Chat With Portage Coach Blake Spiller

Portage Terriers' Head Coach/GM Blake Spiller, originally from nearby Bredenbury, took some time to chat earlier this week, ahead of their trip to Camrose for the RBC Cup.

Couple Baby Pics

Haven't showed off our baby on the world wide web for a while. And since there's not a lot happening around here sports-wise... here are a couple recent snapshots!

Easter in Saskatoon. (Apr/24)

Playing outside. Finally it's warmin' up! (Apr/28)

One big positive about not being on the road with hockey right now is I'm spending a whole lot more time with this kid. She's really getting fun... crawling like crazy, really close to walking... and laughs at everything! My wife goes back to work on Monday, which will be tough on her... so it's 'Hello Daycare.' If I do it right though, I can usually be home shortly after reading my noon sports this time of year... so it'll be me and Bailey most afternoons.

She turns 1 on May 18th!

Neibrandt, Leach, Ice: Off to WHL Final

Max Reinhardt scored five goals, Cody Eakin had the other two, as the Kootenay Ice wasted no time finishing off the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL's Eastern Conference Final in 4 games. They advanced with a 7-2 decision Wednesday night.

So local products John Neibrandt (Rhein, SK... former Terrier) and Joey Leach (Wadena, SK) will get to taste the Western Hockey League Final... and if they get four more wins, we'll be watching them on Sportsnet next month during the Memorial Cup.

The Ice, who finished 4th in the Eastern Conference before beating Moose Jaw in 6 games, and sweeping both Saskatoon and Medicine Hat, have now won 11 straight playoff games, but will certainly be in tough, facing one of the top two teams in the West, in either Portland or Spokane.

Last night, Ryan Johansen tied it late, and Portland won it in overtime 3-2 over Spokane, to take a 2-1 series lead over Davis Vandane and the Chiefs. Game 4 is Friday. The scores in that series have been 2-1, 2-1, 3-2 (OT). If it goes seven games, it won't be decided until May 3rd. Either way, Kootenay's probably off until May 6th, when the final would likely start.

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Saskatchewan finished with 3 wins and a tie in the round robin at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship in Saskatoon.

Team Sask beat Ontario 5-2 yesterday afternoon, and then tied B.C. 1-1 last night.

Yorkton Terriers' Assistant Coach Danny McKay coaches the team, who are looking for their 4th straight gold medal at the event.

They finished 1st in the round robin, meaning they bypass today's Quarter-Finals, and play a Semi-Final game tomorrow (FRI) night at 8:30.

Saskatchewan Looking For 4th Straight Gold

Yorkton Terrier Assistant Coach Danny McKay and several local area players are part of this year's Team Saskatchewan at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

This year's event is in Saskatoon, and got underway Tuesday.

Saskatchewan posted a pair of convincing wins, 10-1 over North West Territories and 7-3 over Eastern Door & The North (Northern Quebec).

They're back in action today (WED) against Ontario (2:00) and B.C. (7:45) to finish off the round robin and look for a bye into the Semis on the weekend.

Saskatchewan has won the last three NAHC's and McKay has been the Head Coach for every one.

Other locals on the team include:

Dustin Skilliter (Yorkton Harvest)
Kailum Gervais (Yorkton Harvest)
Rodney Sewap (Yorkton Harvest)
Dalton Peigan (Ochapowace Thunder)
Lenny Keshane (Ochapowace Thunder)
Kirk Bear (Melville 'AA' Midget)
Trainer Riley Rice (Yorkton Terriers)

Welcome Back: RBC All Set

Most of my long weekend was spent in Saskatoon with my wife's side of the family, except for Saturday afternoon when I went to the farm to help brand calves. All in all, a good Easter, good long weekend, and now the "off-season" begins to set in, with my first "full week" since hockey's ended ready to kick off. It's easier as far as hours, this time of year, but much harder in terms of content. We're spoiled by having no shortage of national sports and wire audio courtesy The Canadian Press, but I figure if I don't have SOME local sports on the air, then I really didn't do anything that day aside from copy/paste. So that's the goal... get local sports on the air, when really... there's not any local sports going on! Gotta find local angles, like local players in the WHL, on other Jr 'A' teams, etc, check in with the golf courses in the area, and find out when all the local ball, lacrosse, etc gets going. I wake up a lot of mornings this time of year wondering what I will have on the air, but something always seems to come up.

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One thing that is coming up, is the 5th annual "Football Night in Saskatchewan." It's a fundraiser for Yorkton Minor Football, and this year's event is May 14th at the St. Mary's Cultural Centre. It's sold out again, and has been since this time last year. I had Roby Sharpe on the air late last week, and he announced that Wes Cates will be the keynote speaker. Other current and former Riders will also be in attendance, along with Yorkton's own Jordan Matechuk of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Matechuk will be running his annual Football Camp that weekend, May 13th and 14th, while Brittany Thies will have her annual Cheerleading Clinic at the same time. It's a great football weekend, and I look forward to watching Randy Atkinson do all the work again, while I enjoy myself and grab a few interviews!

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Once I got to about Foam Lake on my way back from Saskatoon, I started to get MBC Radio's Yorkton feed, and CFRY Portage, and it was just in time, about 5 minutes before the puck dropped on Game 7 of the Anavet Cup. I flipped between both stations (whichever came in the best at the time!) for the first period, which was scoreless. Portage scored once late in the 2nd, and tacked on three more in the 3rd for a 4-0 decision. As I said last week, I would have given La Ronge better odds to win, having seen each team 6 or 8 times this year... but until you put two teams from different leagues on the same ice, it's hard to gauge how they'll match up. A slow start to the series (down 2-0) ended up costing La Ronge, and Coach Bob Beatty said their 7 game series against the Yorkton Terriers had a lot to do with that. I'm not shocked that Portage won, they've got a fast, hard-working, deep team, with two #1 goalies, and now they're going to Camrose for the RBC Cup in less than a week. Blake Spiller's one of my favourite guys to deal with and it's well-deserved for him and his group.

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After following La Ronge-Portage, and the Chicago Blackhawks tie their series with Vancouver at 3-3, I caught the end of the Vernon Vipers and Spruce Grove Saints online. That was also Game 7 to decide who would go to the RBC Cup. Vernon won 4-2 with a late empty-netter, and the Vipers are going to the National Championship for a 3rd straight year, and are looking to win it for a 3rd straight time. They beat Humboldt in the 2009 final, and the host Dauphin Kings last year. They are likely a favourite again, especially after beating Spruce Grove, who I believe was ranked first overall in the country for most or all of the season, with a ridiculous record of 50-6-4.

