Wins are proving hard to come by for the Yorkton Terriers as they are 1-8-1 in their last 10 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League games.
The Terriers lost twice on the weekend and four times on the week, leaving them with a season record of 14-29-3-3 and 34 points. They sit 10 points back of Weyburn for third spot in the League鈥檚 Viterra Division. Estevan sits second with 47 and Melville holds onto top spot with 50.
Friday Yorkton was in Melfort where Regan Seiferling scored the lone goal of the first period to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead.
That was matched in the second as Eric Young scored the only goal of the frame for the Mustangs.
In the third the home team got a pair of goals from Travis Mayan for a 3-1 win.
Dawson MacAuley faced 52-shots in the Terrier nets taking the loss, while Richard Palmer faced only 20 Terrier shots for the 鈥楽tang win.
Saturday the Kindersley Klippers rolled into the Farrell Agencies Arena and after a scoreless first period, thanks to a pair of second period markers by Marc Dubeau, and a single by Connor Garden, led 3-0 through 40-minutes.
Kailum Gervais scored at 6:16 of the third, and Zach Zadorozniak at 8:07 to give the home team faithful hope, but Darcy DeRoose scored a fourth Klipper goal into an empty net late to secure the Kindersley win.
MacAuley again took the loss, this time facing 35-shots, as Evan Weniniger faced 41 in the win for the Klippers.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan said the team had some fight late.
鈥淲e had a really good push there,鈥� he said, adding the team may have deserved a better fate, 鈥淲e probably didn鈥檛 get some bounces.鈥�
That said Cassan admitted the issue for the Terriers is not bounces in a single period.
鈥淏ig Picture wise, to get bounces you have to constantly work hard and we haven鈥檛 done that,鈥� he said.
聽Monday thrashing
The Yorkton Terriers hosted Notre Dame in a make-up game from earlier in the season Monday night, and the home team got off to a quick start, as Riley Hunt scored on the powerplay 3:15 into the game while Brandon Sookro made it 2-0, again on the powerplay at the four-minute mark.
And then the wheels fell off for the Terriers.
Sam Aulie scored a rare penalty shot goal while the Hounds were short-handed at 8:57, and Jared Martin tied the score at 12:12.
Aulie gave Notre Dame its first lead at 16:28, a goal which would prove the eventual game-winner.
Cory Anderson and Rhett Kingston would add two more goals before the first period to build a 5-2 lead.
Andrew Cummings would add a sixth Hounds goal in the second period.
Langenburg鈥檚 Evan Werle would then add one in the third to round out a 7-2 win for Notre Dame.
Matt Kustra was in the Terrier net facing 32-shots in the loss, while Benjamin Patt had the win for Notre Dame facing 33-shots.
So with losses mounting, and the playoff chances fading has Cassan started to look more to next season, and which players fit into that picture?
鈥淚 think you鈥檙e evaluating every day,鈥� he said, adding that evaluation factors not only into the plan for the next game, but the next season in the case of players eligible to return.
The key in that evaluation is player growth.
鈥淚 want to see guys improving,鈥� said Cassan. 鈥淚 want to see guys picking up on things we鈥檝e been trying to teach all year.鈥�
Unfortunately, the learning curve has been less than hoped, offered Cassan, who said too many Terriers are still trying to figure out the speed, strength, and skills needed to play Junior hockey.
鈥淭o be a good Junior hockey player you don鈥檛 just snap your fingers,鈥� he said.
Without the effort every night, you don鈥檛 win, and can end up in trouble, just where the Terriers are. While coming off a national title a decline was expected, Cassan said he was not expecting to reside in the league basement.
鈥淐ertainly I don鈥檛 like the position we鈥檙e in,鈥� he said, although with the regular season only weeks from over, it may be too late to alter the team鈥檚 fate.
Earlier week loss
Last Tuesday (Feb. 3), the Terriers hosted Estevan in a game that was a near must-win for the home team as they need to overtake the Bruins if they wish to still be playing hockey in March.
Levi Barnstable gave the Bruins the first lead of the game with the lone first period marker. It came at the 12:32 mark.
Wyatt Garagan struck at 7:21 of the second to extend the Estevan lead with that period鈥檚 lone goal.
Then the offences began to click in the third.
Mahlon Head made it 3-0 visitors with a goal 1:24 in.
Cortlan Procter got that one back with the Terriers鈥� first goal of the game at 3:19.
But a powerplay marker by Kurt Sonne and an even strength effort from Lynden Pastachak extended the Estevan lead to 5-1.
Late goals by Josh Ellis and Corwin Stevely gave the Terriers some respectability, but it would be the Bruins getting the final goal of the night as Pastachak found the empty net to salt away a 6-3 Bruin win.
Tyler Fuhr was in the Estevan net for the win facing 46-shots, with Matt Kustra was tagged with the loss for Yorkton facing 35.
Up next
The Terriers were scheduled to host Estevan last night (Tuesday), but results were not available at press time.
The Highway 10 rivalry will take centre stage for the last time this season on the weekend. Melville pays a visit to the Farrell Agencies Arena Friday, then head south down the highway to faces the Mils in their home barn Saturday.
