The opening twenty minutes were dominated by the goaltenders, as Melville’s Preston Patenaude and Yorkton’s Callum Creig both put on a show, turning aside every shot that came their way in the first frame.
The Millionaires were given the only two power-play opportunities of the period but were unable to convert.
Both teams also skated four-on-four twice during the period.
Yorkton held a slight edge on the shot clock, outshooting Melville 15–11 through the opening twenty minutes.
The middle frame saw the game’s first goal, and it sent Westland Arena into a frenzy. Gavin Bartha opened the scoring, sliding home his sixth of the season past Preston Patenaude to give the Terriers a 1–0 lead.
Yorkton struck again four minutes later. After Vinay Junek forced a turnover, he found a wide-open Jye Zawatsky, who ripped home his 27th of the season to double the Terriers’ advantage.
The Terriers were given two power-play opportunities in the second period but were unable to convert.
Creig turned aside all five shots he faced in the frame, while Yorkton continued to press offensively, firing 14 shots at Patenaude.
In the third period, the Terriers added a pair of goals to put the game away. Jye Zawatsky sniped his second of the night, extending Yorkton’s lead to 3–0.
There was also a special moment late in the period on the power play, as Dylan Veroba buried his first SJHL goal to make it 4–0. Tyler Palin and Kale Johns picked up the assists on the milestone marker.
Callum Creig turned aside all 20 shots he faced to record his third shutout of the season.
The victory also secured the second seed in the SJHL standings, setting the stage for a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series, as the (2) Yorkton Terriers will face the (7) Melville Millionaires beginning Friday night at Westland Arena.
