Stoll gives Terriers a boost in reaching RBC Cup playoffs
The Yorkton Terriers got an unexpected energy boost this week by a highly placed source.
Los Angeles Kings forward Jarret Stoll, a Stanley Cup winner in 2012, treated the Terriers to a champion-like breakfast before they successfully battled to stave off elimination Thursday at the RBC national junior A hockey championship in Vernon, B.C.
Yorkton now meets the host Vernon Vipers on Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to the Royal Bank Cup final against either the Dauphin Kings or Carleton Place Canadians.
“I know the guys were very excited and humbled by the whole experience,” Yorkton head coach and associate GM Trent Cassan said Friday.
It was encouraging and uplifting to have Stoll even think of them when he was right smack in the middle of the Stanley Cup playoffs, between Games 6 and 7 against the Anaheim Ducks.
“(Coming from) a wellknown guy in our area, respected not only for hockey but how he carries himself as an individual, it probably gives the guys a little bit more motivation and excitement knowing that there is support for them from all over the place,” said Cassan.
Stoll grew up in the Yorkton/Melville area before moving to Saskatoon as a teenager to play for the Saskatoon Blazers in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.
From there, he played four seasons for the WHL’s Kootenay Ice.
Stoll, who has spent 11 seasons in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers and LA Kings, maintains ties with his home province of Saskatchewan, where he held a charity golf tournament for many years at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.
SATURDAY SEMIFINAL
Against Vernon, the Terriers get a second chance after losing 6-4 to the host Vipers in the round robin.
Yorkton fell behind 5-0 and could never recover despite outshooting Vernon 44-33. The shots were 16-6 in favour of the Terriers in the third period alone.
At the time, it was Yorkton’s second straight loss in the tournament to put the Terriers behind the 8-ball. The Terriers needed to win their final two round robin games, against Carleton Place and Dauphin, to qualify for the weekend’s playoff round.
“We didn’t have a very good start to the tournament,” Cassan admitted.
However, how the Terriers respond “when our backs are up against the wall (is) very encouraging,” he added.
The highly skilled Vipers feature a high-octane offence that led the tournament with 13 goals through the preliminary round. The Terriers were tied for fourth among the five teams with 10 goals.
“Vernon’s going to be really tough to beat on their home ice,” stressed Cassan, adding that the Terriers will have to limit the Vipers’ opportunities.
“We gave up too many oddman rushes (in the round robin game).” BREAKAWAYS: Terriers’ Brett Boehm, a native of Martensville, was tied for third in tournament scoring with four points in four games.