YORKTON – The Yorkton Terriers faced off against the Battlefords North Stars and Estevan Bruins in back-to-back weekend matches Feb. 23 and 24.
The Terriers took a decisive win over the North Stars, besting the team with an 8–3 victory, but fell to the Bruins the following evening with a 5–2 loss.
In game one of the weekend matches the Terriers scored a total of four times in the first period with the first coming in the form of an unassisted short-hand goal at 2:32 by Cooper Algajer. Exactly two minutes later, at 4:32, Terrier Anthony Domina put another one past the North Stars' goalie. Dustin Renas put another on the board for the Terriers at 6:03. Shortly after the face off, Alex Izyk put the first point up for the North Stars at 6:39 and Terrier Brett Butz closed out scoring in the first period at 17:53.
The Terriers looked to add to their three-point lead in the second period and so they did. Midway through the period Jye Zawatsky found the net and at 16:54 Jaron Desnoyers did the same giving the Terriers a five-point lead to start the third period.
It was Zawatsky to hit the the target for the second time that evening, scoring at 1:27 of the third period. The North Stars' Izyk also made his second goal of the evening at 5:35, the result of a power play effort from the North Stars. Butz put another on the board for the Terriers at 16:33 and North Star Evan Waldie ended the scoring at 17:01 resulting in the 8-3 win for the Terriers.
Ethan Farrow was in net for the win, taking on 34 shots and saving 31.
Logan Cunningham was net minder for the North Stars, taking on 31 shots and saving 23.
Saturday's match up was a lot tougher for the Terriers when they faced off against the Viterra Divison's second place team in the Estavan Bruins.
The Bruins scored three unanswered power play goals between the first and second periods coming by way of Ilia Chmelevski at 13:30 of the first period, Keagon Little at 1:32 of the second period and Owen Barrow at 10:24 of the second.
It wasn't until the third period that the Terriers would like to even the score. Anthony McIntosh hit the target at 5:51 of the period during a power play effort, putting the team on the board for the first time that evening. Terrier David Coyle was successful on another power play effort, putting the team within reach at 16:18. Farrow was pulled from the ice at 18:55 in an effort to knot the score, but the Bruins' Raine Hodge found a way to the empty net and closed out the scoring at 19:16.
Farrow saved 20 of the shots he faced.
Jackson Miller was in net for the win, facing 19 shots and saving 17.
The Terriers will host the Kindersley Klippers at Westland Arena Feb. 28 before visiting the Nipawin Hawks March 1, and host the Klippers again on March 2.