RBC Cup Teams
Camrose Kodiaks (Host, AJHL)
Vernon Vipers (Pacific, BCHL)
Portage Terriers (West, MJHL)
Wellington Dukes (Central, OJHL)
Pembroke Lumber Kings (East, CJHL)

Vernon meets Camrose in the opening game Saturday night. Portage plays their first game Sunday afternoon against Pembroke.

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Davis Vandane and the Spokane Chiefs fell 2-1 to the Portland Winterhawks Sunday night, which ties the WHL Western Conference Final at 1-1. Spokane struck first in Game 2, but Portland tied it, and Ryan Johansen scored his 8th of the playoffs for the winner. Vandane still managed a +1 rating, and is now +11 in 13 playoff games. He might be an offensive defenseman, but that +/- should tell you he can play in his own end too.

John Niebrandt and the Kootenay Ice are up 2-0 on Medicine Hat after 6-5 (OT) and 3-0 road wins on the weekend. Kootenay returns home for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. That club is really rolling, after sweeping Saskatoon, and I believe they came back from down 2-1 on Moose Jaw to win it in six. If that is indeed the case, that would give them 9 straight wins in these playoffs.

The West Final shifts to Spokane Wednesday and Friday. Guessing rink availability is more of an issue for Junior Hockey in Major U.S. Cities than in Medicine Hat and Cranbrook!

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Hope your weekend was great! Enjoy this weather!

Long Weekend Reading

- As I fired up the BBQ for the first time this year Wednesday night, an evening of 5 NHL playoff games, a burger in one hand and a Coors in the other, I figured life was pretty good, and it is. Then it hit me that I could have been setting up in the broadcast booth at Farrell Agencies Arena for Game 4 of the ANAVET Cup had the SJHL Final gone the other way. That would have trumped any BBQ or any double overtime NHL game.

- Looking back, it was still a great playoff run, and the games I got to call on GX94, right from late February until mid-April were outstanding. I still love my job after six years of radio but the change of pace of spring/summer is always welcomed at the same time.

- La Ronge forward Travis Eggum has 75 goals in 79 games this season. Yikes. He scored 4 in Wednesday's 6-1 win over Portage to even the ANAVET up at 2 games each. I would have picked La Ronge to win the series, and they certainly still could, but will need at least one win back in Portage.

- La Ronge to Portage is roughly 1000 kilometres, and after playing Game 5 Thursday night, HOPEFULLY ending in regulation and leaving the rink by about 10:00 SK Time (11:00 Portage time)... the two clubs will do it all over again at 6:30 SK time in Portage on Saturday. I wonder if Portage stays over and drives all day Friday, or drives through the night. Infact I also wonder if La Ronge leads right after the game or waits until the next morning... decisions! Either way, one of those two teams will have a chance to punch their ticket to the RBC Saturday night, so the bus ride might not feel as gruelling... I'm thinking it's all adrenaline at this point!

- The WHL is down to its final four teams and the Conference Finals both kick off Friday night. A former Terrier defenseman will be involved in both series. John Niebrandt (and Wadena's Joey Leach) and the Kootenay Ice take on the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference Final, while out west, it's Davis Vandane's Spokane Chiefs up against the first place Portland Winterhawks.

Niebrandt on Kootenay's sweep of Saskatoon: "It surprised everyone, us included. We thought we had a chance to win if we played our best, but I don't think anyone thought we'd take them in four games. Everyone played their roles, we hit their top players and our goalie (Nathan Lieuwen) was there when he had to be."

Niebrandt on Kootenay holding Brayden Schenn to 1 point and a -7: "We had a checking line playing against him and they ended up scoring a few goals too. His only goal was in Game 2 in Saskatoon with about a minute left and I think it hit 4 shinpads before going in."

Niebrandt says being physical on Medicine Hat's top players, like Linden Vey, will be key in trying to advance to the WHL Final.

Vandane on 6 game series win over Tri-City: "Give them credit, they pushed us hard, the last three games went to overtime. Every game came down to one shot and if we didn't bury every chance, they made us pay."

Vandane on Portland: "We respect them a lot. They're highly skilled and very offensively-minded. At the same time you have to realize they're in the same league you are, and if we play our game, anything can happen. If we're physical and get our forecheck going I think we'll have success."

Beatty Named SJHL Coach of the Year

(Picture and story from www.sjhl.ca)

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is proud to announce that its 2010-2011 Coach of the Year is Bob Beatty of the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

Beatty successfully guided the Ice Wolves to a regular season best record of 42-14-0-2 and then led them to a second straight Credit Union Cup title as they defeated the Yorkton Terriers in a hard fought seven game series.

In addition to his duties with the Ice Wolves this season, Beatty was also an assistant coach for Team West at the World Under-17 challenge held in Winnipeg.

This year’s award is Beatty’s second straight and his fourth overall as he also was given the distinction in the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 season with the Humboldt Broncos.

The SJHL Coach of the Year is chosen by the 12 coaches in the league who have one vote. Other finalists were Trent Cassan of the Yorkton Terriers and Dean Brockman of the Humboldt Broncos.

Who's It Gonna Be?

We could be less than a month from knowing who's going from Yorkton to Humboldt (for Boyer/Buzzeo), and from Melfort to Melville (for Metz/Hanson) in two of the bigger future considerations deals I've covered.

That seems to be the new way of building contenders. Stock up now, pay later. As Bob Beatty told Joel Danyluk when he told him he was going to Estevan before this past season, "it's like a credit card, it's fun when you're racking it up, but it's never fun to pay it off."

Danyluk and Ben Findlay went from La Ronge to Estevan, to pay for the deal involving Liam Brennan and Colton MacPherson from a year ago. As we all know, the Ice Wolves still kept a good group intact, and successfully defended their championship.

There's no question the "paying off" will hurt a little more for the Terriers, after coming close to their ultimate goal, but coming one win short. I'm sure it'll hurt more still for Melfort, who lost in the Bauer Conference Final in 5 games to La Ronge, after adding Metz & Hanson to an already deep team.

A handful of teams "go for it" every year, while only one team can win.

I think Trent Cassan and Don Chesney did it right when they went into the dressing room and told their guys that Humboldt gets to select two roster players for next year as soon as the Boyer/Buzzeo deal was made. In this day and age, rumours travel like wildfire. Message Boards, Blogs, texting, etc. Someone from every team knows someone on every other team whether it be from minor hockey growing up, from "AAA" Midget, and every hockey player has a cell phone. While it could have been a distraction knowing 2 players are going to Humboldt, it's certainly better than not knowing and hearing different things.

