The Yorkton Terriers took a pair of games from Kindersley on the weekend and remain perched atop the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Sherwood Conference.
With the two wins the Terriers extend their record to 21-7-0-1 for a .741 winning percentage, best in the league. Their 43 points are four better than Notre Dame, who are followed by Melville with 35 points, Kindersley with 24, Estevan at 22 and Weyburn with 19.
Friday the Klippers rolled into the Farrell Agencies Arena and the teams played through a scoreless first period.
Patrick Martens, Curtis Oliver and Zak Majkowski gave the Terriers a 3-0 lead through 40-minutes.
Giovanni Bombini and Austin Yano scored in the third to draw Kindersley within one, before Oliver added his second of the night at 16:34 of the third, and Austin Bourhis scoring less than a minute later (17:27) to salt away a 5-2 win.
Kale Thomson faced 25-shots in the Terrier nets for the win, while former Terrier Warren Shymko faced 44-shots in the loss for Kindersley.
After playing in Melville Saturday, where the Klippers took a 6-5 overtime win, Kindersley was back in Yorkton for action Sunday.
Terrier defenceman Brady Norrish scored the only goal of the first period.
In the second Norrish was back for his second of the night, with Oliver making it 3-0.
Brenden Poncelet and Daylan Gatzke added third period markers for the home team.
Colton Schick would spoil Terrier netminder Dawson MacAuley's shut-out bid with the Klippers lone goal of the game at 17:31 of the third. It was a powerplay marker.
MacAuley faced 23-shots in the win, while Kindersley netminder Tyrell King faced 42 in the loss.
"I think against Kindersley we've been pretty successful," said Norrish, who was the game's first star Sunday, adding "at home we always play pretty good."
The two goals were not expected, said Norrish, who said it was a case of putting the finishing touches on some good set-ups.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan said the games might have looked like easier wins for Yorkton because of the scores, but noted especially Friday night it was close.
"They got it to 3-2, but we were able to score a couple of late goals," he said, adding play through much of the game was even.
Sunday Cassan said the effects of the three-games in three-days was rather evident in the play of the Klippers, adding the Terriers wanted to work on that fatigue.
"We wanted to be physical to wear them down," he said.
The Terriers kept the upper hand by rolling their four lines.
"We wanted to get everyone involved," he said, adding he tried to use everyone even in powerplay and penalty kill situations.
When the Klippers did mount an offensive effort MacAuley stood his ground.
Cassan said while it might have looked like an easy effort for his goaltender, he added MacAuley is so big and positionally strong he makes many saves look easier than they are.
"He plays the puck really well. He plays the angles well," he said.
With the Terriers on a nine game winning streak the team has turned things around from some early November struggles.
"Back before the winning streak we talked as a team," offered Norrish, adding the discussion was a basic one with the team dedicating itself "to start really focusing on playing together as a team."
Defensively the Terriers have settled after the arrival of Bourhis and John Neibrandt from the Western Hockey League.
"We were pretty pumped to get those two guys in the line-up," said Norrish, adding it took a few games, but they have now settled in to their new blueline pairings.
"The 'D' we have together are playing really well together," he said.
Up next
The Terriers were scheduled to play in Estevan last night (Tuesday), but results were not available at press time.
Friday Melfort will visit the Farrell Agencies Arena, with Estevan in the city Saturday, and Flin Flon headed here next Tuesday (Dec. 18), for the final Terrier contest before the annual SJHL Christmas break.
