy playing on the same line as Breitkreuz who is probably the best third man they've worked with so far.
Buzzeo says the trade came as no surprise to him and Boyer. He echoes Boyer in his delight at being sent to the Terriers because of the great organization here.
It took a couple of games to adjust to a new team Buzzeo admits. But he feels he and Boyer fit in well and hope to keep things going. Playing on a fast, highly skilled line makes them a threat every time they step onto the ice, he suggests.
As the season winds down to the playoffs, Buzzeo suggests it will be necessary to step up the team's game.
He has a scholarship to Ferris State which he accepted in November after committing during the summer. He's already taken three classes to avoid losing a year of college eligibility.
The Terriers have the ability to go all the way this season, Buzzeo suggests. They have great goaltending, a good defense and good forwards. "We're balanced all around. We have those key guys who are going to make the difference in the playoffs. It's not the first two lines, it's those third and fourth line guys that make the difference in the playoffs and score that big goal. We have all the tools. We just have to work and we'll be there," he declares.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan says it was nice to get the first couple of wins in the new year. The season is long with ups and downs. "We were going through a little bit of a down time but our guys kept working hard, stayed positive and got rewarded for their hard work" he says.
Cassan says he went with a couple of starts with Shymko who played well in Estevan. Shymko, who hasn't had too many starts at home, was rewarded for his good effort by starting both home games against Flin Flon. "He played very solid for us all weekend," Cassan states.
Everyone brings a different dimension to the game, Cassan says. The new players have fit in very well. He likes the way Remenda plays with energy and enthusiasm. "He brings a lot of leadership and enthusiasm to the game," Cassan claims.
Boyer and Buzzeo are very highly skilled players who compete hard, working both ends of the ice as well. It takes time to gel with a new team and both are fitting in very well.
In looking at prospective acquisitions, Cassan says he was looking to increase the team depth. "You can't just rely on one or two or three guys. You need guys in different roles that can contribute and we're confident that our guys can do that," he explains.
The Terriers' latest acquisition, defenseman Braeden Raiwet, gives the team more depth on defense, says Cassan. "Just recently arrived in Yorkton, he played a simple game, took the man, played the body and can give us more depth on the back end," he proposes.
