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Canora hosts SJHL contest between Yorkton and Estevan

In what was probably the first ever Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) game played in Canora, the Yorkton Terriers faced the Estevan Bruins on November 17 at the Civic Centre.

In what was probably the first ever Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) game played in Canora, the Yorkton Terriers faced the Estevan Bruins on November 17 at the Civic Centre.

But the two teams were probably a lot more interested in the two points available in the standings, and the Terriers came out the victors in a closely-contested battle.

Prior to the opening faceoff, Sabrina Moshenko, CCS (Canora Composite School) student, led the Civic Centre in the singing of O Canada.

Heading into the game, the Bruins held down first place in the Viterra Division with 27 points in 26 games, but the second-place Terriers were only four points back, and had played five fewer games.

The first period was relatively close checking, and each team was assessed a minor penalty within the first five minutes. Jake Heersplink of the visiting Bruins opened the scoring at the 7:45 mark with his seventh goal of the season on a pass from Jayden Davis. But less than five minutes later, Yorkton’s Chantz Petruic notched his 13th on assists from Colby Brandt and Cody Bruchkowski. After the second minor penalty of the period to the Bruins, Cole Keenleyside capitalized on the opportunity and gave the Terriers a 2 to 1 lead with his sixth goal of the season at 18:22, a power play marker, thanks to assists from Aiden Bulych and Cody Bruchkowski. The period ended with the Terriers in front by 2 to 1, and the shot clock also gave the edge to the Terriers in the first period; 16 to 7.

The intensity of the game picked up in the second period and at the 4:39 mark, Jared Legien, the Terriers’ leading scorer, gave his team a 3 to 1 lead with his 20th goal of the season. The assists went to Aiden Bulych and Cody Dubas on the only goal of middle period. After taking the two-goal lead, the Terriers appeared to hang back a bit, but goalie Ben Laidlaw stood tall as the last line of defence by stopping all 16 shots he saw in the period.

For the second period in a row, the Terriers scored early in the final period. Tyson Janzen contributed his third goal of the season at the 1:13 mark on assists from Colby Brandt and Chantz Petruic, leaving the Terriers with a two-goal lead. The rest of the period was relatively even, but the Bruins managed to out-shoot the Terriers by 18 to 12. In the final minute Michael McChesney of the Bruins potted his 13th goal of the season to give his team a bit of hope, but that turned out to be the final goal of the contest. The final score was 4 to 2 for the Terriers.

Laidlaw made 39 saves out of 41 shots on the evening to ensure the win for the Terriers, and was named the game’s first star.

Stacy Vangen, game organizer and Canora Minor Hockey executive member, said the official attendance for the game was 482.

“The Civic Centre, was full, but comfortable,” said Vangen. “Events like this are only possible through the buy in and support of our community members.  In attendance at the game we also had a large group of Yorkton fans, Estevan fans, as well as people from other communities and of course right here at home.”

Vangen said the opportunity to host this game was originally presented to Canora Minor Hockey by Zach Rakocky, Terriers assistant coach and former Canora minor hockey player.

Annually the Terriers offer a local community an opportunity to host an SJHL neutral site game, and this year Canora was selected.   

“Our children look up to these hockey players, and to have them playing on our home ice is inspirational to Canora’s current and future hockey players,” said Vangen. “We hope events such as this will help us keep playing hockey in Canora affordable, as well as encourage player growth and development.”

Vangen said the success of “Hockey Night in Canora” was in large part thanks to the support of businesses and individuals in Canora and the surrounding area.

“The evening was capped off by a meet and greet with Terriers players signing autographs in the lobby after the game. For our young hockey players and fans, this is where their dreams begin, right here on our home ice. It all comes back to our kids who are playing the game because of their love for it. Reflecting on the game, I am filled with pride in our community. Canora has lived up to our name and shown our hospitality and commitment to excellence,” Vangen concluded.