It was only a single goal, but it was enough to keep the Yorkton Terriers from a berth in the upcoming Royal Bank Cup.
The Terriers were in the survivor final Sunday at the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup against the Brooks Bandits champions of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
After a scoreless first period, Mark Logan of the Bandits scored at 11:27 of the second period. The marker would prove the game's only goal as Brook's goaltender Michael Fredrick would turn away all 23 Terrier shots and by so doing ended Yorkton's RBC dreams.
Dawson MacAuley would face 20-shots in the season-ending loss.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan said Monday, minutes before climbing on the airplane at Victoria, the two teams played a similar style and that led to "pretty intense," games against the Bandits.
As for the 1-0 loss, Cassan said sometimes a game comes down to a bounce, and they didn't come to the Terriers Sunday.
But he was pragmatic noting such things do tend to even out.
"Looking back when you win your league you have to get a few bounces. To come out of our league we got a few of them," he said, adding maybe they used them up on the road to the Sunday's game.
That said, Cassan was not unhappy with how his team played.
"Certainly wasn't from a lack of effort, or chances," he said.
Cassan added they played Sunday with a fair number of bruises.
"Some guys played that in any other situation probably wouldn't have," he said, but added that is a reality of playing six games in nine days. "But they dug in and played."
Cassan the "compete level" for the Terriers was there in the final as it was for the entire week in Nanaimo.
Asked if he was disappointed the format changed from where the Terriers could have advanced by winning the ANAVET Cup over Steinbach which failed to win a game in Nanaimo.
"You take what's in front of you. You can't look back," he said.
As for the Western Canada Cup format, Cassan said he was "a little surprised with the attendance." The rink was not even full in the semi final game against the host team. He said with the size of the city and how nice the facility was, he thought more people would have been in the seats.
"It was very good hockey. All the teams represented their communities and leagues well."
So does coming so close make Cassan want a return shot when Dauphin Hosts the Western Canada Cup in 2014?
"Right now I just want to unwind and reflect on the year," he said, adding even with Sunday's loss it has been a hugely successful one for the Terriers.
"Anytime you win a championship it's something you never forget," he said, adding this year's team did whatever they had to to win.
"That's why we were successful. The guys competed and knew whatever they did was for the sum of the team, not the individual."
The Terriers, third after round robin play, had earned their way to Sunday's game by a semi-final win over fourth place Nanaimo.
In the game against the host Clippers the Terriers fell behind 2-0 in the first period as Christopher Rygus struck at 2:54 and Greg Frasier added an unassisted marker 11 seconds layer for Nanaimo.
Tyler Giebel would use the powerplay to reply with a goal at 10:38 of the first.
Devon McMullen tied the game at 4:18 of the second on the powerplay, and then Dakota Odgers gave Yorkton a 3-2 lead at 9:39 of the frame.
The lead was short-lived as Josh Bryan used a Clipper powerplay to send the teams to the dressing rooms tied 3-3 after 40-minutes.
Kailum Gervais would score the eventual game-winner for the Terriers 14:30 into the third, with Jeremy Johnson adding an insurance marker late in the game.
MacAuley faced 38-shots in the win.
The Bandits, first in round robin play had been dropped to Sunday's game losing 4-1 to Surrey in semi final action. The win by Surrey, champions of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League, put the Eagles in the RBC tournament.
The Terriers had lost in round robin play to both the Eagles and Bandits.
Last Thursday the Eagles defeated Yorkton 3-1.
The Eagles enjoyed period leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-1 as Nathan Murray had Yorkton's lone goal.
MacAuley faced 25-shots in the loss.
"Surrey had a very skilled team. They were very good with the puck," said Cassan.
On Tuesday, April 30 it would take overtime to decide the round robin game between Yorkton and Brooks.
RJ Reed scored early in the first on the powerplay, and Murray tied the game late in the third.
Overtime would last 12:56 when Shane Pilling scored the game-winner for the Bandits.
MacAuley faced 42-shots in the game.
Surrey and Brooks will head to Summerside, PEI for the RBC.
The rest of the field includes Minnesota, Truro and host Summerside.
The Minnesota Wilderness "of the Superior International Junior Hockey League, were 51 of 56 regular season games and setting an SIJHL for wins and points in a season before cruising to a third straight league playoff championship, beating the Fort Frances Lakers in six games in the final.
Summerside claimed the Maritime Hockey League's regular season and playoff championships, winning their third league title in five years thanks to a 12-1 postseason record," detailed the RBC website.
"Winners of 36 of their last 38 games entering the Fred Page Cup in Truro, N.S., the Western Capitals opened with victories over Cornwall and Longueuil, but a loss to Truro in the preliminary round finale meant Summerside would have to take the long way to the regional title. The Western Capitals scored their second 1-0 win over Cornwall in four days in the semifinal, but would come up short in double overtime against the host Bearcats in the final,
"Truro played second fiddle to the Summerside Western Capitals, but the Bearcats will be right there beside the RBC Cup hosts when the puck drops at Canada's National Junior A Championship. After finishing with the Maritime Hockey League's second-best regular season record, behind the Western Capitals, Truro reached the MHL final, where it fell in five games, to the Western Capitals. The Bearcats, however, would get another shot at Summerside, as they played host to the Fred Page Cup. A combined 2-7 in their three previous appearances at the East Region championship, Truro beat Longueuil, Cornwall and Summerside to clinch first place and earn a bye to the final. A Western Capitals overtime win over Cornwall in the semifinal assured the Bearcats of an RBC Cup berth, but they finished the regionals in style, getting a double overtime winner from Philip Fife to beat Summerside for the second time in three days and send Truro to the national championship as regional champions."
