VIRDEN, MB: Shaden Duliak scored with 2:54 remaining in the third period and it stood up to be the winner as the Yorkton Terriers defeated the Virden Oil Capitals 4-3 inside Tundra Oil & Gas Place.
The opening twenty minutes of tonight’s affair between the Terriers and Oil Captials started fast, with the home side getting an early chance on the man advantage when Terriers Defenceman James Durfee was called for hooking. The Oil Caps tested Ethan Farrow three times, but the game stayed scoreless. The visitors seemed to gather momentum from the kill, as Aiden Knutson found the back of the net with a spinning wrister from the slot opening his scoring in his preseason debut.
Moments later, the Terriers would strike again, this time off the rush. Jye Zawatsky sent Dustin Renas in alone and he made a pretty deke to the backhand beating Virden goaltender Nikolas Trakakis’s blocker side doubling the Terriers lead. Yorkton outshot Virden 15-12 in the opening frame
In the middle frame, the Terriers got an early powerplay when Carson Wright got called for a knee-on-knee hit with Zawatsky. The puck came loose to Carter Briltz and he wipped it through the wickets of Trakakis giving the Terriers a 3-0 lead. The Oil Caps, however, would chip away at the deficit as Wright snuck one by Farrow cutting the lead to two. The Oil Caps nearly got within one multiple times, but Farrow stopped a 2 on 0, and a 2 on 1 shortly after, preserving a 3-1 Terrier lead.
Just past the midway point of the middle frame, Farrow gave way to Creig, who unfortunately let the second shot he faced in as the lead shrunk to one. The Oil Caps controlled most of the play in the second period outshooting the Terriers 18-10.
Early in the final frame, the Terriers got a chance on the powerplay to double the lead again, but could not convert, testing Trakakis twice. The Oil Caps would tie the game just past the midway point of the third period, as Wright floated one on Creig and was tipped home by Maxx Hamelin bringing the game to 3-3. Both teams traded chances shortly after but both goaltenders were up to the task.
The Terriers would take the lead for good late in the third period as Shaden Dulaik picked up a loose puck behind the net and alertly wrapped it past Trakakis for a 4-3 lead, it was Duliak’s first of the Preseason.
The Terriers would get into some penalty trouble in the final stages of the hockey game resulting in the rare 6 on 3 for the home side.
Despite the pressure, Creig and the penalty killers held the fort for the victory.
With the win, the Terriers improve to 2-0 on the preseason and will continue their stretch of MJHL teams, this time the Waywayseecappo Wolverines. Puck drop is 7:00 PM.
