The opening twenty minutes of Game 5 featured no scoring, but it was anything but dull. The pace was high, the hits were heavy, and Matt Spencer Dahl delivered a couple of highlight-reel saves, continuing his impressive run in this series.
The Millionaires went 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Terriers had a single opportunity that carried over into the second period.
Yorkton held the edge in shots, outshooting Melville 11–5.
In the middle frame, the Terriers’ power play finally broke through on a 5-on-3, cashing in for the game’s first goal with 4:24 remaining in the period. Thomas Ries let a shot go from the top of the point, and it found its way to the top corner past Matt Spencer Dahl.
Just 17 seconds later, the Terriers struck again on the man advantage. This time it was Tyler Palin from the back end, wiring a point shot that found the net — a near carbon copy of the opening goal.
Yorkton carried the play in the second, outshooting Melville 16–7.
In the third period, the Terriers extended their lead off the stick of William Léonard, who beat Matt Spencer Dahl to make it 3–0. Following the goal, Léonard was assessed an unsportsmanlike penalty, and the Millionaires capitalized, as Keil Schmalz slipped his second of the series past Callum Creig, who made 20 saves on the night.
Yorkton answered shortly after, with Vinay Junek restoring the three-goal cushion.
The Terriers skated to a 4–1 victory, taking a 3–2 series lead. They’ll have a chance to punch their ticket to the second round with a win in Game 6 Monday night in Melville.
