YORKTON, SK – Carter Briltz delivered in the clutch, scoring the go-ahead goal with 57.8 seconds left in regulation and adding a pair of assists as the Yorkton Terriers defeated the Estevan Bruins 6-5 at home, extending their winning streak to four games.
The Bruins struck first when Ewan Rennie redirected a shot in front for his 14th goal of the season.
The Terriers responded on the power play—no surprise, it was David Coyle again. Staying red hot, he buried his 24th goal of the campaign to tie the game.
Estevan regained the lead with back-to-back tallies. Kaelen Whittingham beat Callum Creig blocker-side for his 7th of the year, and just two minutes later, Steven Steranka capitalized on a shorthanded opportunity, flying down the right wing and snapping a shot past Creig to make it 3-1.
Yorkton pushed back late in the period and was rewarded when Vinay Junek, after being robbed twice earlier in the frame by Beck Boiteau, finally tapped home his 10th of the season.
The Terriers outshot the Bruins 17-9 in the opening frame.
Yorkton wasted no time pulling even in the second. Just 1:22 in, Jye Zawatsky roofed his 9th of the year past Boiteau, with assists going to Briltz and Riley Cormier.
The game remained deadlocked until the dying seconds of the period, when Desnoyers pounced on a loose puck in front, jamming it home on the power play. His team-leading 25th goal and 61st point of the season gave the Terriers their first lead of the night at 4-3.
Despite the shift in momentum, the Bruins narrowly outshot the Terriers 17-16 in the second.
The Terriers added to their lead on the power play as Vinay Junek found space at the side of the net and swatted home his second of the night and 11th of the campaign, doubling Yorkton’s advantage.
The Terriers appeared in control until an unfortunate bounce in the neutral zone sent the Bruins on a 2-on-1. Chase Holt slid the puck under Creig to pull Estevan within one. Less than a minute later, the Bruins tied it up 5-5 as Hayden Pimm slipped a shot five-hole past Creig.
With under a minute to play, the Terriers earned a late power play after Desnoyers was hauled down behind the net. The league’s top-ranked power play went to work again, and after some crisp puck movement in the offensive zone, a scramble in the crease saw Carter Briltz backhand the loose puck home for his 8th of the season, sending the 1,000 fans in attendance into a frenzy.
The drama wasn’t over just yet. In the dying seconds, Kanye Huang broke free down the middle for a last-second breakaway, but Creig came up with a game-saving stop to preserve the victory.
The Terriers went an impressive 4-for-9 on the power play, while the Bruins converted on one of their three chances.
With the win, Yorkton improves to 29-16-1 and moves within one point of the Weyburn Red Wings for first place in the Viterra Division. The Terriers will enjoy a day off before returning to action Monday afternoon for a road matinee in Humboldt.
