WEYBURN, SK: The Yorkton Terriers erupted for six goals through the opening forty minutes and held off the Weyburn Red Wings for a 6-5 victory Wednesday night at the Whitecap Resources Centre, snapping their brief two-game losing skid.
The Terriers couldn’t have asked for a much better start, dominating the opening twenty minutes and outshooting the Red Wings 19-6 en route to a 2-0 lead.
Jake Briltz got the offence rolling, breaking in all alone from the blue line before snapping a shot blocker side past Weyburn netminder Nate Stevens. It was the Regina product’s fourth goal of the season and his first in six games. Tyson Medernach picked up his eighth assist of the campaign on the play.
Yorkton doubled its advantage just past the midway point of the opening frame when Peter Godley set up Aidan Vallance with a perfect feed, and Vallance made no mistake, burying his second goal of the season to make it 2-0.
The Terriers were also handed an extended opportunity on the man advantage after Red Wings forward Callas Pierce was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for checking to the head.
Between the pipes, Callum Creig got the start for Yorkton and was perfect in the opening frame, turning aside all six shots he faced.
The offensive fireworks continued in the middle frame, with both teams finding the back of the net multiple times in a period dominated by special teams.
Yorkton wasted little time adding to its lead, striking just 36 seconds into the period. Medernach buried his fourth goal of the season, with Alex Morrison and Drew Heil picking up the assists to extend the Terriers’ advantage to 3-0.
The Red Wings responded on the power play, as Jase McNichol finally solved Creig to cut the deficit to 3-1.
However, Yorkton wasted little time answering, striking twice in quick succession to blow the game open.
First, Kale Johns broke in alone and slipped a shot past Stevens for his first goal of the season. Moments later, Heil got in on the action, scoring his first of the campaign on the power play to give the visitors a commanding 5-1 lead.
The Red Wings refused to go away, pulling back within three just before the midway point of the period when Ryan Gibbs redirected a shot past Creig.
Once again, the Terriers had an immediate response, this time on the man advantage. Evan Hymovitch got a stick on a Thomas Ries point shot, redirecting it into the back of the net to restore Yorkton’s four-goal cushion at 6-2.
That would spell the end of Stevens’ night, as the Weyburn netminder was pulled after surrendering six goals on 27 shots. Ethan Berard entered in relief and turned aside all 12 shots he faced over the remainder of the period.
The Red Wings would have the final say in a wild middle frame, capitalizing on another power-play opportunity as Hayden Iron Shirt slipped one past Creig to trim Yorkton’s lead to 6-3 heading into the final twenty minutes.
Both teams fired 19 shots on goal in the second period, with the Terriers holding a 38-25 advantage on the shot clock through forty minutes.
The Terriers had a golden opportunity to put the game out of reach in the third period after Weyburn’s Trennen Redlick was assessed a fighting major and an additional two-minute aggressor penalty, giving Yorkton a rare seven-minute power play.
However, the visitors were unable to capitalize on the extended man advantage, leaving the door open for the Red Wings to chip away at the deficit.
Weyburn managed to cut the Terriers’ lead to 6-4 later in the final frame, but Yorkton continued to hold a two-goal cushion as the clock wound down.
The Red Wings would add one final goal with just one second remaining in regulation, making the final score 6-5.
Creig was solid between the pipes when called upon, finishing with 35 saves to secure the victory, while the Terriers held a 53-40 advantage in shots on goal.
The victory snapped Yorkton’s two-game losing skid and sent the Dogs back home with two important points.
UP NEXT:
The Terriers will now return home Saturday night for a showdown with the Battlefords North Stars at Westland Insurance Arena.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
