HUMBOLDT, SK — Zach Hertz’s first SJHL goal late in the third period stood as the game-winner, as the Yorkton Terriers earned a hard-fought 5–3 road victory over the Humboldt Broncos.
The Terriers opened the scoring in the first period when Gabrielle Courchesne threaded a backdoor pass to defenceman Brett Buckley, who buried his first SJHL goal with confidence. It would be the lone goal of the frame, with Humboldt edging Yorkton 13–11 in shots.
Early in the second, the Broncos drew even. Leading scorer Jacob Strizzi showcased his skill with a beautiful backhander, roofing it over the glove of Terriers netminder Callum Creig to make it 1–1.
Moments later, emotions boiled over when Broncos forward Gabriel Kaminski caught Mikale Budz up high with a stick. Austin Horbachewsky came to his teammate’s defence, dropping the gloves with Kaminski and injecting energy into the game.
On the ensuing power play, the Terriers regained the lead off a fortunate bounce. William Léonard sent a puck toward the net that fluttered through the legs of Broncos goalie Nick Kotai to make it 2–1.
Yorkton extended the lead midway through the period when rookie Kale Johns turned on the jets down the right wing and snapped a shot under the blocker for his first SJHL goal, giving the Terriers their largest lead of the night at 3–1.
Both teams fired 16 shots on net in an action-packed second period.
In the third, the Broncos cut the lead to one when Kristan Lacelle chipped a shot over Creig’s glove to make it 3–2.
The teams then traded goals late in the frame. Zach Hertz let a shot fly from the point that found its way past Kotai for his first SJHL goal, restoring Yorkton’s two-goal cushion. However, the Broncos responded just 31 seconds later, with Brayden Skogstad snapping a quick shot short side past Creig to bring it to 4–3.
Humboldt pushed hard with their goaltender pulled in the dying minutes, but the Terriers held firm. Kale Johns sealed the victory — and his second goal of the game — with an empty-netter.
The win marks Yorkton’s first victory of the season, as the two teams prepare for a rematch in Yorkton at 7:00 PM.
