Following a hard fought tilt against Notre Dame on Tuesday night that resulted in a narrow 2-1 Hounds victory, the Green and Gold are off to the Gallagher Centre for their first test of the newly reconfigured Yorkton Terriers. 

Broncos Head Coach Scott Barney knows that sometimes, in spite of an all-out offense, a hot goalie can turn the tide as was the case in Wilcox.

“We didn’t come out on the winning side of things, but sometimes that’s hockey,” muses Barney. “Sometimes you run up against a hot goaltender. In the third period, we outshot them 20-6 but just couldn’t find a way to put it in. From Notre Dame’s standpoint, that’s what you want is for your goalie to steal a game.”

When it comes to the Terrier’s in the season’s first matchup, Barney and the team are relying on intel from the SJHL Showcase.

“Obviously they have a lot different team because of the turnover like most clubs. We watched some games at the Showcase, and we know they are going to compete hard every shift. They’ve got some guys that did play in the Western Hockey League like Kishaun Gervais who brings a lot of the offense.”

Barney is also wary of the new pair of goaltenders on the squad of Kael DePape, Jacob Herman and Bradley Mistol. Barney is looking to counter with rookie goalie Liam Stevens set to appear in his second career start. 

Once again the offense is looking to come out flying and shake off the Tuesday loss, says Barney.

“Our biggest message is to believe in yourselves. We’ve had a lot of hockey over the last two and a half weeks, and you can see the guys are getting a bit tired. But they’re excited to play the games. That’s what they’ve practiced for months and months.”

Puck drops at 7:30 tonight with the action on 107.5 BoltFM. The Terriers make the return trip to the EPA for tomorrow night’s home skirmish.