The Terriers secured a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Klippers on home ice Saturday night, showcasing resilience and timely scoring in a game filled with momentum swings and high-energy play.
The opening frame started sluggishly for the Terriers, as they were outshot 6-1 in the first five minutes and struggled to find their footing.
However, they turned the tide midway through as Evan Auld, normally a forward but filling in on defence, unleashed a seeing-eye wrister from the left point that found its way through traffic and sent the Teddy Bears flying onto the ice in celebration. It was the rookie’s fifth goal of the season.
The Terriers doubled their lead shortly after, sparked by a clutch goal-line pad save from rookie goaltender Callum Creig. The big stop transitioned into offense, allowing David Coyle to weave through the Klippers’ defense and roof a highlight-reel goal past Cody Jamon for his seventh of the year.
Despite the Terriers’ 2-0 lead, the Klippers had the lone power play of the period and outshot the home side 13-6.
The middle frame saw a noticeable uptick in intensity, with multiple post-whistle scrums punctuating the action.
Both teams had two power-play opportunities, but it was the Klippers who capitalized. Shayne Tibbles deflected a shot past Creig to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Terriers managed to regain control of the pace, outshooting the Klippers 13-11, but the game remained tight heading into the final frame.
The Klippers wasted no time in the third, tying the game just 1:30 in. Zach Anderson snapped a shot glove-side past Creig on the power play to make it 2-2, setting up a tense finish.
The Terriers responded emphatically with two goals in quick succession.
David Coyle struck again, jamming home a loose puck at the side of the net after a Keenan Ingram shot to restore the lead.
Just 1:10 later, the captain delivered on a rare 4-on-3 power play, doubling the Terriers’ advantage.
Tibbles added his second of the night late in the game, but the Klippers couldn’t complete the comeback as the Terriers held on for the 4-3 victory.
With the win, the Terriers improve to 15-9-1 on the season, climbing into third place in the standings. Next, they hit the road to face Nipawin on Tuesday evening, with puck drop set for 7:00 PM.
