After going 7-3-3 in their last 13 games, the Yorkton Harvest heads into the New Year with momentum in their favour.
"We definitely have gained some momentum in our last month and a half," says Harvest head coach Jeff Odgers. "Our power play is clicking, we've got some good goaltending, and a lot of our guys are stepping up when we need them to."
The Harvest now sits eighth overall in the Saskatchewan AAA Midget Hockey League, one-point up on the ninth-place Saskatoon Blazers and one-point back of the Notre Dame Argos for seventh spot.
With 17 games remaining on their schedule, it will be a dogfight with the Blazers and Argos for the last-two playoff spots.
"The Blazers and Argos are good teams and we will have to work hard to edge one of them out for the seventh spot or that last playoff spot," says Odgers. "We know we can do it. We just need to keep on working and keep on sticking to our game plan."
The Harvest would be in a lot better shape in the standings if it wasn't for their poor 2-7-1 start. The midget hockey club's poor performance straight out of the gate can be partially blamed on a handful of different issues, from injuries to rookies learning the ropes.
"We really struggled to get going early in the year," says Odgers. "We had some injuries and some of our guys weren't here to start the year. We also had guys in their first year of AAA hockey that were learning the league. It was a learning process for them."
As the year went on, several players stepped up for the Harvest to help end their first half of the season on a bright note.
"Our goaltending has been key to our success," says Odgers. "Carson Bogdan and Spencer Bomboir have really came up big for us, making a lot of key saves."
"Ethan Bear has been strong for us on the back end. He plays with such poise and confidence. He has made countless breakout passes and takeaways that have got us out of our own end when we really needed to."
"Up front, our leading goal scorer Lynnden Pastachak has scored some big goals. He has also done a lot more than just score goals, too. He plays hard in his own end, blocks shot, and is a leader in the room."
"Jaden Kreklewich has also scored a lot of key goals. He plays hard and really opens up opportunities for us."
Past the Harvest's star performers, Odgers also notes several depth players have stepped up big in crucial situations, including Logan Herchak and Landon Nichol.
"I've really liked how Logan Herchak has played for us," he said. "He's a rookie and I really like how he's improved since making the team. And I like how he's played against other teams' top players; he has been a strong two-way guy for us."
"Landon Nichol has been a steady player for us. He plays strong in our end and has scored some really big goals for us recently, too."
The 10-13-2-2 Harvest opens the New Year with three consecutive home games in the Farrell Agencies Arena. They play the Tisdale Trojans on Jan. 5, followed by matches against the Moose Jaw Generals the following day and the Argos on the ninth.