Really, Terrier fans should be glad it's only two players going to Humboldt, when you consider it's THREE going from Melfort to Melville. As good as Metz/Hanson are, I think it's fair to say Boyer/Buzzeo are even better, offensively for sure, and Melville's getting an extra player in return. I also think Humboldt's 2 players could also be as impact, or more, than the 3 Melville will get.

There "may or may not" be a protected player on each roster... but for argument's sake... a few names that are likely in the conversation.

Yorkton to Humboldt
91 F Clarke Breitkreuz (31 goals, 68 points in 10/11)
91 F Robbie Ciolfi (52 points in 47 games)
91 F Brent Struble (55 points in 52 games)
92 F Zak Majkowski (21 goals)
91 F Riley Paterson (23 points, size, grit)
92 F Nathan Murray (18 points, size, grit)
93 D Devon McMullen (17 points)
92 D Davis Vandane (Spokane- WHL)
92 D Austin Bourhis (Prince Albert- WHL)
92 D John Niebrandt (Kootenay- WHL)
93 F Tayler Thompson (Prince George- WHL)

**First instinct has to be Breitkreuz and Ciolfi. Outside of Marc-Andre Carre, I'm not sure there's a better 1991-born forward in the SJHL than those two. Certainly guys like Drew George, Andrew Johnston and Blake Tatchell are right there with them. But Breitkreuz/Ciolfi were roommates, linemates, and had nothing but success together, and that success didn't stop in the playoffs, infact it probably increased... and that has to be something Dean Brockman's looking at. If they want to be bigger and stronger, maybe they look at a Paterson/Murray, or if they want guys for more than one year, maybe Majkowski/McMullen enter the picture, or maybe they take a gamble on one of those WHL defensemen. But the Broncos want to win NEXT YEAR, and they want players who are sure bets to be there.

I hate to say it, but I'd be shocked if Clarke Breitkreuz and Robbie Ciolfi aren't in Humboldt colours in 2011-2012, and I'll have a new favourite team in the Bauer again if they are!

Melfort to Melville
1991 F Jesse Mireau (35 goals, 67 points)
1992 F Sean Aschim (51 points in 51 games, 12 in 11 playoff games)
1991 F Adam Wihak (43 points in a depth role)
1991 D Lee Christensen (24 points)
1991 D Mitch Berg (23 points, WHL experience)
1992 D Carter Berg (5 pts in 14 games, WHL experience)
1991 G Jesse Ehnisz (2.47 GAA, .924%, 1 SO)

**I'm not sure Ehnisz is a more proven starter than either Zach Rakochy or Alex Sirard, but I think he was 4-and-0 against Melville this past season! I would think the most sure bet is Aschim. First off, they could get him for two years. He's listed as a centre, but I'm picturing him playing RW when I've seen him. The Mils need centremen, which is why they may have considered taking Wihak, a Regina product, over Mireau. Wihak's concussion problems could change that, and Mireau could be a 40-goal guy as a 20-year-old, and I see he's also listed as a C, but thought he was used more on LW. Christensen didn't have huge #'s, but I think he can be that puck-moving, powerplay type defenseman, which the Mils lacked and sorely need. I'm not sure you get one Berg brother to report without the other... so if Wihak's injuries are a problem... the logical new Millionaires in my mind would be: Aschim, Mireau, Christensen.

These deals can be completed as soon as May 9th, once the RBC Cup is over in Camrose. I don't see it taking as long as September 30th like the Yorkton/Winnipeg Blues deal did before (or during) this past season.

Cheerleading Clinic - Note From Brittany Thies

I just wanted to let you all know about a workshop that is corresponding with the Football Night in Saskatchewan day on Saturday May 14^th, 2011. Being a former Raider & Rider cheerleading I find it necessary for younger ladies and gentlemen to get some of the opportunities that were offered to me. Therefore we are having the third annual Raider –Gridder Cheerleading Clinic. The event is sponsored by the Raider-Gridder Alumni, any girls/ guys ages 6 - 13 are welcome to come. This year there are two separate clinics. They are divided between 6 to 9 year olds and one for ages 10 – 13. I would encourage you to send this to your friends and relatives if they would be interested. All registration money will be donated to Yorkton Minor Football. All event information is found on the above attachment and there is also a registration form/ consent form attached. Students can pick them up at most schools in Yorkton and Area. There should be information at every elementary school office in surrounding communities, as well. (those that are in the Good Spirit and Christ the Teacher School Divisions.) Completed forms can be mailed to the below address. But if anyone wants a form they are more than welcome to call the contact number on the poster or e-mail me at yorktoncheer@hotmail.com .

Deadline for forms: May 9^th, 2011. Limited Space Available.

Thanks so much & have a super day!

yorktoncheer@hotmail.com

Gridder Alumni Cheer Clinic

c/o Brittany Thies

1069 14^th Ave.

Regina, SK.

S4N 0T8

Terrier Award Winners

The Terriers held their year-end Awards Banquet Saturday night at the Gallagher Centre. Just like last year, if you have any pictures and want to see them here, send them over, at craig575@hotmail.com.

Volunteer of the Year: Donna Moore

Three Star Award: 1) Devin Peters; 2) Clarke Breitkreuz; 3) Robbie Ciolfi

GX94 Playoff MVP
Estevan Series: Robbie Ciolfi
Kindersley Series: Justin Buzzeo/Devin Peters
La Ronge Series: Clarke Breitkreuz

Scholastic Award: Brenden Poncelet

Top Scorer (Regular Season): Jeremy Boyer

Top Scorer (Playoffs): Robbie Ciolfi

Community Service: Craig Eisenhut

Personality: Keon Vick

Most Gentlemanly: Jeremy Boyer

Most Improved: Warren Shymko

Unsung Hero: Riley Paterson

Most Popular: Devin Peters

Mr. Hustle: Brent Struble

Rookie: Zak Majkowski/Devon McMullen

Coach's Award: Kurtis Decker

Top Defenseman: Blaine Tendler

MVP: Clarke Breitkreuz

President's Trophy: Blaine Tendler

Any Final Thoughts?

Yes, my post from last night certainly would have been a lot more detailed had the other team won... but since they didn't, I decided sleep was more important.

The Terrier bus rolled into Yorkton at 6:00 am, and after doing a few things at the station, and saying hi to my wife and daughter who were already up, I finally crashed at about 7:45, and was gonzo till about 2:00. I'm sick as a dog again, got the same head cold I thought I'd got rid of... anyway, I was told to stay away from work until Monday. No argument here!

