Day one of the Western Canada Cup is officially over and the Terriers can relax for a couple of hours as they have accomplished half of their opening weekend mission with a 4-3 come from behind win over the Nanaimo Clippers. With the unfortunate circumstance of traveling Friday then playing Saturday night and again on Sunday at 2:00 pm BC time the Terriers needed a win on Saturday to make a statement and they did, showing the same hallmarks that made them the SJHL Champs with huge contributions from familiar heroes to get the win.
In the first period the Terriers struck first as Jeremy Johnson picked right where he left off in Games Five/Six, scoring the opening goal of the night off some nice passing with Kailum Gervais on the assist. Nanaimo would get it right back as four year WHL veteran Greg Fraser got the goal for his hometown club to answer Johnson's first to make it 1-1. Fraser's former Prince George Cougar teammate Tayler Thompson got one right back for the Terriers to make it 2-1 before Matt Grant got one for Nanaimo to tie things up again in a period where the Terriers could just not keep the lead. Dylan Baer's tripping penalty would be the lone penalty for the Terriers in the game, but it cost them as it led to Grant's goal in a pretty even period of back and forth action with the shots being 17-13 in favor of the Clippers.
The second would see some chances both ways, but far less action as the Clippers Colton Dahlen provided the only goal of the period on a wrist shot that beat a screened MacAuley to send the Terriers into the third period down 3-2. In the final seven minutes of the game, the Terriers recaptured the magic that they had during the playoffs as Jeremy Johnson took advantage of a Clippers turnover to tie it up, before the captain Devon McMullen gave the Terriers the lead with just under four minutes left to give Yorkton the 4-3 win, escaping a loss before playing Steinbach Sunday.
Dawson MacAuley was incredible between the pipes yet again for the Terriers, making 39 saves as Yorkton was outshot 42-35 by a Nanaimo team that showed they will leave everything on the ice to defend their home ice as hosts, falling just short in the final ten minutes of the third. Kailum Gervais and Tyler Giebel both had two assist nights to add to Johnson and McMullen's heroics as well as Thompson who added an assist on the game winner to make it a two point night. Yorkton will now play the MJHL Champion Steinbach Pistons tomorrow. Steinbach beat the division champion Winnipeg Blues and Dauphin Kings en route to a Cinderella trip to Nanaimo in their first title year as a franchise.
....Other WCC notes. Brooks beat the Surrey Eagles 4-2 in the opening game of the tournament Saturday afternoon. Four different goalscorers led the 54-4-3 Bandits to their 55th win of the season and they will take on the host Clippers Sunday night.
