After a slow start to the season that has put wins at a premium, the Yorkton Harvest hockey team is trying to turn the corner on their three week road trip to mixed results. With the previous weekend seeing yet another Saturday/Sunday split the Harvest matched the same result yet again, splitting wins with the Battlefords Stars in the North Battleford Civic Centre.
Saturday saw the Harvest win an overtime thriller 3-2 off of two powerplay goals in regulation and a Landon Nichol winner in the extra period to give them the two points to kick off the weekend. Levi Morin tied up the game in the third period on the powerplay providing a rare goal from the blueline to send the game into overtime with six minutes left in the third period.
Spencer Bomboir had a solid game between the pipes making 37 saves and being awarded game star for the Harvest.
Sunday saw the problems return for the Harvest as they were outshot 45-24 by the Harvest en route to a 6-1 loss to the Stars. An 11:00 a.m. start time on the road likely did not help the young Harvest players out, nor did the 13 penalties the Harvest took in the contest. Four powerplay goals in the third period saw Battlefords extend their lead from 2-1 and proved to be the difference maker in the early morning contest. A 5-13 night on the powerplay is likely going to beat you every time and Bombior was hung out to dry in net as he spent pretty much the entire third period facing the Stars powerplay in what was a 26-7 shot differential in the final period.
The good news for the Harvest is that they have earned two wins on a road trip that had the potential to bury them in a very deep hole in the SMAAAHL standings and now have only two road games against the Hounds and Trojans before returning for a three game homestand at the friendly confines of the FAA.
Even better is that the three games are against competition that the Yorkton Harvest can easily contend with. Last place Beardy's Blackhawks will play the Harvest Saturday/Sunday this weekend, while the ninth place Argos will head to Yorkton on Wednesday and sit just three points above the Harvest.
After their dismal start the Harvest now have a four game stretch against the SMAAHL's cellar dwellers in the two Notre Dame teams and Beardy's, if the Harvest want to get out of the cellar themselves, they will need to mount a winning streak in this four game stretch to get back into the middle of the standings table.