It ended up being 29 playoff broadcasts and 83 total on GX94 this year, which is about par for the course. But unlike most years, there was no Yorkton-Melville matchup, no Swan or Wayway against Dauphin, no Weyburn... nope, nothing close! Our Manitoba teams played Portage and Winkler, and in Saskatchewan, the opponents were Estevan, Estevan, Kindersley, La Ronge. Everything was a good hike, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm gassed. I need a break, but certainly wasn't hoping for one yet.

Game 7 in La Ronge started horrifically for the Terriers, and while they were right with La Ronge the rest of the way, they couldn't dig out of the 2-0 hole they dug themselves in the first three minutes.

You'd think winning the opening faceoff to start the game would be a good thing, but it started off a terrible string of events. Robbie Ciolfi won the opening draw clean from Marc-Andre Carre, but it got by defensemen Devon McMullen and Brant Remenda. Remenda hustled back, and Carre was bearing down on him, picking up steam. He got cranked, lost his helmet, and as he got hit, he put the puck off the glass, and it ended up going for icing. The Ice Wolves won the draw, and Logan Herauf spun and shot, and scored, just 18 seconds into Game 7. Almost right off the ensuing face-off, the Terriers took a penalty (their only one of the game), and the Ice Wolves' Dayton Fossum scored on the powerplay at 2:33.

Right after that, La Ronge goalie Adam Bartko robbed Justin Buzzeo with the glove. The Terriers kept coming, and Ciolfi scored his 14th of the playoffs with just over a minute left in the first period. They had a great start to the second period, coming close to tying it up, but the Ice Wolves restored the two goal lead. Devin Peters made his best save of the night on Carre, but the Terriers couldn't clear the puck, and Travis Eggum buried his 11th of the post season, and that would round out the scoring, just 4:30 into the second period.

In the third, the Ice Wolves blanketed the Terriers, holding them to 7 shots, and Bartko was big when he had to be, stopping 40 shots on the night, including all 21 he faced in the second period.

In what's a small neutral zone to begin with, the Ice Wolves never had less than 4 players between the blue lines when the Terriers tried to break out of their zone, and it made exiting the zone, getting to centre, dumping, chasing, and retrieving, next to impossible. Their forwards are always back defensively, and their defensemen are great at closing gaps, and getting their sticks and/or bodies into shooting lanes.

Carre, Herauf and Eggum had their best game of the series in Game 7. They were a threat every shift, and scored all three Ice Wolves' goals. I don't think La Ronge has any "superstars" outside those three (aside from an injured Doug Lindensmith), but their other lines are just so hard to play against. Their third line of Keller-Souchotte-Piller was very smothering, and guys like Aaron Enns and Skyler Hladun used their size and strength to cause the Terriers problems.

In one year, Dayton Fossum went from being the Ice Wolves' 6th or 7th defenseman / healthy scratch / 4th line right winger, to their undisputed top blueliner, and one of the best in the league. Such a good skater, runs the powerplay, and made life tough on the Terriers in the Ice Wolves' end. I don't know how many times he got his stick on a shot by a Terrier forward, and directed the puck out of play. I questioned the Ice Wolves' backend coming into the series, wondering if they could handle the Terriers' forwards, but they sure did. A handful of Terriers had outstanding series offensively, but Bartko and the D-men infront of him kept them at bay when they needed goals. As tempting as it probably was to give playoff MVP to one of the Big Three, or Bartko, I think they got it right giving it to Fossum.

The big question is, after the deadline acquisitions of Boyer, Buzzeo and Remenda, was it "championship or bust" for the Terriers? I don't think that's fair to say, but there's an argument for it. I think Yorkton would have been a favourite to win the Sherwood again next year, with their whole first line of Struble-Ciolfi-Breitkreuz all eligible to be back. It's no secret that the Terriers owe Humboldt two players for Boyer/Buzzeo, and whoever it is will create some big holes in the depth chart. If everyone's available, I don't see how they could take anyone but Breitkreuz & Ciolfi, the way they played together and tore it up on the same line in the playoffs. But there are other options for sure, depending if they want more grit/depth, or take a chance on a WHL defenseman like an Austin Bourhis or Davis Vandane. Let the speculation begin, about that deal, and about who Melville's getting from Melfort. And since I'm not the first one to blog this, I will say that Melville's getting 3 players. 2 for Metz and 1 for Hanson. Melfort did get to protect a player, but it's not a guy whose name jumps out as someone the Mils would go after. The first two names coming are pretty safe bets, provided they report, while the third name could make for a tough decision. These deals can be completed as soon as the RBC Cup is over May 8th, and I would expect they will be before June 1st, not into September like the Yorkton/Winnipeg Blues fiasco of this year. Humboldt wants to build their RBC team, and I don't see why Melville would take all summer to make their picks. But back to the original question... Boyer and Buzzeo were huge for the Terriers down the stretch in the regular season, and without them, there's a good chance they don't finish first, and lose home ice against Kindersley, and Boyer, Buzzeo and Remenda were arguably the top three Terriers in that Sherwood Final. I admire the move by Don Chesney, feeling that next year could very likely be "Humboldt's year," so "let's go for it now."

What ifs? Certainly Game 5 was the one that got away from the Terriers, up 3-1 midway through the 2nd. And, after getting the split in La Ronge in Games 1 and 2, they had a sluggish start to Game 3 on home ice, and went on to lose 4-3 in overtime. I really thought they needed to take Games 3 and 4 to win the series, because winning another game in La Ronge would be difficult. Yorkton finished the playoffs with a record of 11-4, while La Ronge was 12-5, but 3 of those losses were in overtime. The other ones were a 3-0 Terrier win in Game 2, and a 2-1 loss in Flin Flon. They refused to lose back to back games. Desperation after a loss may have been all that separated the Ice Wolves and Terriers in each contest, as neither team lost back to back games in the series. La Ronge took the opener, and the two clubs alternated wins the rest of the way.

Congrats again to Bob Beatty, the Ice Wolves' Coach/GM, and to a few local connections, former Melville Millionaire Logan Herauf, Canora's Skyler Hladun and Langenburg's Alex Vandenameele, who all have SJHL rings. Same goes to Voice of the Ice Wolves Daniel Fink, who gets to cover a championship team and an Anavet Cup (and maybe an RBC) in his first year in the business (PUNK!).

The Ice Wolves, I believe, are in Yorkton as I type this. They came back to Yorkton the day after winning the championship at home, to get within 3.5 hours of Portage, where they'll start the Anavet Cup on Friday.

