The Yorkton Terriers鈥� Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season ended Friday night with an overtime loss at the Farrell Agencies Arena, leaving Yorkton with a finalrecord of 17-32-4-3 and 41 points, last in both the Viterra Division and in the league.
Melville topped the Viterra with 56 points, followed by Weyburn with 53 and Estevan with 51.
Friday Humboldt were the opposition and after a scoreless first period Riley Hunt, the Terriers鈥� leading scorer and Most Valuable Player on the season, gave the home team a 1-0 lead 7:10 into the second period.
Joshua Bergen would knot the score at 13:07, before affiliated player Shane Sherban scored his first SJHL goal at 13:17 to restore a Terrier lead.
Tyson Enzie would add a powerplay at 19:51 to make it 3-1.
But the two-goal lead would not hold.
Stuart Symenuk scored for the Broncos at 5:15 of the third while Jon Brumwell would score two-and-half-minutes later to tie the score at threes.
The game would stay tied through the remainder of regulation play, forcing the game to a five-minute, four-on-four overtime.
Symenuk would break in alone on Terrier netminder Dawson MacAuley to score the winner at 3:37 on the Broncos first shot of the extra frame.
MacAuley faced 40-shots in the loss in his final Junior game as one of five graduating 20-year-olds on the Terriers.
The other graduating Terriers are defenceman Dallas Rossiter and forwards Dylan Johnson, Joshua Ellis, and Daylan Gatzke.
Jack Romanuik was in the Humboldt net facing 35-shots in the win.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan admitted the final game went like much of the season, with the Terriers being close, but coming up short in the end.
鈥淲e had a lead and weren鈥檛 able to hang onto it in the third period,鈥� he said.
The Terriers were obviously dejected after the game in spite of being out of the playoff hunt regardless of the game鈥檚 outcome.
鈥淲e wanted to be competitive in our last game even if not in the playoffs,鈥� said Cassan.
It was especially hard on the team鈥檚 graduating 20-year-olds.
鈥淥bviously they all had very good seasons. They鈥檝e done a lot of good things for the organization 鈥� They鈥檝e battled very hard,鈥� offered Cassan.
Wednesday the Terriers hosted Melfort and were out of it early.
Andrew Durham scored for the Mustangs 1:36 into the game, a marker which would prove the game-winner as Melfort net minder Richard Palmer earned a shut-out facing only 19-shots.
Matt Kustra in the Terrier nets would face 39 on the night, allowing five goals by game鈥檚 end.
David Heath scored a powerplay marker at 18:13 of the first to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Landon Robin and Regan Wilton added second period goals, Wilton鈥檚 coming while the Mustangs were short-handed.
Travis Mayan rounded out the scoring with the lone marker of the third period.
The Yorkton Terriers end the season with 17 wins, lowest in the SJHL, having scored 138 goals, better only than LaRonge with 135.
The Terriers also allowed 203, tied for worst in the league with Estevan.
For Cassan, his attention now begins to look forward.
鈥淲e have some time to look at going forward with what the team will look like,鈥� he said, adding when you finish last in the league changes have to be made. 鈥淚 think the team will look at lot different from the end of this season.鈥�
The work starts with the upcoming Bantam draft, a first for the league.
Cassan said scout Gary Carson has already done a lot of leg work, adding the draft has changed things for SJ teams, as they have to now watch more Bantam games in an attempt to assess talent.
The team also has a spring camp in April, an annual event which will have more importance this spring as the team looks to turn things around.
鈥淎fter a year like this we have to assess all positions,鈥� he said.
As for his own future with the Terriers Cassan said on Feb. 27, six months from next season, it was too early to decide, but quickly added, 鈥淚鈥檓 competitive.
鈥淥bviously I鈥檓 disappointed with what the results have been this year. I鈥檓 pretty motivated to put together a winning team next year.鈥�
