Story Coming In:
The end of the road trip is here as the Yorkton Terriers visit the Melfort Mustangs. So far, the Terriers are 3-2-0-1 on the trip. A win would see Yorkton take 9 of a possible 14 points, which head coach Mat Hehr would call a big success for the young squad. Yorkton and Melfort collided earlier this season, on September 28th, which turned into a 5-3 win at the Westland Insurance Arena for the Mustangs. The Terriers are eyeing to return the favour at the Northern Lights Palace, with the possibility of jumping into a playoff position. Logan Cyca has been tremendous for the Terriers on this road trip, having posted seven points in six games. Another star has been goaltender Kael DePape, who continues to put up eye-popping numbers that are near the best in the league. If the Terriers continue to receive hot play from their stars, they will be well on their way to their ninth win of the campaign.
View From Melfort:
After a torrid start to the season, the Melfort Mustangs have cooled off and now find themselves sitting in fifth place in the SJHL. Having suffered back-to-back losses to divisional foes, the Mustangs hope home ice remains kind to them, where Melfort has gone 6-3-0-1. Led up front by Ben Tkachuk and Seth McCulloch, Melfort has a balanced offence with anyone capable of scoring in bunches. Add a power-play unit that sits in 4th place in the SJHL, and you can never count out the Mustangs. The biggest question mark in Melfort may come from a surprising source. Goaltender Joel Favreau was expected to be near the top of the league in all major categories, and he hasn’t lived up to the hype, so far. However, Favreau is capable of stealing a game, and Yorkton will need to do everything they can to keep him uncomfortable in goal in order to find a W.
Ice Cold?:
Clay Sleeva started the season on a hot pace with eight points in the first seven games, but since then, the Canora product has only posted two points in 12 games. Having not scored since October 5th, Sleeva’s confidence has taken a bit of a hit. The 17-year-old is arguably the most talented player on this Terriers roster, and the T-Dogs need their young talent to regain his form from the start of the season. A goal tonight will be huge for the psyche of Sleeva. Keeping things simple is the key, and if Sleeva starts firing again, it’ll add another dangerous piece to an offence that is slowly coming alive in Yorkton.
Tale of the Tape
Yorkton Terriers (8-10-0-1 – 17 points) Melfort Mustangs (11-7-1-1 – 24 points)
2nd Viterra Division/ 9th SJHL 2nd Sherwood Division/ 5th SJHL
Powerplay: 7/76 – 9.2% (12th SJHL) Powerplay: 21/93 – 22.6% (4th SJHL)
Penalty Kill: 73/85 – 86.0% (3rd SJHL) Penalty Kill: 77/90 – 85.6% (5th SJHL)
Last Ten: 6-3-0-1 Streak: 1-0-0-1 Last Ten: 4-5-1-0 Streak: 0-1-1-0
Stats Leaders For Yorkton:
Goals: Gervais (8)
Assists: Norum (8)
Points: Gervais (12)
PIM: Norum (40)
Goalie: DePape 8-4-0-1, 1.83, 0.930%, 1 SO
