The Yorkton Terriers played only one game over the last week, a road win.
As a result the Terriers remain atop the league's Sherwood Conference with a record of 34-12-1-2 for 71 points, three better than Melville with 68. Yorkton also holds a game in-hand on the Millionaires.
Notre Dame sits third with 54 points, followed by Kindersley with 43, and Estevan with 38.
Weyburn sits in the Conference basement with 31 points.
The Terriers lone action this week was last Tuesday (Feb. 5), when they visited Estevan.
The Terriers scored early in the first when Nathan Murray popped one by Bruin netminder Curtis Martinu 4:43 into the frame.
But Martinu would turn away the next 39-shots.
Meanwhile it would take Estevan until the 10:05 mark of the third to solve the mystery of Dawson MacAuley in the Terrier nets, as Matt Brykaliuk knotted the score 1-1.
The game would go to the five-minute, four-on-four overtime, but the extra frame would be short-lived as Jeremy Johnson scored the game-winner for the Terriers 1:02 in.
MacAuley faced 25-shots in the win.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan said his netminder played another strong game.
"On the road certainly goaltending has to be strong to win," he said, adding on the lone goal MacAuley allowed "there was a little break down in front of the net."
That said Cassan noted "in the first three or four shifts they had some pretty good chances and he had some pretty good saves."
As for the overtime marker Cassan said Johnson again came up big.
"It was a pretty strong effort by Jeremy to score," said the Terrier coach. "He made a good move on the D'man to get by."
From there Johnson went to the net, and as the netminder made a poke check with his stick, "he used his reach to chip it over the goaltender," said Cassan.
Up next
The Terriers host Notre Dame tonight (Wednesday) at the Farrell Agencies Arena.
With a week off since hitting the ice Cassan said he and his assistants "have to do a good job as coaches to get them in shape the next couple of days."
That said Cassan said this far into the season once they get a couple of shifts Wednesday they should be back into the flow of things.
Friday Yorkton heads north to face Flon Flon, then a stop in Nipawin Saturday to play the Hawks.
In other news
The SJHL has announced they have received information from a group at Warman interested in an expansion team for the 2014-'15 season.
Cassan said the announcement did not come as a surprise. Citing the current strength of the provincial economy and the growth of population the likelihood of interest in expansion will grow.
While one team might be easily absorbed into the league, continued expansion could put talent at a premium, said Cassan.
"There's only a certain amount of people in Saskatchewan, and only a certain amount play hockey," he said, adding "and a smaller percentage want to play Junior."
