The Yorkton Terriers have started the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season with a home-and-home set with Weyburn.
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Home ice would prove of little importance, with each team spoiling the other鈥檚 home opener.
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Friday the Terriers kicked off their 2017-18 campaign in Weyburn.
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After a scoreless opening frame the host Red Wings took a 1-0 lead 3:36 into the second on a goal by Dawson Atamanchuk.
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Shane Sherban responded for the Terriers at 6:12 to knot the score 1-1, a tally which would hold into the third.
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Slater Strong scored what would be the eventual game-winner for Yorkton at 10:36 of the third, with Dalton Ossman adding an empty-net goal at 19:21 to round out a 3-1 road win for the Terriers.
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Logan Bateman would earn the win in the Yorkton net facing 37-shots.
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Sunday the same teams would meet again this time in the Terrier home opener at the Farrell Agencies Arena in Yorkton.
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Derek Smith scored 2:29 to give the visiting Wings the lead.
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Quinton Hobbs tied the game at 11:29 of the first for the home side.
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It was the Wings that took the lead in the second as Cole Woodliffe scored at 3:39.
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Yorkton鈥檚 Kaleb Bell would again knot the game with a goal at 14:58 of the frame.
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The third would be scoreless, pushing the game into overtime.
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Forty-five seconds into the extra frame William Brochu would have a penalty shot for the Terriers, but couldn鈥檛听find the back of the net, which left the door open for Matthew Jones to score the winner for Weyburn at 2:42.
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Bateman would take the loss in the Terrier net facing 44-shots.
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Terrier coach Casey O鈥橞rien said he was certainly satisfied with his team taking three of a possible four points over the weekend.
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鈥淟ast year we were 0-2, and the year before that we were 0-2, so three-of-four points is a step,鈥� he said.
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The early points were more satisfying in the sense the Terriers have a decidedly different look from last season.
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鈥淎 lot of changes happened over the summer,鈥� said O鈥橞rien.
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Among the new faces is Bateman in net.
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鈥淗e (Bateman) had a great weekend. He gave us a chance in both games,鈥� said his coach.
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In terms of the home opener, O鈥橞rien said the team had trouble getting into a regular flow, with penalties hindering rolling four lines in the first period.
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And O鈥橞rien said coming out of a hard preseason in terms of on ice and dryland training, it 鈥渟ort of caught up to us.鈥� He added, he was all right with that in the sense conditioning now will pay dividends over a long season.
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Beyond the three points, O鈥橞rien said he is happy with the way his team is coming together.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 been a very good group to coach. The guys are excited to be Terriers,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�� I鈥榤 really happy with this group.鈥�
The Terriers still have things to work on, said O鈥橞rien, adding at this point it has been a bigger picture approach getting the 27 players picked, and now the work begins on the smaller things which are key moving forward, face-offs, powerplays etc.