I probably saw Portage 8 or so times between regular season and playoffs. They're a fast team and they work hard, and have great goaltending. I think 18-year-old Jason Kasdorf might be the best goalie in the MJHL, and he might not even be the guy the Ice Wolves see, at least to start. Kirk Croswell (former Humboldt Bronco) was in goal for all 4 Portage wins in the MJHL Final against Selkirk, so Blake Spiller may continue to ride the hot hand. The Terriers are led offensively by a 16 year old (Brendan Harms) and a 17 year old (Brent Wold), while La Ronge's top guys are mainly 19 and 20 year old vets. Harms and Wold play with 20 year old Tyler Moore, who has 3 league championships under his belt. Cody Kostecki's a very good offensive defenseman for Portage, and I really like watching rookie blueliner Yvan Pattyn, who I believe is only 17. He's physical, and adds some offense from the backend. His brother Stephane is a veteran forward, along with the likes of Shaq Merasty, Kajon McKay and Kyle Turgeon.

Game 1 Friday will be key, to see if the Ice Wolves have enough in the tank... but if La Ronge can get at least a split Portage, I like their chances, coming home for three straight next week. I'll follow with keen interest... of course I wish I was still calling the games! But, now I'll have a lot more time with my family and to watch some NHL playoffs.

Early indications were that the Terrier banquet would be Saturday. I'll let you know when I know for sure.

Ice Wolves Repeat

The La Ronge Ice Wolves are SJHL Champs for a second straight year, after a 3-1 win over the Yorkton Terriers in Game 7 of the Credit Union Cup.

Logan Herauf scored 18 seconds into the game, and Dayton Fossum made it 2-0 at 2:33. Robbie Ciolfi cut it to 2-1 late in the first, but Travis Eggum's goal 4:30 into the 2nd would round out the scoring.


Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.

Next Time This Bus is Full...

...it'll be Cloud 9 or the exact opposite.
Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.

Pre Game 7 Primer

Just killing the last hour or so before heading to the Mel Hegland Uniplex (which I'm already told is at capacity), the home of Game 7 of the SJHL Credit Union Cup Final.

This will be our 29th broadcast of the playoffs, and almost every single one has been a beauty. All five games of the Melville/Estevan survivor series, right up until now, Game 7 of the SJHL Final.

The tough part about a game like this is that it's the last game for someone, and for a great group of 20 year olds. Whose Junior career will be over after tonight?

Devin Peters or Adam Bartko?

Boyer/Buzzeo or Eggum/Herauf?

Tendler/Remenda or Fossum/Monfore?

Who'll be forced to watch their last ever Junior game?

Kurtis Decker/Keon Vick or Doug Lindensmith?
All three 20-year-olds are out with injury.

Does Bob Beatty, who's got enough rings to fill one hand, add another? Or, does Trent Cassan, in his first full season as Head Coach, lead the Terriers to a Credit Union Cup. As the interim Coach last year, Cassan and the Terriers came two wins short, falling to these same Ice Wolves in 6 games.

Regardless who wins, the script is different this year, after the Terriers' come-from-behind, 4-3 (OT) win over the Wolves Sunday in Yorkton, exactly a year after they were forced to watch La Ronge celebrate at Farrell Agencies Arena. Do they return the favour tonight in Game 7, or is the bus ride home made even longer, with a 2nd straight Ice Wolves' title?

-----------------

Game 7 Stats/Facts

- If this isn't the Ice Wolves' first game seven ever, it's certainly the first in a long time. They never went to seven this year or last, and had some lean years before their championship run of 2010.

- The Terriers hadn't gone past four games in these playoffs until this final series. Their last Game 7 was in last year's Sherwood Final in Kindersley (Eston) when Kevin Stringfellow scored in overtime to send the Terriers to the Final against the Ice Wolves. Before that, I believe their last Game 7 was in the 2009 Conference Semis against Melville. The Millionaires won the first two games, Yorkton roared back to win the next three, but the Mils forced a seventh game, with a 2-1 win in Yorkton, and then took a 5-1 decision at Melville Stadium. The Mils would eventually go to the league final, where they lost to Humboldt in 5 games.

- I believe this is the sixth Game 7 I've done. The first three (including 05-06 when I was in Dauphin) were all involving Manitoba teams, and were all losses for the team I was covering. Then the '09 Melville over Yorkton game, and last year's Conference Final with Yorkton and Kindersley.

- The last SJHL Final to go seven games was in 2007-08, when the Humboldt Broncos rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Kindersley in seven. I went with Mike Stackhouse to that one, and it was an 8-2 decision. Humboldt beat Melville in 5 the next year, and La Ronge downed the Terriers in 6 a year ago.

- If La Ronge wins tonight, it would mark the 5th straight year that someone from the North, or Bauer/Itech Conference won the championship (Humboldt, Humboldt, Humboldt, La Ronge, ________). The Terriers are the last team from the South (Sherwood) to win it, back in 2006, when they won their second of back-to-back titles. Can they bring it back to the south?

7:10 Pre Game Show on GX94 (and www.gx94radio.com) , where we'll hear from both Coaches, and three Terrier players. Game 6 OT hero Craig Eisenhut, along with Clarke Breitkreuz and Zak Majkowski. Puck drop is 7:30.

"School"

At least that's what Jeremy Johnson was supposed to draw and make people guess!

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Afternoon

Me, coaching staff, and scratches are spending the afternoon in a conference room. Long story. Players who are playing tonight are forced to share beds for Pre Game nap, but it looked at first like we ALL would have to be out our rooms by 11am. Just had a game of cribbage with Decker and Struble, and came in 2nd. Players are playing charades now. Could get interesting!

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More Skate Pics With Good Camera

My wife let me take our camera to Game 6, aaaaand, I left it in my bag by accident. Here are a few better pics from this morning. The battery light is flashing, so I won't promise any good quality pics from the game.

(Trent Cassan running morning skate)

(Devin Peters dealin' with the Green line (Breitkreuz, Ciolfi, Eisenhut)

(SJHL leader in playoff goals with 13- Robbie Ciolfi)

Morning Skate

Shame on this BlackBerry for taking such terrible pics. Boyer, Buzzeo, Majkowski set a screen in front of Warren Shymko.

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Made It!

Unloading gear at the rink, 8:30 pm.

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Northern Sask

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Ducharme Gets Two Games

La Ronge forward Justin Ducharme has received a 2-game suspension for his hit on Terrier D Kurtis Decker in Sunday's Game 6.

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GAME 7 FAN BUS

If you want to be on the Terrier Fan Bus to see Game 7 tomorrow night in La Ronge, you need to let the Terrier Office know by 5:00 today at the very latest.

$85 gets you there and back, and your game ticket.

The bus leaves the Gallagher Centre tomorrow morning at 10:30, and will come back to Yorkton after the game.

