Terriers Spoil The Party At Affinity Place
Photo Credit: Simple Shots By Jackie Caleb Allen was the star of the show, as the Yorkton Terriers spoiled the party at Affinity Place with a 3-2 victory over the Estevan Bruins. Three different goal scorers contributed for the Terriers, while Allen made 42 saves in the win.
The opening period saw the Terriers come out flying. Several early period chances were thwarted by returning net-minder Cam Hrdlicka, as Yorkton had the first five shots on target. Yorkton would get rewarded for their efforts. Chasing after a loose puck in the corner, Kaden Bandura threw the biscuit in front of the Estevan cage where it bounced off a defender and into the goal for a 1-0 Yorkton lead. The Terriers had a chance to pad their lead with a 5-on-3 powerplay, however, Hrdlicka and the Bruins stood tall and it remained 1-0. A late power-play allowed the Bruins to grab some momentum back in the first, but Allen in his Terriers debut, stonewalled the Bruins to bring the Terriers into the break.
The Bruins carried their momentum into the second period. Early in the frame, Liam Lucas found a wide-open Jeromy Fortin in the slot, who beat Allen over the shoulder to tie the game at 1-1. Estevan took their first lead of the game on the power-play. A point shot bounced off a maze of bodies and looped over Allen, with Evan Forrest credited with the 2-1 marker. However, the Terriers responded. On their second 5-on-3 power-play of the game, a loose puck made its way to the side of the Estevan goal where JD Hall lifted the loose biscuit over Hrdlicka, tying the game at 2-2 after 40 minutes of play.
It was a hectic start to the third period. Both teams combined for three glorious opportunities, but the squads came away empty handed. First, Pavel McKenzie rang a shot off the post behind Hrdlicka, before Estevan had a wide open cage and they couldn’t convert. The third opportunity came from a 2-on-0 chance by the Terriers, only for Hrdlicka to come across to make the save. Bruins had a four minute power-play in the middle of the third, but it was Allen who kept the game tied with a massive save on Forrest. Yorkton took their second lead of the game on the power-play. A point shot from Tyson Perkins found its way to Clay Sleeva and he shoveled home the rebound to make it 3-2 Terriers. The defending champs pressed for an equalizer which including an opportunity on a 5-on-3 power-play late in the game. Several blocked shots and a big save by Allen on Kade Runke preserved the Terriers 3-2 win.
Yorkton heads back home for their home opener against the Bruins tomorrow night. The game can be found on HockeyTV or the GX 94 alternate feed. Pre-game show starts at 6:50pm and play-by-play kicks off at 7:00pm.