After proving all season that their veteran experience after falling one game short of the 2013 RBC Cup made the Yorkton Terriers one of Canada's best Junior A hockey teams, the Yorkton Terriers saved one final clutch comeback for their final game in the 2014 RBC Cup Final in Vernon, B.C. on Sunday.
Down 3-1 to the Carleton Place Canadians late in the third period the Terriers would find a way to win as they have all season, scoring two goals within eight seconds of each other to force overtime where Derek Falloon scored his second OT winner at the RBC Cup to give Yorkton its first National Championship as a Junior A hockey organization.
After playing four straight "do or die" games in Vernon following losses in both of their opening games of the round robin, including a loss where starting goaltender Kale Thomson was pulled, the Terriers bounced back and rallied behind a winning attitude and plenty of experience in having to find ways to win late. After all Yorkton did win six games in overtime during the SJHL Playoffs in addition to having over 15 players return from last year's league championship team. In the end that experience and veteran leadership would pay off, even though when the game was on the line two non-20 year old players would step up when the team needed them most.
First it was rookie Tanner Lishchynsky getting on the board to put the Terriers down just 3-2 before second year forward and Yorkton product Dylan Johnson would etch his name in hometown history as a local hero by scoring the game tying goal just eight seconds after Lishchynsky, so quick that the national television audience on TSN missed Johnson's heroics in live action.
Johnson's goal would force overtime, a period where the Terriers seized the opportunity and the clear momentum advantage to score 15 minutes into the extra frame when Falloon slid a bit of history through the legs of Carleton Place goaltender Guillaume Therien, handing the Terriers Junior A National Championship glory in what was their fifth ever trip to the annual tournament.
Falloon's game winning goal wouldn't have been possible if he wasn't already a hero in Yorkton leading up to the RBC Final as it was an overtime goal in their final round robin game on Thursday over the Dauphin Kings that allowed the Terriers to qualify for the tournament semifinals where they beat the host Vernon Vipers to take on Carleton Place, who knocked off the Kings in the other Final Four matchup.
As expected, Yorkton's head coach Trent Cassan praised his team's character and attitude in the wake of what was an epic final act to end a two year stretch where the Terriers have provided plenty of late drama come playoff time.
"We've shown a lot of character and always dug deep," Cassan told CBC News Monday morning. "They never gave in and we played right until the final buzzer last night and it really paid off for us."
"It was a very emotional game and it wasn't looking very good there until the end; we were able to string together a couple big goals and then to win in overtime is always pretty exciting and thrilling," Cassan said.
Falloon's OT winner showed the Terriers willingness to dig deep and do the little things to win even with the stakes the highest they have ever been for a group of talented Junior hockey players. Winning the faceoff, Falloon did what his coach has preached for likely his entire stay by going to the net to get in front of Therien in an attempt to distract the Carleton Place netminder or be rewarded with a rebound in front. Falloon made the smart play and the Hockey Gods rewarded him with what is now history.
"I won the face-off, it went back to our d-man, he shot it on net and I just jammed it five-hole," Falloon explained when talking about his OT heroics to the Vernon Morning Star. "I never saw the puck go in as their goalie was in the way."
"I guess I just happened to be at the right place at the right time," said Falloon. "I'm sure any of the boys could have done it. Lucky me, I guess."
The only thing that could perhaps make Falloon's late heroics sweeter is the fact that his goal was scored in what was his final Junior game as the 21 year old sent himself along with a long list of Yorkton Terriers staples over the past three to four seasons out in style with what will be an unforgettable goal.
"It's unbelievable. It's just the best feeling and I don't think I'll ever score a bigger goal than that for the rest of my life,"
Falloon's heroics would not have been possible if not for the heroics of his teammate in Johnson, who redeemed himself after taking a penalty in the late stages of the third period that appeared to be the final blow in the Terriers comeback hopes.
Luckily after some strong goaltending from Kale Thomson and good penalty killing from his teammates, Johnson was able to get out of the box and tie the game just eight seconds after Yorkton made it 3-2.
Johnson, the little brother of former teammate Jeremy Johnson who scored big OT goals to give Yorkton their 2012/13 SJHL title, knew he wanted to redeem himself after his penalty and after the goal felt that it was destiny for he and his teammates to lift the RBC Cup.
"That goal felt great," Johnson told Global Regina. Especially after getting that penalty a couple minutes before that. Getting that goal was unreal. It brought the life back into the fans. After we got that, we knew this was ours."
It is hard to blame Johnson for being confident after scoring the game tying goal, after all the Terriers showed a penchant for dragging games into overtime all postseason long. Winning a high number of games in OT and losing just two of them on their way to the RBC Cup Final. Once in the SJHL semifinals to Humboldt and at the Western Canada Cup to the Spruce Grove Saints.
Captain Devon McMullen, a player who has seen it all in three trips to the SJHL Finals as a Yorkton Terrier including their two recent league title runs, mentioned those OT games during the SJHL Playoffs in clashes with Humboldt and Melville as the beginnings of what developed into a magical run.
"It seemed to just roll all season," captain McMullen said. "We'd get down and even in playoffs, especially against Humboldt, there'd be a couple of games where we'd get down two or three goals and we'd battle back.
"From then on, it just carried on. It's the magic that teams get in playoffs and we just rolled with it."
McMullen, who is from nearby Moosomin but has played his hockey career in Yorkton since his days with in Midget AAA and attended Yorkton Regional High School, mentioned that representing not only the SJHL but the city of Yorkton was a huge motivation for himself as a captain. Wanting to prove the quality of the SJHL as well as to pay the city he has called home for many falls, winters, and springs back being a great motivation to push for a national title.
"The SJHL can compete with any league in Canada and we wanted to show that," said McMullen.
"It was great to do it for Yorkton too because they've been a great community for hockey and for sports. They supported us for many years and it's been the greatest support."
In the wake of winning the Terriers first ever National Championship, a memorable group can now look back on what has been a historic two year run that has been some of the best hockey the city of Yorkton has ever seen. Back to back SJHL titles, two straight Western Canada Cup appearances and a 2014 Western Canada Cup title as well as their long awaited RBC Cup crown that took five tries to achieve. Throw in a second place regular season finish in the SJHL in 2012/13 as well as this year's best record, a dominant home ice winning percentage, national award nominations and NCAA D-I scholarships for the key players along the way, and it is hard to argue that the 2013/14 Terriers may go down as the best group of players ever assembled in the Yorkton Terriers organization.
Several players will be ending their Junior careers at the peak. From the captain in McMullen, to Yorkton born starting goaltender Kale Thomson as well as star forward Tayler Thompson as well as the talented Norrish twins who all went into their final seasons with the mission to make their final season a memorable ride.
Playing as long as possible is the dream of any Junior hockey team and for the first time in franchise history the Yorkton Terriers lived that dream to an RBC Cup.
For a city that has embraced their hockey team for generations, a first ever and long awaited Junior A National Championship will not be quickly forgotten.