Call Lisa in the Office at 783-4077.

Terriers Send It To Seven!!!

Craig Eisenhut scored 1:24 into overtime, on a powerplay, as the Yorkton Terriers completed a comeback similar to that of the Ice Wolves' the game before.

The Terriers won Game Six 4-3 (OT), and have forced a deciding seventh game in the SJHL's Credit Union Cup, a series that HAS TO be the best this league has seen in a long, long time.

Yorkton struck first, but once again, the lead didn't hold. Clarke Breitkreuz went coast-to-coast like butter on toast, a carbon copy of him Game 5 goal, scoring unassisted at 7:48 of the second period, after a scoreless first. Canora product Skyler Hladun tied it at 12:12, just one second after an Ice Wolves' powerplay wrapped up. It stayed 1-1 after two.

Then, depending who you cheer for, a couple controversial markers by the Ice Wolves to make it 2-1 and 3-1 early in the third. At game speed, it was tough to tell, but Logan Herauf's goal to give the Ice Wolves the lead was VERY close to offside, and it looked like Devin Peters had the puck under his glove before Travis Eggum stuffed it home for a 3-1 advantage.

Any way you slice it, this series has had it's share of controversial calls, BOTH WAYS... and the Terriers came back to win despite a 3-1 deficit.

Shortly after going up by two goals, Justin Ducharme ran Kurtis Decker into the end boards from behind, and received 5 and a game. Decker went down in a heap, and I wouldn't expect the 20-year-old back anytime soon, even if the Terriers' season goes beyond Tuesday, but let's hope for the best.

It's not the way the Terriers wanted to get a break, but after starting the series 1-for-20 on the powerplay, and generating ZERO chances in the first three or so minutes of the major, Zak Majkowski, who had scored Yorkton's first PP goal of the series, would bury their second as well. The managed the one goal in the 5-minute major. Breitkreuz would then notch his second of the game at 15:39, with 4:21 to play, on a fluky bounce that even he couldn't describe after the game.

While it was the Terriers taking costly penalties in Game 5, leading to their 3-1 lead evaporating... the Ice Wolves took a couple tough ones at key times, and with 1:06 to play in regulation, Travis Eggum got his stick up high on Brant Remenda, drawing blood, and was send to the box for 4 minutes. Robbie Ciolfi and Justin Buzzeo had glorious chances to end it in regulation, but Adam Bartko, who was terrific all night, extended the game to overtime.

(On a side-note the Terriers discipline was top notch in Game 6. There's not one player on that team who didn't want to go after Ducharme after the hit on Decker, but they held back, knowing a PP was coming, and it was a crucial point of the game. In the regular season, there's no question someone's dropping their gloves, but this wasn't the time or place. I'm sure Kurtis would rather his teammates take the PP and score a goal than to fight for him. I hope he was able to watch or hear the end. And, despite what the website says, the Terriers were 2/4 on the PP, La Ronge was 0/3. They really botched the Eggum penalty online, giving half of it to Rhyse Dieno, who served Ducharme's 5 minute major.)

The PP continued for close to three minutes in overtime, and Buzzeo brought the puck up the right boards, and dropped it to Jeremy Boyer, who was playing the right point. Boyer flew down the wall, and centred to an open Eisenhut, who ripped the winner top shelf for the 4-3 win.

It's a real shame someone has to lose this series... but someone will on Tuesday in La Ronge.

Eisenhut's OT Winner



Booyah? Ok that was weak! But Woo-Hoo, Oh Yeah and Oh Baby have all been used either this year or last.

All I know is I'm STOKED for Game 7!

7:10 Pre Game Show, Play-by-Play at 7:30 Tuesday on GX94.

Recap is Coming!

I see a tonne of people are reading... just got back to the station and am typing a recap as you read this, dumping audio for the morning sports, and pulling out the clip of the OT Winner!

WOW!

Game 7 on Tuesday!!!!

Portage Wins MJHL / Game 6 Thoughts

After a 5-2 win over the Selkirk Steelers on Saturday night, the Portage Terriers are MJHL Champs for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. The Terriers lost the series opener on home ice, they rattled off the next four, to win the series in five game. They now get 6 days off before hosting Games 1 and 2 of the Anavet Cup on Friday and Saturday. They'll face either La Ronge or Yorkton, and if that series goes seven games, the SJHL Champ won't have a whole lotta rest!

Portage Coach/GM Blake Spiller will be in Yorkton to do some scouting tonight, and has already committed to come on the air with me during an intermission... probably after the 2nd period.

-----------------------

Yes... Game 6 is tonight, an early 6:00 start at Farrell Agencies Arena.

I've tried to decide if I was too negative with my post game recap from Game 5, and to be honest I don't think I was. I a post game show, long, cool walk from the rink to the hotel, and a hearty serving of roast beef and potatoes to decide how to write it. La Ronge certainly has the horses to come back from down 3-1 with half a game left, even without powerplays... but I thought the Terriers made it way too easy on them.

The penalties taken weren't typical of the Terriers, or of the guys who took them.

The Ice Wolves' size and strength of their forwards are going to force you to take 3 or 4 penalties a game, of the hooking/holding variety in your own end... defensemen especially. Those penalties happen... but roughing, slashing, etc, are preventable. I'm certain they'll clean that up tonight and give themselves a chance to send the series back to La Ronge for Game 7. There's no sense talking about Game 5 now... with a do-or-die Game 6 on home ice.

All the players, coaches, radio guys, etc want nothing more than one more 7 hour bus trip to La Ronge... to decide this thing in seven games, for the right to go see the Portage Terriers next weekend.

Terriers Face Elimination

I won't be making any friends with this post, but I'll give my opinion anyway.

The Terriers lost a game 4-3 that they had complete control of at the midway point of the game 100% because of having little to no discipline in Game 5. As a result, they trail the SJHL Final 3-2 to La Ronge, and have to win at home on Sunday in order to force a Game 7 back in La Ronge.

Craig Eisenhut opened the scoring in the final minute of the first period, Jeremy Boyer scored right off a face-off early in the second, and shortly after the Ice Wolves cut the deficit in half, Clarke Breitkreuz went end-to-end, and finished a magnificent individual effort with an unassisted goal, making it 3-1.

Then, for some reason, they lost their cool. In a game that meant so much, a few guys put personal retributions ahead of the bigger picture. Two-handers to the back of a leg after getting run over by clean hits, punches to the head away from the play, after the whistle, etc.

I don't think there's any question the Terriers lead this series right now if they cut their penalties in half... and they easily could have cut them in half in Game 5.

