YORKTON - When Tresor Wotton took to the ice the first time with the Yorkton Terriers he not only started his Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League career, but he also joined a rather select group – a junior Terrier whose father also played for the team.
The Wotton’s join the likes of father Derek Stevely who played with the Terriers the year the team was at the Royal Bank Cup in Melfort in 1996, and his son Corwin a Terrier from 2013-2017, and Brad Thompson who played for the Terriers the year they won their first league championship and son Taylor Thompson 2011-14, and Grant Ottenbreit a Terrier in the mid-1980s, and son Turner a Terrier in 2014.
In Tresor’s case he is a goaltender, his father Scott Wotton was a left wing who played two seasons with the Terriers including the 1990-91 season when the Terriers participated in their first national championship tournament.
The then Centennial Cup was held in Sudbury, ON, where the Terriers went 3-1 in round robin the only loss 5-4 in OT to Vernon, who they then met in the championship semi finals.
The Terriers lost again to Vernon 7-5 in the semi, with the Lakers moving on to defeat the Sudbury Cubs in final.
Whether a trip to the national championship awaits Tresor is to be determined but for now he is just happy to be with the team his father played for.
“I was definitely excited to get a chance to play here like Dad did,” he said. “. . . It was a really great experience to go out on the ice and experience all the fans.”
Father Scott is happy to see his son following in his skate tracks.
“It’s pretty cool . . . It’s a little more nerve wracking but exciting at the same time,” he said, adding “it’s good to see the organization and the league still growing strong.”
As a hockey Dad Scott said it’s important teams like the Terriers and leagues such as the SJHL exist because they provide a lot of opportunities for young players, much as they did for him.
When he looks back the trip to the championship was of course the highlight of his time as a Terrier, said Scott, who added it was also his greatest disappointment.
“I remember the final. We were the first place team and lost to the fourth place team,” he said, adding he recalls a shot that hit the post at the back of the net and bounced out that the officials missed that could have been a difference maker for the Terriers.
Tresor said the entire atmosphere of being with the Terriers is made that little more special because they are experiences he now shares with his father.
So did Tresor grow up on stories of his Dad’s days with the Terriers?
“Not a whole lot, but a little bit,” said Tresor.
Of course Tresor sees the game in a different way than his Dad as he guards the net rather than patrols the offensive zone as a forward.
“I liked the idea of getting to be on the ice all the time,” said the Foxwarren, MB. product.
So what advice does Scott have for his son as a Terrier?
“Have fun. Work hard. Play like it’s your last game all the time and enjoy the experience,” he said.
