Over the past week, the Yorkton Terriers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League played two games, both of which were on the road.
On Friday, Jan. 13, the Terriers headed to Flin Flon to play the Bombers. The Bombers sit in second place in the SJHL, with a 27-10-2-2 record and 58 points.
Although the Terriers put up a good fight, they weren鈥檛 able to come out on top, and fell 4-2 to the Bombers.
The first Terriers goal was scored halfway through the second period on a powerplay. Jared Legien connected with the back of the net for the Terriers, with assists coming from Jordan Ross and Shane Sherban. This specific forward line has been racking up points together lately, proving their on-ice chemistry in every game.
The second Terriers goal was scored in the last few minutes of play in the third period by Kaleb Bell. His assists came from Cody Illerbrun and goalie Nathan Hargrave.
The next day the Terriers played in Nipawin against the Hawks, who sit fourth in the league standings with a 23-12-2-1 record and 49 points.
Again, a good game ended the wrong way for the Terriers, and the final score was 5-3 for Nipawin.
The Terriers started the game off strong, gaining an early lead about halfway through the first period when Corwin Stevely scored with an assist from Regan Seiferling. Then, just two minutes later, Jared Legien scored, making the score 2-0 for the Terriers. Legien鈥檚 assist came from Seiferling as well.
A minute later, Nipawan retaliated and scored a shorthanded goal, pushing the score to 2-1, where it would remain for the rest of the first period.
In the second period, the Terriers weren鈥檛 able to connect, but the Hawks were. The second period ended in a 2-2 tie.
The third period is where the Terriers got in trouble. They scored one more goal early in the third. This goal was scored by the newly added Dakota Odgers, with assists from Jared Legien and Regan Seiferling. But after that, Nipawin started taking advantage of their powerplays. The Hawks scored three goals in the third, two of which on a powerplay.
The Terriers were not able to bounce back, and the Hawks took the win 5-3. The weekend鈥檚 two losses bumped the Terriers from sixth place in the league standings to eighth. There is no doubt that they will be working hard in the coming week, hoping to get back to that sixth place to secure a playoff spot.
Currently, the Terriers hold a 18-20-3-0-1 record, giving them 39 points.
Leading the team in points is Jared Legien, who has 39 points coming from 17 goals and 16 assists. Second to him is captain Corwin Stevely, who has 23 points from nine goals and 14 assists. And in third place is Regan Seiferling, who has 22 points coming from five goals and 17 assists.
This coming weekend, the Terriers host two games against Flin Flon 鈥� and are looking for redemption. The first of the two games is on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the FAA. And then on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 3:00 p.m., the two teams will face off again.
Following Saturday鈥檚 afternoon game, the Terriers will host their annual sportsman鈥檚 dinner. This year they鈥檝e brought in a big name as their guest speaker. Clint Malarchuk, former NHL goalie and then coach, will be coming to Yorkton to take in a few Terriers games and then to speak to the players and community about his life. In addition to enjoying the highs of life in the NHL, Malarchuk is widely known for an injury that nearly took his life during a game in 1989, when he had his jugular vein severed and carotid artery from a skate. He has also went through a suicide attempt and addiction, all of which is recapped in his compelling 2014 book, 鈥淭he Crazy Game: How I Survived In The Crease And Beyond.鈥�
Malarchuk鈥檚 journey and story-telling ability will ensure that the sportman鈥檚 dinner will be one to remember.
