The SSMHL-based Yorkton Kinsmen Terriers have been in their fair share of one-goal or less games so far this season – 13 to be exact; yet the team has won just once in those 13 games - a 3-2 win over the Prairie Storm back on Oct. 18.
That trend continued this weekend as the Kinsmen Terriers picked up just one point in two road games, salvaging a 3-3 tie with the Weyburn Lightstream Wings on Friday in Weyburn before falling 3-2 to the Estevan Apex Bruins on Sunday.
On Friday the Kinsmen Terriers started off hot as first-year midget forward Ashton Shewchuk put them on the board first with a power play marker midway through the first period.
Yorkton increased their lead to two when - with 5:15 remaining in the frame - Jordan Repsch beat Weyburn goaltender Talen King.
The second period began much the same as the first, with Yorkton getting on the board early on as Reid Arnold put his seventh goal of the season past King to stretch the Yorkton advantage to 3-0.
However a three-goal lead is known as the worst lead in hockey for a reason as the hosts stormed back in the latter half of the second period to cut the Yorkton lead to one with goals by Rhett Nikolejsin and Kolten Ganson.
A scoreless third period was broken with 3:26 remaining in the game when Weyburn scored their third and final goal of the contest as Rhett Frey muscled his way into the Yorkton zone and beat Dakota Berezowski for the game-tying goal to give Yorkton their fourth tie of the month and seventh of the season.
Berezowski turned aside 30 Weyburn shots in the draw while King stopped 33 Yorkton attempts in the game.
Two days later and the Kinsmen Terriers were back on the road. This time the opponents were the second place Estevan Apex Bruins.
For the second straight game Yorkton opened the scoring. This time it was Brayden Miller that gave the Kinsmen Terriers the early lead, snapping the puck past Estevan starter Cam Lavoie for a 1-0 Yorkton lead.
A Mason Strutt marker with 4:46 left in the period brought Estevan even at 1-1, but Josh Rohatynsky gave Yorkton back the lead less than a minute later when he took advantage of a Bruins turnover and fired the puck past Lavoie for the Kinsmen Terriers’ second goal of the game on just their second shot of the contest to force Lavoie out of the net in favour of Ethan Veroba.
The second period saw Estevan draw even on the only goal of the period with a Jacob Palmer goal 3:45 into the middle frame. A Preston Brodziak marker with 7:40 left in the third period gave the hometown Bruins their first lead of the game; a lead they would not squander as the Kinsmen Terriers could not find a way to beat Veroba on the night in a 3-2 Yorkton loss.
Berezowski once again got the start for Yorkton between the pipes stopping 39-of-42 Estevan shots while Veroba stopped all 18 Yorkton shots he faced for the win.
The two results see the Kinsmen Terriers (7-11-7) fall from eighth to ninth in the 14-team SSMHL Midget Division, tied with Moose Jaw (10-9-1) – who have five games in hand - for the final playoff spot heading into the Christmas break.
The Notre Dame Bantam Hounds (22-2-1) continue to lead the league with 45 points, 14 up on their nearest rivals Estevan (13-6-5).
The Notre Dame Hounds (12-6-5) are third with 29 points, one ahead of the Notre Dame Argos (14-9-0) while the Regina Rangers (12-7-3) sit in fifth with 27 points.
Sixth place belongs to Weyburn (9-9-6), Melville (9-11-4) sits in seventh while both Moose Jaw and Yorkton are tied for the last playoff spot.
The Regina Capitals (8-10-4) are one point back of both Yorkton and Moose Jaw with 20, one up on the Regina Vics (8-12-3). The Prairie Storm (7-11-3) are in 12th with 17 points, Swift Current (7-15-1) sits in 13th with 15 points while Lumsden/Bethune (0-20-1) round out the standings with just one point.
The Kinsmen Terriers will now take a break for Christmas before returning to league action in the New Year when they travel to Estevan once again to take on the Apex Bruins on January 2 at 8:00pm.
