In what could only be described as a must-win game, the Yorkton Kinsmen Terriers of the SSMHL Midget Division did exactly what they needed to do, picking up a much needed 3-1 victory over the Regina Capitals in Theodore last Thursday.
The Kinsmen Terriers got first period goals from Brayden Miller and Luke Schappert before Samuel Asselin got the Capitals on the board late in the second period.
Schappert鈥檚 second of the game and eighth of the season just before the midway point of the third period made it 3-1 for Yorkton. The two goal cushion proved to be more than enough for Yorkton net minder Carter Park, who ensured his team picked up the valuable two points by keeping Regina off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Following the game, Kinsmen Terrier head coach Grant Ottenbreit said the game might not have been the most crisp one his team has played as of late, but he鈥檒l take the two points any way he can get them. 鈥淲ell we won 3-1, but it was a game that we might not have had the effort that we had in the previous few games,鈥� offered Ottenbreit. 鈥淲e had a good start and a good finish but our effort wasn鈥檛 100% in the middle of the game there and we didn鈥檛 bury them when we had the chance, but we still ended up with the two points which is very important to us.鈥�
The two points put the Kinsmen Terriers (13-13-11, 37 pts) in sixth spot, three points clear of the Weyburn Lightstream Wings (12-13-10, 34 pts) and four points ahead of the Melville Millionaires (14-15-5, 33 pts), who hold on to the eighth and final playoff spot.
The Prairie Storm (11-13-8, 30 pts) are three points back of the Mils for the final playoff spot and seven behind the Terriers, however all three teams 鈥� the Prairie Storm, Mils and Wings 鈥� all have games in hand on the Terriers, who have just one more game remaining in their regular season, a game in Langenburg against the league-leading Notre Dame Bantam Hounds (29-4-1, 59 pts). 鈥淚f you look at the standings, all the teams that we鈥檙e battling with are around .500, so not everyone can win all their games from here to the end,鈥� suggested Ottenbreit, continuing, 鈥淚f we can win our last one and get above .500 that should allow us to get into the playoffs.鈥�
Puck drop for the game tonight (Wednesday) in Langenburg is set for 7:00pm.
