YORKTON - Overtime in the hockey playoffs is nerve-racking for fans, but it seems to be just where the Yorkton Terriers are most comfortable.
The Terriers won game two of their SJHL playoff series with the Melfort Mustangs 4-3 in the Mustangs’ barn.
The teams met again tonight, (Tuesday), at the Westland Insurance Arena in Yorkton, and again found themselves in a nail-biter.
After playing through two scoreless periods Melfort finally started the scoring as Tye Scherger put one past Terrier netminder Kael DePape at 12:29 of the third period.
Parker Jasper tied the game at 15:30 finally solving Joel Favreau in goal for Melfort.
The 1-1 tie held until the final whistle, sending the teams to OT to determine a winner.
Greg Nelson netted the game-winner for Yorkton, an unassisted goal 7:15 into the first overtime frame.
The goal wasn’t a pretty one, but Nelson was still all smiles after the game.
“You’ve got to grind hard in overtime,” he said, adding the goal “was a greasy one” but it still counted for the win.
Terrier head coach Mat Hehr said the win was a good one coming in a game the Terriers didn’t start vert well, having a particularly lacklustre middle stanza.
“We didn’t have a very good second period,” he said, adding the was where DePape shined brightest. “. . . He was a rock back there.”
The fine play continued in overtime where DePape made “a huge cross ice save,” said Hehr, adding after the save the Terriers went down the ice to get “a greasy goal” to win it.
Hehr said maybe the game-winner shouldn’t have gonbe in, but it did, and in the playoffs you need some breaks.
The win was obviously a big one as it leaves the Terriers with the ability to win the series on home ice.
“It’s so important, especially in a seven-game series, you need to win at home,” said Nelson.
The comeback win was another case of the Terriers being a tough out.
“We’re a very resilient team. It’s something we’re kind of known for,” said Nelson.
DePape would face 32-shots in backstopping the win, while Favreau faced 33 in the loss.
The teams meet again Wednesday evening in Yorkton with the Terriers up two-games-to-one in the best of-seven series.
