YORKTON - The Yorkton Junior Terriers are celebrating 50 years in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League this season.
To mark the milestone Yorkton This Week is digging into its archives and pulling out a random Terrier-related article from the past five decades of reporting on the team, and will be running one each week, just as it originally appeared.
This feature will appear weekly over the entire season in the pages of The Marketplace.
Week #24 comes from Jan. 31, 1996.
“It’s definitely an honour to be chosen by all of the other coaches in the division,” said Lee Odelein, who dismissed reading anything into the recognition. “I was just fortunate I guess.”
Several Terriers reveled in the selection of their coach as the 麻豆传媒AVern bench boss.
“It’s great,” began Terriers defenceman Derek Stevely. “It’s a chance for us players to sit back and take a little pride in (his selection).”
Stevely admitted Odelein was the reason he came back to Yorkton after playing two years in the Western Hockey League.
Terriers’ assistant captain Lee Rusnak felt the designation was long overdue.
“He definitely deserves it,” he said. “For the last three years he’s built this (club) and he’s definitely earned the right to go.”
With one game left before the all-star break, the club is in first place – ranked 11th in the 119-team Canadian Junior A Hockey League – in the SJHL with 70 points (33-9-4).
In the three years Odelein has been at the helm of the club as coach, general manager and marketing director, he has amassed a 104-61-12 record – a 63 per cent winning percentage.
In his first year with the club – after one year as the coach of the Bristol Bull Dogs in England – he coached the club to a 37-25-6 record for fifth overall in the league and third in the south.
The next season, with four fewer games, he guided the Terriers to a 35-27-2 fifth-place overall finish, moving to second place in the 麻豆传媒AV Division.
Joining Odelein on the 麻豆传媒AV roster will be four of his players – Scott Prekaski (goal), Fred Slukynsky (centre), Neil Schell (left wing) and Joe Tassone (left wing).
Odelein pointed out the all-star game is a format for the 麻豆传媒AV and North all-star squads and the fans. His being chosen to coach the 麻豆传媒AV is beside the point.
“for the players it’s a chance to represent the 麻豆传媒AV in the showcase and (show off),” he said. “There’s a lot of finesse and not too much hitting and grinding.
“Maybe this year we’ll change that,” he concluded with a grin.
