The Yorkton Terriers had a rare three point week with a win and a shoot-out loss on home ice.
The points leave the Terriers with a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League total of 22, based on a record of 9-29-2-2, which leaves Yorkton fourth in the Viterra Division, 10 back of Melville. Estevan tops the Division with 54-points, followed by Weyburn in second with 50.
The Terriers hosted Flin Flon Friday, and got off to a good start with first period goals by Brendan Mark and Cole Keenleyside to lead 2-0 through 20-minutes.
Brody Madarash cut the lead in half for the Bombers with the only goal of the second period.
Austen Flaman made it 3-1 for the Terriers with a goal at 14:32 of the third frame, but the Terriers would falter late. Brandson Hein made it a one-goal game at 16:17, and then Caleb Moretz tied the game with a Flin Flon goal with only 26-sconds left on the clock, and their netminder on the bench for an extra attacker.
The game would go to the five-minute overtime, which did not decide the outcome, pushing the game to a shoot-out.
Terrier netminder Ben Laidlaw, and his Bomber counterpart Colten Lancaster would end up being stingy in the shoot-out with only one goal scored on a combined 22-shots. Unfortunately for the reported 542 attending the game in Yorkton it was Bomber shooter Caleb Moretz who had the winner.
Lancaster took the win facing 28 shots, while Laidlaw faced 48 in the loss.
Terrier coach Mat Hehr said he couldn鈥檛 remember a game as a player, or a coach where the shoot-out went so long. He said it was unfortunate for Laidlaw that his teammates couldn鈥檛 find a goal for him.
鈥淗e (Laidlaw) was making big save after big save,鈥� said his coach, adding a loss that deep into a shoot-out frankly felt like a win in a sense. 鈥淚t was just unfortunate we didn鈥檛 get the extra point.鈥�
Hehr said the Terriers looked good early in the contest.
鈥淲e had a great start but I didn鈥檛 think we had a very good second period,鈥� he offered. A better second with a goal or two could have solidified the game, but instead the Terriers let Flin Flon hang around, and the Bombers found a way back late in the game.
Last Wednesday, Jan. 24, Estevan visited the Farrell Agencies Arena.
The teams played through a scoreless first period, but it was only 2:31 into the second frame before Drew Coughlin gave the Terriers the lead.
Kaelan Holt responded 1:21 later to knot the game 1-1 for the Bruins.
Mason Mullaney and Benjamin Solomon would add Terrier goals to give the Terriers a 3-1 lead through 40-minutes, a score which would hold through a scoreless third period.
Ben Laidlaw earned the win for Yorkton in net facing 41-shots, while Matt Lukacs took the loss facing 23.
The win was a rare one in the sense of having a two-goal cushion at the end for the Terriers.
鈥淚 think almost every win this year has been a one-goal game,鈥� said Hehr.
Overall, Hehr said given the Terrier struggles this season taking three-of-four points on the week 鈥渨as good to see.鈥�
The key will be to hold some of that momentum this week, he added.
Up next
The Terriers were scheduled to play in Nipawin last night, (Tuesday), but results were not available at press time.
Friday the Terriers head to Weyburn to take on the Red Wings, then return to the Farrell Agencies Arena to host the same Wings team Saturday.
