The Yorkton Terriers came out flying in the opening period, and it was their captain who set the tone. Tylan Henrikson opened the scoring just four minutes in, giving the home side an early spark.
Yorkton nearly doubled the lead while shorthanded moments later, as Kaeden Serpa wandered out of his net and turned the puck over to Cash Lanigan. The Regina product had a wide-open look but couldn’t slide it home.
The missed opportunity proved costly. Almost immediately after, the North Stars capitalized, as Alessio Nardelli found himself all alone and buried the equalizer.
Battlefords held a slight edge in shots, outshooting Yorkton 17-14 in the opening frame.
In the second period, the North Stars’ power play struck again, with Linken Fisher restoring the lead. Just moments later, Nardelli added his second of the night, slipping a shot through the legs of Callum Creig to make it 3-1.
But as they’ve done all season, the Terriers answered.
Just 16 seconds after the two-goal deficit, Drew Heil’s point shot found its way past Serpa, cutting the lead in half. It was the Wisconsin native’s first of the postseason.
Yorkton kept pushing, and they were rewarded again as Vinay Junek jammed home a loose puck in the crease to tie the game at three with his fourth of the playoffs.
The Terriers carried the momentum, outshooting the North Stars 15-11 in the middle frame.
In the third period, Yorkton flipped the script in a big way, erupting for three goals.
Jye Zawatsky broke the 3-3 deadlock, wiring a glove-side shot off a feed from Gabriel Courchesne for his fifth of the playoffs.
Courchesne then added some insurance himself, beating Serpa from the high slot to make it 5-3.
Henrikson capped off the night with his second of the game late in the third, putting it out of reach.
The Terriers dominated the final frame, outshooting the North Stars 20-1.
Callum Creig made 26 saves as the never-say-die Terriers forced a winner-take-all Game 7 on home ice, with a berth in the Canterra Seeds Cup on the line.
Buckle up, Terriers Nation—this ride isn’t over yet.
