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Terriers ready for season start

Preparations continue for the Yorkton Terriers on the eve of the upcoming Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. “There’s been a lot of hard decisions to be made,” said Terrier head coach Mat Hehr on Monday.
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Preparations continue for the Yorkton Terriers on the eve of the upcoming Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

“There’s been a lot of hard decisions to be made,” said Terrier head coach Mat Hehr on Monday.

But decisions were made, as Hehr has trimmed the roster to 25, down from the 33 left in training camp on Sept. 3.

“At the start of the week we had 33. That’s a lot of bodies, it’s almost impossible to teach,” he said.

The Terriers did play a pair of pre-season games against the Manitoba Junior Hockey League opposition.

Last Thursday, Yorkton was in Waywayseecappo, dropping a 1-0 decision.

“We played our rookie forwards and veteran defence,” he said.

The tandem of veteran netminder Ben Laidlaw and newcomer Ryan Oullette split time in net, allowing only the one goal against.

Saturday in Swan River against Swan Valley, Hehr said he dressed a line-up he expects will be close to his opening day roster, coming away with a 5-4 win.

“We played very well. I’m very happy with the performance Saturday,” said Hehr.

The real teaching starts now for the team.

“You can’t get to detailed with too many systems in one week,” said Hehr, adding they will be focusing on some key systems leading up to the opener Friday.

The Terriers start their regular season Friday in Weyburn, then head to Estevan Tuesday, before opening on home ice Friday, Sept. 21, with the Red Wings providing the opposition.

So what should fans expect early in the season from the Terriers?

“Lots of offence, that’s going to be what our team prides itself on,” he said, adding they will focus “on trying to play a 200-foot game.”