This weekend the Yorkton Xerox Terriers will find themselves in an unfamiliar role.
Instead of being the favourites, the Xerox Terriers 鈥搘ho posted an overall record of 33-2-4 in the SBAAHL and 13-0 in tournament play 鈥� will be the underdogs when play begins at the 2016 Western Canadian Bantam 鈥楢AA鈥� Hockey Championship in Okotoks, Alberta. 鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely going to be an underdog going in there. We鈥檙e going to be the youngest team there by far,鈥� Xerox Terrier head coach Dan Cross told Yorkton This Week Monday evening. 鈥淲e have something like seven first year bantam players whereas the other teams might have one or two.鈥�
Because of that, Cross expects the other teams to somewhat overlook the Xerox Terriers; something he and his team plan to take advantage of should it happen. 鈥淢aybe we can use that to our advantage.
鈥淚f we can get off to a good start and catch the other teams off guard, then maybe we can steal a win or two at the start.鈥�
In addition to coach Cross knowing they鈥檙e the underdogs, the Terriers players are also aware of it.
But instead of being offended by that fact, the players are not only fine with it; they鈥檙e embracing it. 鈥淧eople don鈥檛 have too much hope in us to do well at Westerns this year, but that鈥檚 the same as last year,鈥� said second year Xerox Terrier forward Zach McIntyre, who led the Terriers in scoring this year with 31 goals and 26 assists. 鈥淲e came out last year and showed them what kind of a team we are from Saskatchewan and showed them how to play Saskatchewan hockey, so hopefully we鈥檒l do the same again this year.鈥�
McIntyre鈥檚 fellow second year forward and Xerox Terrier captain Aiden Bulych also acknowledged the fact that they鈥檙e not the favourites heading into the Western Championship. 鈥淲e know we鈥檙e not expected to win the tournament, but we also know we鈥檙e a good team,鈥� said Bulych, who finished tied for second on the Terriers with 53 points 鈥� 24 goals and 29 assists 鈥� this past season. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e good enough to go in there and win a few games and do pretty well, and if we play like we can then I think we could obviously win it all.鈥�
Both Bulych and McIntyre know that they鈥檒l have to be two of the players to carry the torch for the Xerox Terriers this year at the Westerns, not only because they鈥檙e the team leaders, but because they鈥檙e two of the four members of the Terriers that have experience at the Western Canadian Championships, the others being defenceman Carson Dereniwsky and goaltender Nolan Maier. 鈥淥ur experience playing here last year is definitely going to help us. We鈥檒l be able to prepare the rest of the team for the pace of the game there and get them ready for the competition level as well,鈥� stated McIntyre. 鈥淪ometimes we took a shift off this season, but you can鈥檛 have a period off or even a shift off there.
鈥淵ou always have to give it your all in every shift and every period or else you won鈥檛 be winning at the end of the game.鈥�
The Xerox Terriers will open the tournament up on Thursday, March 31 with a 9:00a.m. game against the host Rocky Mountain Raiders. They鈥檒l then take on the B.C. Champion Burnaby Winter Club Bruins at 2:30p.m. that same day.
Their third game of the tournament is on Friday, April 1 against Manitoba鈥檚 Winnipeg Monarchs at 11:45am. The Xerox Terriers will then wrap up round-robin play on Saturday, April 2 with an 11:45a.m. game against the Alberta representative Lethbridge Golden Hawks.
