The Yorkton Terriers played three games at the Farrell Agencies Arena, but home ice was not an advantage, as the Terriers lost all three Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League match-ups.
The losses dropped the Terrier record to 7-4-1-2 for 17-points, still tops in the SJHL Sherwood Conference as of Monday.
Estevan sits second with 14 points, and three games in-hand on Yorkton. Kindersley sits third with 12 points, followed by Weyburn with 10, Notre Dame with nine, and Melville with seven.The first of the losses came last Tuesday, Oct. 12.
Weyburn took a 2-0 lead to the dressing room after the opening period on goals by Shawn Cowie and Brock Appleyard.Zak Majkowski scored the only goal of the second period for Yorkton.
But in the third it was again the Wings who hit the scoreboard, adding two unanswered goals for the 4-1 win. Cole Klippenstein and Drew George scored the Wing goals.
Warren Shymko was in the Terrier net for the loss, facing 30-shots.
Wednesday with the Estevan Bruins at the Farrell Agencies Arena, the Terriers would take its second loss.
Estevan led 1-0 after 20-minutes on a goal by Ben Findlay, but it would be the second period in which the Bruins outscored Yorkton 5-1.
Matt Dochylo, Cole Olson, Mark Cross, Tyler Spencer and Findlay scored for Estevan, while Robbie Ciolfi replied with Yorkton's only goal of the frame.
In the third, Ciolfi would score twice more for a natural hat trick in the loss, with Findlay adding his third for a Bruin hat trick to round out the 7-3 game.
Peters would start the game in the Terrier nets, with Warren Shymko playing the third.
Saturday it was a repeat of last season's SJHL final as LaRonge was in the city.
The Icewolves scored the only goal of the first period, and it would prove the difference as the teams traded goals in both the second and third periods to give LaRonge a 3-2 win.
Travis Eggum scored in the first and third periods for LaRonge, with Nolan Souchotte scoring in the second.
Yorkton had goals from Clarke Breitkreuz and Ciolfi in the loss.
Peters faced 26-shots in the loss in the Terrier nets.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan said the reason behind the three losses was not easily defined.
"It's hard to pinpoint one thing," he said.
Certainly the Terriers are a team with a decidedly different line-up from last season, and all the changes may finally be a factor as the team settles into the season.
"We have a high turnover rate of players from last year," said Cassan, adding that means players adjusting to new linemates, and systems, which can take time.
Cassan said ultimately everyone has to contribute.
"The way we play we use everyone," he said, adding there are players he knows don't feel they have "played fully up to their potential yet." The Terrier coach noted "they all expect a lot out if each other."
The changes are significant on the blueline where Drew McDermott and Clarke Byczynski have been lost to trades, Austin Bourhis is in the Western Hockey League and Kurtis Decker is on the shelf for several weeks with an injury. With the team allowing 15 goals in the three losses, the defensive changes could be an easy scapegoat, but Cassan said that is not the case.
"It's a different group of guys from last year, but they're definitely shown some promise from new guys on the back end," he said.
Cassan said the Terriers had had a strong start to the season, and losses were going to come at some point.
"There are ups and downs in a season," he said. "We've enjoyed some ups, and now we're going through some downs."
It's a situation where no game is a guaranteed win in the SJHL, said Cassan.
"We talk about the league being so even. There's a lot of parity," he said.
That parity translates into a need to attack every game hard. He said it's not just a night a team can't take off, but they can't afford to take a shift off because it could be the difference between a win and a loss.
While the losses were disappointing, Cassan said it is part of the learning process for a team early in the season, and is a step toward the simple goal to keep improving as the season progresses.
One positive in the losses was that the Terriers did score late to stay in the games, offered Cassan.
"We struggled this week but the guys haven't given up on things, or quit," he said. " We scored some goals late in games to give ourselves a chance."
Up next
The Terriers hit the road for nearly a month, starting tonight (Wednesday) in Kindersley, moving on to play Battlefords Thursday.
Tuesday Yorkton travels to face the Nipawin Hawks.
The three games are the first of nine straight on the road for the Terriers.
Cassan said time on the road could be a positive in terms of team building.
"We're anxious to get on the road," he said. " There's always less pressure on the road."
Spending time on the bus and in hotel rooms also helps players get to know each other better.
"You can come together on the road," said Cassan.
And, from a hockey perspective a long stretch on the road will show something too, said Cassan.
"We'll see what kind of character we have," he said.
