Terriers, Mills Renew Highway 10 Rivalry

It was an up-and-down first half of the season for the Yorkton Terriers. They were gifted with a heavy home schedule at the beginning of the season, with nine of the first eleven at Westland Arena, but failed to capitalize on that, going 3-6-2 in that span. They showed some life with a four-game winning streak with a sweep at the SJHL Showcase sandwiched in there.

They said goodbye to their captain Clay Sleeva as he was shipped to the Melfort Mustangs for 19-year-old forward David Coyle and prospects; they also traded Cade Kennedy to the Estevan Bruins before the Holiday Break.

Right now, the Terriers sit in last place in their division with a 9-19-2 record. A playoff spot looks daunting by the record. However, the Terriers are only eight points behind the Bruins for the 8th and final playoff spot and are slated to play the Bruins five more times this season.

No doubt the Terriers have to start stringing wins together and fast, and a big key to a second-half turnaround starts with their special teams. Their powerplay sits second last in the league at 15.6%. Only Melville’s 15.2% is worse. The addition of Coyle should help the powerplay; he had four powerplay goals with the Mustangs before the trade. Their penalty kill has had sucess in spirts this year but still ranks last in the SJHL at 72.0%.

Tonight, they renew the battle of Highway-10 rivalry with the first of a home and home with the Melville Millionaires. It’s the third of six meetings this season between these two sides. The most recent meeting came back in October, and it was the Millionaires sneaking away with a 3-1 win on home ice.