Terriers Fall In A Wild 15 Goal Game
Photo Credit: Simple Shots By Jackie Greg Nelson scored a hat-trick, Logan Cyca and Brett Butz each had a three point night, but it wasn’t enough for the Yorkton Terriers who fell 9-6 to Canada’s number one team, the Battlefords North Stars. Kian Bell also had a hat-trick for the North Stars, while Jackson Allen and Keiton Klein put up three points for Battlefords.
Bell opened the scoring for Battlefords after a Yorkton turnover in their own end wound up in the back of their own goal. However, the Terriers responded quickly. Jackson McDonnell on a give and go found Pavel McKenzie streaking down the right wing, and the Cumberland House product snapped a shot past the blocker of Justen Maric.
Battlefords restored their lead in the second period. Colby Bear shoveled home a rebound past Caleb Allen for his 10th of the season to make it 2-1. 17 seconds later the Terriers tied the contest. Brett Butz threw the puck towards the goal where Logan Cyca tipped it home to make it 2-2. The North Stars made it 3-2 on the power-play. A shot squeezed behind Allen, and Riley Girod pushed it home for his 5th goal of the campaign. Yorkton tied up the contest once more. Butz found a wide open Greg Nelson at the top of the slot, and the Veteran, Alberta product sniped the top corner to make it 3-3. Yorkton took their lone lead of the game moments later. Cyca’s home run pass found Nelson in behind the defense, where on the break-away, the 20-year-old slid the puck through the five hole of Maric to make it 4-3.
The North Stars took over the third period. Battlefords tied it at 4-4 when Holden Doell from a tight angle picked the top shelf over the shoulder of Allen. Battlefords then took the lead on another power-play marker. Allen made the first save on a cross ice pass, but three North Stars jammed away at the rebound before Tanner Gold eventually poked the puck home. Steven Kesslering made it 6-4 on a back door tap in. Less than a minute later, Kian Bell scored his second of the game to make it 7-4 North Stars. Battlefords scored two more power-play goals to extend their lead to 9-4, both back door tap ins. The first was from Jackson Allen, while Kian Bell scored his hat trick marker for his league leading 28th goal of the season. Yorkton replied late in the frame. First Greg Nelson deflected home a Tyson Perkins bomb on the power-play, for his hat trick goal to make it 9-5. Then Clay Sleeva was sprung on a break-away, shorthanded, by Lohgan Nimmo, scoring his 10th goal of the season, for a final score of 9-6.
Yorkton plays one more game before the Christmas break when they take on these same North Stars on Saturday. The game will be on the GX 94 alternate stream, with the pre-game show starting at 6:50pm and play-by-play kicking off at 7:00pm.