The Yorkton Terriers and Melville Millionaires met in their traditional home-and-home set for New Year鈥檚 with each team winning in their building.
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League split left Yorkton with an 8-24-2-1 record for 19 points, and fourth spot in the Viterra Division nine-points back of third place Melville.聽 Estevan leads the Viterra with 47-points with Weyburn second at 41.
The visiting Millionaires scored a pair of unanswered goals in the first period Monday at the Farrell Agencies Arena to lead 2-0. Damian Bentz at 4:16 and Ethan Kopczyn at 16:17 with a powerplay marker were the goal scorers.
Terrier coach Mat Hehr said getting down two was not good but the team showed composure from that point on. He said earlier in the season being down early the game might have gotten away from his team, but they are playing a more determined game now.
Fifty seconds into the second Kyle Sargent replied with a powerplay goal for Yorkton, and Cole Keenleyside tied the game 2-2 at 4:49.
An unassisted powerplay goal by Tucker Chapman at 16:03 would give Melville a 3-2 head headed to the third.
Cody Bruchkowski would tie the game 3-3 with a goal for the Terriers at 8:54. He would then score the go-ahead and eventual game-winner at 13:34 with an unassisted marker.
鈥淗e (Bruchkowski) has such a great release,鈥� offered Hehr. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so quick. He鈥檚 probably one of the better shooters in the league.鈥�
Bruchkowski said the tieing goal was certainly a big one in the sense 鈥淚t got the guys on the bench fired up.鈥�
Ben Laidlaw would earn the win for Yorkton in the nets facing 39-shots, while Brandon Wells took the loss for the Millionaires facing 29.
The teams had faced off Saturday evening in Melville, where the hometown Millionaires enjoyed a 1-0 lead after 20-minutes thanks to an unassisted goal by Dayton Heino 4:01 into the game.
Shane Sherban made it 2-0 with a powerplay marker 5:20 into the second frame, a goal responded to quickly by Terrier Chantz Petruic at 6:44 to draw back to within one.
But the rest of the game would belong to Melville, beginning with Heino adding a pair in the second, his second on the powerplay to complete a hat trick, and give the Mills a 4-1 lead.
In the third Isaac Embree would add a fifth Melville goal, again on the powerplay to round out a 5-1 victory.
Joe Marcouiller took the loss in the Terrier net facing 28-shots, while Melville netminder Colby Entz had the win facing 24.
Following Monday鈥檚 game Bruchkowski admitted the team came out somewhat flat after the break in Melville, but rebounded on home ice.
鈥淲e came back tonight and put these guys away which was huge,鈥� he said.
Hehr agreed the game Saturday was not the Terriers best.
鈥淚 was expecting a sloppy game (after the break),鈥� he said, adding that was largely what it was.
But like his forward, Hehr was happy by the response at home, especially after falling behind early.
鈥淲e had to play a lot better game coming off the loss,鈥� he said.
Hehr said given the Terriers are chasing a playoff spot the weekend set had a playoff feel, and the Terriers accounted themselves well.
Up next
The Terriers head north to face Flin Flon for games Friday and Saturday.
