It took longer than they would have liked, but the Yorkton Terriers finally wrapped up first place in the Sherwood Conference in the final game of the season, taking out the Battlefords North Stars at home, winning 4-2.
The game got off to a slow start in the first period, with the North Stars kicking off the scoring with Kyle Hall putting one between the posts on a power play, assisted by Braeden Johnson and Brody Luhning.
It was the second period where the scoring really lit up, with Jeremy Johnson putting up Yorkton's first goal of the night, assisted by Kailum Gervais and Tyler Giebel. It was soon followed by Devon McMullen putting one through, assisted by Nathan Murray and Jeremy Johnson.
The Battlefords fought back, with a goal by Braeden Johnson tying up the match. Austin Evans and Kyle Hall got the assist. However, the Terriers answered back with a power play goal from Kailum Gervais, assisted by Brady Norrish and Tayler Thompson. This wrapped up the second period with the Terriers in the lead.
The third period was hard fought, but there was very little scoring to go around. With under 20 seconds left, the Terriers officially ended the Battlefords' chances when Thompson got the puck past the North Stars and it slid into an empty net.
Team captain Devon McMullen says that the team dug in to get the win, and says that the Battlefords were a formidable opponent.
"They're a good team that doesn't quit on you. We knew that was going to happen and needed a little time to adjust, but we certainly did and came back right at them," McMullen says.
It was also a rare goal for McMullen, who doesn't get as many opportunities when playing defense as most players. He says it was hockey instinct that lead to the opportunity and one of the key goals for the team.
He is confident that the team will do well in the playoffs, saying that even though the team has been weak when away in the past, the playoffs make it easy to get excited for every game. He says that the team just needs to keep doing things right.
"You can't be too confident, but you've got to know how you've got to play, and keep doing what you've done the whole year," McMullen says.
Coach Trent Cassan agrees with his captain that the Battlefords put in a hard fought effort, and says it was a playoff-style intensity from both teams.
"I'm certainly proud of the guys for how they dug in and played a well rounded game," Cassan says.
"As a coaching staff, we knew it was going to be a tight game no matter what, so you have to stay the course."
When it comes to McMullen, Cassan says that he played well all game, delivering big hits and taking a few himself. He says that whether or not he's on the score sheet he's a key member of the team, but it was also a good way to end his regular season.
"It was nice to see a guy who doesn't show up on the score sheet as much but has an impact on every game step up and score a big goal," Cassan says.
While the team can afford to take a couple days off now that they have finished on top, Cassan emphasizes that this is just one step towards the ultimate goal. He notes that it's a bit more difficult not knowing who they are playing, but they're going to work hard studying the two teams in contention.
"In two weeks time it doesn't matter where we finished or what our record was, it's a new season," Cassan says.
"I think more than anything it's just having our guys prepared to play our style of play, really stressing that, pushing them hard in practice and having our leaders push each other and enjoy a bit of time off this week," Cassan says.
Finishing at the top of the Sherwood Conference, the Terriers now have to play the waiting game, to see who wins the best of five survivor series between the Kindersley Klippers and the Estevan Bruins. The next action will be on either March 8 or March 9 at home, depending on who gets the win.
