YORKTON – The U13 Yorkton Richardson Pioneer Provincial Terriers brought home gold from Minot after besting several teams the weekend of Jan. 5th to 7th.
"The experience was great. For most of them it was their first time playing teams from USA and there were some different US hockey rules we had to adapt to ... so lots of new experiences and learning along the way," said Chad Matsalla, Head Coach for the team, in an e-mail with Yorkton This Week.
Matsalla gave YTW a breakdown of each game and how the team fared in their matches south of the border.
Game One vs Rugby, North Dakota Ice Hawks
"We got the early jump on Rugby and dominated play for the first two periods. The kids took their foot off the gas in the third and allowed rugby to claw back a bit."
12-6 win for the Terriers.
Game Two vs Minot Wolves
"We had a very slow start to this game, giving up the first goal, and we went into the first intermission tied 1-1. This was our most physical game of the tournament, the US hockey rules allow for more contact than we play with back home, but Minot took it to the next level. We woke up in the second and were out-playing them and they grew frustrated and started taking penalties. Our power play eventually got going and made them pay."
10-3 win for the Terriers.
Game Three vs Moose Jaw Warriors
"This was a tough game for us, maybe because it was the second game of the day, but we couldn’t bury our chances like the first two games. Moose Jaw'ss goalie stymied us multiple times as we again dominated the play. We were up 3-0 midway through the third when the team again took their foot off the gas and it cost us 3 quick goals against. We started playing better after they tied it up but couldn’t beat their goalie through the rest of regulation or the five minute 3 on 3 overtime."
Final, a 3-3 tie.
Game Four vs Grand Forks Blue
"The tie with Moose Jaw didn’t kill us as long as we beat Grand Forks who were 3-0-0. We would be playing for the gold so essentially it was a semi-final game even though it was still round robin. The grand forks team was big and fast and they played a similar style to us with great puck movement. We started slow again and found ourselves down 3-0 midway through the first period, but a late first period goal and early second period power play goal got us right back into it. It was a very back and forth game from then on. The score was tied 5-5 heading into the third. We clung to a one goal lead with about three minutes to go and the team did a great job locking down the victory as Grand Forks applied pressure with their goalie pulled for the last two minutes."
8-7 win for the Terriers.
Game Five vs Grand Forks Red Gold Medal Game
"This was the game where we finally put it all together and played a full game. No slow starts, no taking the foot off the gas. We drew first blood in the final and had puck possession way more than our opponents. We were up 2-1 after one, but it felt like we had control of the game. All three lines were rolling and we barely played in our own end. Two more goals had us up 4-1 heading into the third. Midway through the third we made it 5-1 and the group could feel we weren’t going to be denied. Grand Forks added a goal late in the period but we held them in check and captured the gold with a 5-2 victory!"
Matsalla said the team played exceptionally well and noted their effectiveness as a team.
"Our team has some pretty skilled players but I was most happy with how they played as a team, their passing was amazing. They gelled so quick which was great as prior to this tournament we only had a handful of practices and one exhibition game together before Christmas. We were missing a few bodies then so this was the first time they all played together."
"The big area we were focusing on was playing complete games. Not taking your foot off the pedal just because you were up a few goals because we saw in some of these games, at this calibre how fast a lead can disappear," said Matsalla.
The team will host the Kamsack Provincial Team for an exhibition game Sunday Jan 28th at 7:00 pm in Bredenbury and their next tournament is scheduled for Feb 9-11 in Prince Albert.
