Despite scoring 13 goals to open up the series, the Yorkton Petro Canada Pee Wee Terriers dropped the next two games as Canora skated off with the 'B' side championship following two straight victories last Wednesday and Thursday nights.
"It was the best hockey our team had played that night," observed Kevin Shirtliffe following Yorkton's 13-goal outburst last Tuesday night on home ice.
That game also saw seven goals scored by Yorkton in the middle frame, including a hat trick effort by team captain Kade Johnson.
Going into the dressing room, Shirtliffe said the main goal was to tell the players that despite the performance, the game was not yet done.
He was right.
Canora replied with six of their own in the third. Yorkton got two back themselves but had to hang on late.
Yorkton won convincingly 13-8 which gave them a 1-0 series lead in their best-of-three finals matchup with Canora.
"In the first two periods, we didn't allow many shots (either)," he recalled.
However, the team fell out of their game plan slightly when the games shifted to the road for games two and three, he said, suggesting that they likely got a little too overconfident following their efforts in game one.
Canora won both of their games on home ice by identical scores of 7-5, Shirtliffe said, adding that unlike Tuesday's win, both games in Canora could have gone either way.
In game two, Yorkton got goals from five different players. Bradley Ingham, Luke Walters, Carter Washenfelder, Colby Peepeetch and Brodie Ottenbreit.
In game three, Ottenbreit and Johnson each recorded two. Johnson's goal was one of only two Yorkton goals scored away from home ice that were recorded as unassisted.
All three games were played on consecutive nights and there was no time to rest or think about what went wrong.
Shirtliffe said the no-rest factor had little to do with Yorkton losing the series, saying the Major Hockey League had a deadline in which to play out all of the games on the playoff schedule.
"It wasn't a big deal," he told the paper, adding that the two teams were originally scheduled to square off nearly a week earlier but due to numerous weather problems, the 'B' finals started later then they were supposed to, he said.
Shirtliffe said there are only four players not returning to Pee Wee hockey next year due to age requirements. The experience of the returning players should help them for next season.
"You learn more from losing," he said.
The Terriers went into game two thinking they had the series won, but four goals by Canora in the second period of the third game led to them completing their series comeback.
In game two, Canora had led 4-0 by the midway mark of the game, he said.
