MELVILLE, SK – Jye Zawatsky and Quinn Tavender each scored twice, including back-to-back goals just 10 seconds apart late in the third period, as the Yorkton Terriers battled past the Melville Millionaires 6–5 inside the CN Community Centre.
The first installment of the Highway 10 Rivalry delivered plenty of offense, with Yorkton striking for four goals in the opening frame.
Despite that early push, it was Melville who opened the scoring as Rylan Oatman jammed a loose puck past Terriers goaltender Alexandro Montoya to give the home side a 1–0 lead.
The Terriers responded quickly and decisively. Tylan Henrikson set up Zawatsky in the slot for his first of the preseason, before Yorkton took advantage of an extended 5-on-3 power play. Tavender and Mikale Budz each scored to make it 3–1, and just 56 seconds later, Vinay Junek added his first of the preseason to push the lead to 4–1.
Melville pulled one back late in the first when Wesley Olson netted his second of the preseason, trimming the deficit to 4–2. Shots were nearly even after 20 minutes, with Melville holding a 19–17 edge.
The Millionaires carried that momentum into the middle frame, storming back with three unanswered goals. Wesley Golden scored his first of the preseason, Olson added his second of the night on the power play, and just over two minutes later, Devon Winder snapped home a shot short side to give Melville a 5–4 lead. The Millionaires outshot Yorkton 17–5.
The Terriers regrouped in the third and took advantage of another power play to tie the game. Henrikson found Zawatsky wide open backdoor for his second of the night, making it 5–5 and giving Yorkton its third power play goal of the evening.
Then, just 10 seconds later, the Terriers regained the lead for good. Budz carried the puck into the offensive zone and threaded a perfect pass to Tavender, who redirected home his second of the night to seal the 6–5 win.
Montoya was outstanding in goal, turning aside 48 of 53 shots for his second preseason victory.
The Terriers and Millionaires will complete their preseason schedules tomorrow night at Westland Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.
