Mils Advance To Sherwood Final

First off, full marks to the Yorkton Terriers for a great effort in this series. The Terriers were comeback kids, and if they had made it 4-2 tonight on any of the glorious chances they had in the third, they just might have pulled off another stunning comeback like in Games 4 and 5. On this night though, the Melville Millionaires played a great first 40 minutes and weathered the Terriers' onslaught in the third for a 5-1 win, taking the series in 7 games. The Terriers left the ice with their heads held high and didn't try to start any silly stuff with the game out of reach in the third. For that, they deserve a pat on the back, and I'll talk about their nine 20 year olds in a bit.

Powerplays were the story, with the Mils 3/6 and the Terriers 0/6. Melville was 11/40 (28.5%) for the series while Yorkton went 4/45 (11.1%).

The Mils got out to a 4-0 lead by the late stages of the second period. Tyler Murray scored his second of the playoffs in the first, followed by Daniel Hope (1st), Aaron Decorby (2nd) and Kelly Friesen (2nd) in the middle frame. Cody Hanson rounded out the scoring with his second of the post season, shortly after Kevin Stringfellow notched his 1st to get the Terriers on the board.

Joel Danyluk allowed the first 3 and the last Mils' goal, while Devin Peters was in for the 4th one. Travis Bosch made 34 saves on 35 shots for Melville. The Mils out-shot the Terriers 38-35.

Kale Dolinski had 2 assists on the night, setting up his linemates Murray and Decorby for powerplay markers. Kale joined us on the Post Game Show.



Here's Yorkton Coach/GM Ed Zawatsky's Post Game Interview.



The Terriers graduate a strong crop of nine 20-year-olds.

#5 Justin Giesbrecht (D), Niverville, MB
"Geezer" was acquired from the Swan Valley Stampeders at the deadline, and I had a chance to watch him for the last 2 seasons. He's a rugged defenseman who's got a great shot on the powerplay. Unfortunately he didn't see a lot of ice time in the playoffs, just due to the numbers game, but he certainly contributed when given the chance.

#7 Kirk Byczynski (D), Bredenbury, SK
Byczynski played parts of four season in Yorkton, and was one of the most feared open ice hitters in the league as a veteran. Even without the red mullet, Kirk was intimidating to play against and has the most lethal slapshot on the team.

#14 Corey Silverson (F), Thunder Bay, ON
Silverson scored maybe the Terriers' biggest goal of the season in double overtime of Game 4 to tie the series with Melville at 2-2, after Yorkton lost the first two games. A loss would have put the Terriers in a 3-1 series deficit.

#15 Derek Derkach (D), Ituna, SK
He's not flashy, you might not notice him much, but covering the team for the last 2 seasons, Derkach is one of the most reliable defensemen you can have, rarely making mistakes, makes a good first pass, and even saw a good chunk of powerplay time in the playoffs.

#18 Derek Serdachny (F), Yorkton, SK
The home-grown Captain. Serdachny was a horse in the playoffs, being relied on heavily for offense, scoring 6 goals in the first 5 games of the series. He had a hat trick in Game 4 to almost single-handedly erase a 3-0 Melville lead to force overtime. He then potted the overtime winner two nights later in Game 5.

#21 Travis Coghill (F), Whitewood, SK
Cogs is a typical "mucker", who plays whatever role is asked of him. He plays the penalty kill and works hard on the forecheck, and despite being a little under-sized, was never afraid to drop the mitts. Definitely a thorn in the side of the opposition.

#23 Jordan Zalba (F), Victoria, BC
Zalba was a mid-season acquisition from the BCHL and made an immediate impact offensively. While his numbers slowed a little in the playoffs, he always seemed dangerous and often looked like he had the puck on a string. Also want to say hi to Zalba's dad, who was nice enough to come by the booth before Game 7 to introduce himself and say thanks for broadcasting the games.

#24 Greg Coburn (D), Shaunavon, SK
Coburn's the real deal, and if you're a fan of the Union College Dutchmen, you're about to learn that for yourself. He led the Terriers with 47 points in 2008-09, and had an assist in his final Junior 'A' Game. Coburn accepted a Division I NCAA scholarship to Union, and will be missed in every facet of the game. Offensively, defensively, PP and PK... Coburn did it all for the Terriers.

#91 Bryan Hull (F), Terrace, BC
Hull is an offensive specialist, who can often be found on his off-wing on the powerplay, a right-handed shot at the left post. Hull had 34 pts in 34 games in his 20 year old season, and likely would have led the team in scoring had he not been injured for nearly half the season. With linemates Serdachny and Kevin Stringfellow, Hull was part of the Terriers' most dangerous trio in the post season.

Yorkton can bring back 2 very capable goaltenders for next season, with Peters and Danyluk both 19 next year. On the blueline, expect Clark Byczynski to log minutes similar to the ones his older brother piled up this season. Shawn Shackleton (89) and Kurtis Decker (90) are also back. While up front, the Terriers should be quite deep. They're expecting 1989 David Skagen to return to the fold after a season-ending injury in the first game of the regular season. Throw in Torey Stott, who led the team with 18 goals as a rookie, Jordan Menke (15 goals), Cody Zubko, Kevin Stringfellow, etc, etc. Clarke Breitkreuz could possibly be back with the Regina Pats, while Brent Struble really impressed when he was called up from the Regina Pat Canadians. I'd say look for good things from this bunch in 09/10.

Congrats to the Terriers on a hard-fought series and season, and thanks to Ed Zawatsky, Trent Cassan, and the entire organization for being so accomodating once again in 08/09.