CANORA - The final game of the official Hockey Day in Saskatchewan saw the Yorkton Terriers take on the Notre Dame hounds in Canora.
A large contingent of Terriers fans made the trip to Canora to give Yorkton a significant home ice advantage on Jan. 18. That advantage seemed to pay off in the first two periods. After numerous big saves by Terriers goalie Luke McKechnie when the game was scoreless, goals by Quinn Schutte, David Coyle and Bryce Dahl gave the Terriers a 3-0 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
But the Hounds saved their best for last, scoring four goals in the third period, including the game winner with just over two minutes left on the clock, to earn a 4-3 win.
The Hounds outshot the Terriers 62-56, with numerous scoring chances at both ends.
Emery Olauson, Terriers coach and general manager, said his team appeared to have some trouble adjusting to the smaller ice surface at the Canora Civic Centre.
“We played hard, we obviously would have preferred the opposite result, but overall I felt it was a tight game, with plenty of chances.”
Luke McKechnie, emergency goalie for the Terriers, gave his team a chance to win with 58 saves.
“We had both of our regular goalies nursing minor injuries and were excited to bring Luke up for an opportunity. He played great and was sure kept busy!”
Olauson said it was a treat for his players to be part of Hockey Day in Saskatchewan.
“It was a great experience for our team, the support of the community was amazing, the game was exciting, and the event was very well organized!”
The Terriers appreciated the opportunity to play in communities such as Canora, the coach said.
“Small town hockey is not only important to our game, but to Saskatchewan. It is a vital part of growing up and living on the prairies in Canada to have an arena and minor hockey system to play for. With the cold, dark winters it only makes sense that we spend our mornings, evenings and weekends gathering in these arenas around the province to be with our friends, families and neighbours playing the great game of hockey.”
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