Terriers Prepare For Final Two Meetings Against Melville
Photo Credit: Simple Shots By Jackie Story Coming In:
It’s the final two games of the season between Highway 10 rivals, a season series that so far has gone the way of the Mils. Yorkton opened the season series with a 5-4 shootout win, but since then it’s been all Melville. Scoring has hamstrung the Terriers, who only put up four goals in the last three games against the Millionaires, and have only scored more than two goals in a game three times in February. Dylan Ruptash leads the way for the Terriers offensively, but after his five points, no one else has more than two. With nothing but pride on the line, the winner of both these weekend games will probably be the one who does not end up in last place in the SJHL standings. Last time that happened to the Terriers was the 2014-15 season under Trent Cassan, when they lost a bunch of pieces from the 2014 national championship year.
View From Melville:
This season has been a massive disappointment for the Millionaires. The Mils were expected to compete for a division crown and home ice advantage in the playoffs and they have fallen well short of those expectations. Gone are the likes of Zach Cain, Noah Wills and Nicholas Samson, replaced by the likes of Isaac Suppin, Nathan Fox and Sam Schofield. Despite their struggles, they have claimed the Parks Cup this season over the Yorkton Terriers, no matter what happens during these two games this weekend. Suppin has been terrific in the season series, putting up six points in two games, while Fox is close behind with five points. Don’t discount rookie forward Caden Drury who has four points against the Terriers including his first career SJHL goal, and has been a terror for Yorkton to play against. Clement LaBillious has also been lights out against Yorkton in goal, posting a 1.44 goals against average and a .955 save percentage. In short, if Melville played every game against Yorkton, they would be a playoff team.
Between The Pipes:
The one player who can’t be faulted for how this season has gone in Yorkton is Caleb Allen. The Lone Tree, Colorado product has been a revelation in goal for the Terriers, who had to scramble to replace the likes of Kael DePape and Tressor Wotton from last season. While Allen’s numbers don’t tell the whole story, most nights he is the reason the Terriers are in hockey games. The biggest question for the 19-year-old is whether he will come back next season. Under Mat Hehr, Yorkton has not had a returning netminder, however, that could change with Allen. If he returns next season, and the Terriers cut down on the grade A opportunities against him, then the Colorado kid could be in the conversation for Goalie of the Year.
Stats Leaders For Yorkton:
Goals: Ruptash (21)
Assists: Hall (18)
Points: Ruptash (37)
PIM: Mayes (195)
Goalie: Allen 14-24-1, 3.88, 0.897% 1SO 1G