Did the Terriers deserve more than the 2 (first period) powerplays they got? Maybe. Keon Vick almost had his head put through the glass and they ended up evening it up. But retaliations and just selfish penalties killed the Terriers on Friday. They out-scored the Ice Wolves 3-0 at even strength, and were out-scored 4-0 on powerplays. That's the game.

Do I know what it takes to play at this level? Do I fully understand the emotions at ice level? No, and no. I played house league midget and haven't played ever since, and make a crappy living covering young men who play hockey better than I ever could. So it's not like I'm saying I could do better, or am telling these guys what to do.

The Terriers' top guys were phenomenal Friday night.

And the encouraging thing is that much of the area that did them in (special teams) was preventable. There's not much time for moral victories now (none, actually), but I absolutely think they'll correct that in Game 6 at home.

5-on-5, you could argue that the Terriers have been the better team in the series, they absolutely were in Game 5. But the powerplays are 30-18 for La Ronge in the series. It didn't hurt them in the first three games, but it's catching up to them now.

If the Terriers can mentally bounce back from a disappointing loss and keep their heads on straight on Sunday, there's no reason why they can't answer back and send this thing back to La Ronge for a Game 7 on Tuesday... and I'll be the first to rejoice on this blog!

See ya Sunday.

5:40 Pre Game Show, 6:00 start at Farrell Agencies Arena. Pack that place!

Warmups

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No More Controversy!

Access installing cameras behind the net, right above the goal light.
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Back in LA

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Checkin' In

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Roll On

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Boyer in OT! Series Tied!

The Best-of-Seven that was turned into a Best-of-Five is now a Best-of-Three, and thank goodness.

The Yorkton Terriers knew they couldn't afford to be down 3-1 heading back to La Ronge, and returned the favour from Game 3, with a 4-3 OT win in Game 4 to even the SJHL Final at 2-2.

Robbie Ciolfi opened the scoring just 50 seconds into the contest, but the Ice Wolves powerplay returned from hibernation, scoring on back to back attempts later in the frame and led 2-1, courtesy Marc-Andre Carre and Logan Herauf. Jeremy Boyer tied it a 2 before the opening period was up. The Terriers had killed off 43 straight penalties before Carre's one-timer found the back of the net.

Ciolfi scored another early period goal, :32 into the second, and that was the only goal of the frame, as the Terriers led 3-2 after 40.

ice Wolves' captain Nolan Souchotte evened it again 9:43 into period three, forcing overtime at the FAA for a second straight night.

It lasted a little longer than Game 3, which Travis Eggum ended just 22 seconds into the extra frame. The Terriers needed 1:59, and Jeremy Boyer notched the winner with his 2nd of the game.

Boyer's OT Winner



Get on the fan bus to Game 5 Friday in La Ronge! Call the Terrier Office at 783-4077. $85 gets you to La Ronge and back, and includes the price of a ticket.

Game 6 is now a sure thing, and will be an early 6:00 start Sunday in Yorkton.

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Game 3 in a Flash

Deja Vu; Ice Wolves Win in OT

Just like a year ago, Game 3 of last year's final, the La Ronge Ice Wolves won 4-3 in overtime in Yorkton, to take a 2-1 lead in the Best-of-Seven SJHL Final.

In 2010, the Ice Wolves scored three quick ones in the first five minutes, and the Terriers chipped away to force OT. This time, La Ronge led three different times... the Terriers tied it three different times, but Travis Eggum ended it just 22 seconds into overtime.

Robbie Ciolfi, Zak Majkowski and Nathan Murray scored for the Terriers, who out-shot the Ice Wolves 31-25.

The Terriers did score the first PP goal of the series, when Majkowski tied it at 2 early in the 2nd period. Their successful penalty kill streak is now up to 42.

The win for the Ice Wolves may have been justice, as Marc-Andre Carre thought he'd made it 3-2 late in the 2nd period. His slapshot went over the glove of Devin Peters, off the post, straight up, and either off the crossbar, or the top shelf of the net, and out.

A lot of people thought it was in, including the Ice Wolves on the ice... three of which celebrated the goal... but play continued. The Terriers went the other way on a 3-on-2, and Riley Paterson sent a wrist shot through Adam Bartko, and it just trickled wide of the goal.

Terrier Coach Trent Cassan said on the Post Game Show: "I just told the guys in the room, our season didn't just end on that goal, but if it did, I think a lot of our vets would have some regrets. We had a bad start just like in Game 1 and I don't understand that at this time of year."

The Terriers are now faced with an (almost) must-win Game 4, as home ice is back in the Ice Wolves' court. Even with a win in Game 4, the Terriers would also be forced to win another game in La Ronge, Game 5, and/or Game 7.

Game 4 goes tonight (WED), 7:10 Pre Game Show, 7:30 start on GX94 at Farrell Agencies Arena. 1700+ fans made it out for Game 3... I think you can hit 2000 for Game 4!

Now THAT'S a Packed House!

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Game 3 Stats / Facts

- So far, the series has gone in reverse to a year ago. Last year, the Terriers won Game 1, the Ice Wolves answered in Game 2. For what it's worth, the Ice Wolves won Game 3 in OT last year, Yorkton came back for a Game 4 win and it was 2-2 after four games.

- Top 6 scorers in the playoffs (and nobody's catching them): LAR Eggum (23), LAR Carre (22), LAR Herauf (22), YOR Ciolfi (17), YOR Buzzeo (17), YOR Breitkreuz (14).

- La Ronge also boasts the top three rookie point producers in the Post Season in Rhyse Dieno (4g-5a-9p), Justin Ducharme (4g-2a-6p) and Graham Smerek (2g-4a-6p).

- Yorkton's Kyle McLeod isn't far off, with 5 points (2g-3a), and is the only player in the series with 2 goals (both in Game 1).

- Dayton Fossum (LAR) leads all defensemen in points, with 8 assists in 12 games. His D-partner Byron Sorenson is next with 2g-4a-6p.

- No powerplay goals for either team in two games. Does that finally end tonight? The Terriers are 0/8 in the series and have dropped to 13.6% in the playoffs. Their penalty kill has made up for that, and they're now at 91.9%, thanks to an active streak of 40 consecutive kills. La Ronge is nipping at their heels at 89.5%... and while the Ice Wolves are 0/13 on the PP in this series, they're still an impressive 22.9% in the playoffs.

- Devin Peters has been forced to make more big saves than his counterpart Adam Bartko at the other end, but their numbers are nearly idential. They both sport 2.02 GAA's in the series, while Peters has a .941 save percentage, and Bartko's a shade higher at .946%. In the playoffs, Peters is 6-1, with a 1.29 GAA, and .962%. He also has 3 shutouts in 7 games played, after not recording one in the regular season.

