After a home-and-home split with the Melville Millionaires at New Year's the Yorkton Terriers played host to Humboldt Friday.
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League division leading teams played it tight throughout.
Humboldt took a 1-0 lead through 20-minutes of play on a goal by Adam Zbitniff.
The second frame saw the two teams swapping two goals apiece; Justin Lund and Adam Antkowiak for the Broncos and Patrick Martens and Zak Majkowski for the Terriers.
Austin Bourhis would score an unassisted goal 7:14 into the final frame to tie the game for Yorkton.
The 3-3 score would hold through regulation, as well as through a five-minute, four-on-four overtime.
With the game on the line the teams went to the shoot-out where it took eight shooters before a winner was determined, Kameren Ballas getting the only goal for Humboldt to earn a 4-3 win.
Matt Hrynkiw had the win in the Humboldt nets facing 44 shots, while Kale Thomson was tagged with the loss in the Terrier net facing 36.
Terrier head coach said the Terriers showed something in again battling from behind to tie the game late, but added he would like to see them get a lead.
In the three games since the Christmas break, "we haven't played with a lead at all," he said, noting Friday "We didn't put ourselves in a good spot."
While the Terriers have played generally strong periods, and still haven't found a lead, Cassan said, "tonight was a pretty sluggish first period," adding it could be the rust of the break finally showing itself a bit.
The Terriers played a better second frame and then when a small brouhaha sent 10 players to the sin bin late in the second it seemed to spark Yorkton in the third.
Cassan said while there is "not much of that in the game anymore" based on rules and how games are called, but when they do happen "it can be a momentum swing," for a team.
The Terriers had a younger face in the line-up Friday as Dakota Odgers an affiliated player from the Yorkton AAA Midget Harvest suited up.
"It was a good learning experience. It's a great group of guys," said Dakota, younger brother of Terrier John Odgers. He said the taste of SJHL hockey "was something to look forward to in the future."
Odgers said having a chance to play a game or two is great since he gets a better feel for what it takes to play Junior.
"It really shows you what it takes to be an elite player What it takes at the next level," he said.
Odgers was used in a variety of situations including being on the ice in the last couple of minutes of a tied contest. He said that is one thing you learn playing AAA Midget to an "every situation player."
While Odgers is likely to attend a Western Hockey League camp next fall, he said if that opportunity doesn't work out, returning to play with the Terriers would be his first option.
With the younger Odgers in the line up the Terriers had three brother acts playing Friday. The others being Chase and Brady Norrish and Jeremy and Dylan Johnson.
The one point earned by the Terriers in the shoot-out loss gives Yorkton 52 points and top spot in the SJHL Sherwood Conference based on a 25-9-0-2 record. They are four points up on Melville who hold second place with 48 points, followed by Notre Dame with 47, Kindersley 31, Estevan 26 and Weyburn 24.
Up next
The Terriers were scheduled to play in Wilcox versus Notre Dame last night (Tuesday), but results were not available at press time.
On Friday Yorkton heads to LaRonge to play the Icewolves and will play in Nipawin versus the Hawks Saturday.