- The Terriers are likely better suited for their home barn than the Mel Hegland in La Ronge. Generally, their top six forwards are more effective when they've got some room to build up some speed. The Ice Wolves' challenge will be to take that space away, even on a larger sheet of ice.

- La Ronge went 23-and-6 away from the friendly confines during the regular season, so it's not like they can only play in their own rink. We in the media use the cliche ("The Terriers got the split and now have home ice advantage.") True, for now, because there are a max of 5 games left, and 3 of them are in Yorkton, including 3 of the next 4... but all the Ice Wolves need is a split this week to force the Terriers to win at least one more up north. If Yorkton wins all their home games, they'll be lifting a trophy no later than Sunday... but the defending champs, and regular season league leaders are more than capable of stealing road games (hence their .793 road winning % in the reg season).

- I'll have a couple members of last year's Conference Champion Terrier team joining me for intermissions tonight and tomorrow... with Kevin Stringfellow stopping by after the first period tonight, and former captain Cody Zubko doing the same tomorrow.

- The Pre Game Show starts at 7:10, Play-by-Play at 7:30 from Farrell Agencies Arena on GX94.

- I called Ticketmaster at the Gallagher Centre this morning, and about 1100 tickets were sold for Game 3 as of 10:00 am. With another 6 or 7 hours for people to phone, plus a few hundred walkups, there's no reason why it shouldn't be over 1500... and MAYBE approaching the 2000 mark. I would think Game 4's crowd could and should be better than Game 3, and if there's a Game 6, I would hope it's nothing short of a sellout. You have no idea how many times a player asks me if I know how many tickets or sold, or if I think it'll be a sellout. IT MATTERS TO THEM! And they feed off the energy. 2200+ people erupted when Drew McDermott tied Game 6 of the final a year ago, in the game's final minute... now THAT was a loud barn!

See you at the rink!

Round 2 of WHL Playoffs All Set

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Saskatoon Blades vs (4) Kootenay Ice

(2) Red Deer Rebels vs (3) Medicine Hat Tigers


(Pictured is John Niebrandt, former Yorkton Terrier, now Kootenay Ice defenseman)



WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Portland Winterhawks vs (4) Kelowna Rockets

(2) Spokane Chiefs vs @ (3) Tri-City Americans


(Pictured is Damon Severson. Melville product, former Yorkton Harvest, now plays defense in Kelowna as a 16-year-old)

*No upsets in Round 1, infact in the West, three of the four first round series were decided in sweeps, while the other (Spo/Cwk) went to five game. Three of the four in the East needed six games, while Red Deer swept Edmonton.

Trent Cassan Post Game 2

Thoughts & Prayers With the Schwartz's

23-year-old Mandi Schwartz, originally from Kamsack, has lost her battle with cancer. Thoughts and Prayers are with the Schwartz family, brothers Rylan and Jaden, and parents Rick and Carol, who I had a chance to meet while Rylan and Jaden played in Notre Dame. Story at cbc.ca

Game 2 in a Flash

Series Tied!

A 29 save shutout from Devin Peters led the Yorkton Terriers to a 3-0 win over La Ronge in Game 2 of the SJHL Final, tying the Best-of-Seven series at 1-1.

That was the first time all season (70 games total) the Ice Wolves have been shutout (credit Ice Wolves PBP man Daniel Fink for that nugget of info!).
After a scoreless first, Robbie Ciolfi opened the scoring with his league-leading 10th of the post season. Kurtis Decker added his 1st of the playoffs late in the period.

A Riley Paterson SH empty-netter with 1:10 remaing in the game was all the scoring in the 3rd.

Shots were 41-29 Terriers and both teams remain without a goal on the powerplay in the series. Yorkton was 0/5 and 0/8 in the series. La Ronge was 0/8 in Game 2, 0/13 in the series. The Terriers have now killed off a staggering 40 consecutive penalties against.

Games 3 and 4 go Tuesday and Wednesday back in Yorkton, and we know now the series is going at least five. Game 5 will go Friday in La Ronge.

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The Trading Post

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Game 1 in a Flash

Ice Wolves Draw First Blood

The Yorkton Terriers' playoff record is no longer unblemished, and their winning streak is over at 10 games, after dropping the opener of the SJHL Credit Union Cup 5-2 in La Ronge Friday night.

The Terriers had a sluggish start, and trailed 3-0 at the midway point of the game.

Kyle McLeod cut the lead to two goals twice, with his first two career playoff goals (Troy Dumais assited both), but the Terriers top three lines were all held off the scoresheet, and their top two line were pointless for the first time since the trade deadline.

I'll publish the streak now, because I'm sure I would have jinxed it if I'd said it earlier... but Game 1 was the first game Justin Buzzeo did not register a point in a Yorkton Terrier jersey. It spanned an incredible 21 games, and he put up 42 points in the process.

Jan/11 vs KIN: 1g-1a
Jan/12 @ EST: 1g-1a
Jan/14 vs FF: 1g-2a
Jan/15 vs FF: 0g-2a
Jan/18 vs MFT: 1g-1a
Jan/23 vs ND: 3g-1a
Jan/25 @ KIN: 1g-2a
Jan/26 @ BAT: 1a
Jan/29 vs ND: 1g
Feb/1 vs BAT: 2a
Feb/4 @ MVL: 1g
Feb/5 vs MVL: 1a
Feb/8 @ WEY: 1a
Feb/12 @ KIN: 1a
Feb/13 @ HUM: 1a
INJURED
Mar/9 vs EST: 1a
Mar/11 @ EST: 3g-1a
Mar/18 vs KIN: 2a
Mar/19 vs KIN: 2a
Mar/22 @ KIN: 3g-2a
Mar/23 @ KIN: 2g
________________

21 Games (16 goals, 26 assists, 42 points)
Exactly 2 points per game

Hopefully fans aren't sounding alarm bells... I know the goof from the post below is, but it's only one game. The Terriers won Game 1 last year and lost in 6. Yes, losing Game 1 makes Game 2 pretty pivotal... and I know a better Terrier squad will take the ice Saturday night.

7:10 Pre Game Show, 7:30 face-off on GX94.

Let's Get 'er Goin!

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'Nuff Said

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Gearin' Up For Game 1

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My Vantage Point

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From the Nose Bleeds

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Access 7 Guys Setting Up

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Access 7 Guys Setting Up

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Former SV Stampeder (Kinda)

Nick Keller
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Ice Wolves Wrappin Up Skate

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The Mel

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Morning Stroll to the Rink

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