For the first time since 2014, the Yorkton Terriers are headed to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League championship final, knocking off the Battlefords North Stars 6-3 in Game 7 of their semi-final in front of 2,177 fans at Westland Insurance Arena.
Yorkton set the tone early, as local product Vinay Junek opened the scoring just over five minutes in, using his speed to cut to the middle and bury his fifth of the playoffs. The Terriers kept rolling minutes later, with Jye Zawatsky setting up William Leonard on a two-on-one to make it 2-0 after one.
The lead grew early in the second when Gavin Bartha jammed home a rebound to make it 3-0, but Battlefords responded in a big way. Alex Coventry scored his first career playoff goal midway through the frame, then added another later in the period. Carter Geysen followed soon after, finishing a passing play late in the second to tie the game 3-3 heading into the third.
In a tense final frame, the Terriers found their moment. Off a faceoff win, Bartha wired home his second of the night with under four minutes to go, restoring the lead. Jake Briltz and Junek added empty-net goals to seal it.
Callum Creig made 15 saves for the win, while Kaeden Serpa turned aside 23 in defeat.
Yorkton now advances to face the Flin Flon Bombers in the 2026 Canterra Seeds Cup Final.
Flin Flon punched their ticket with a Game 7 win of their own, shutting out the Weyburn Red Wings 1-0. Charlie Tritt made 26 saves for his second shutout of the postseason, while Wyatt Stinton scored the lone goal late in the first period. Joey Rocha made 25 saves in the loss in what was his final junior game.
It sets up just the second-ever playoff meeting between the Bombers and Terriers—the last coming back in 1989, a series won by Yorkton in five games.
Games 1 and 2 of the SJHL Final go Friday and Saturday in Flin Flon, with the series shifting to Yorkton for Games 3 and 4 next Wednesday and Thursday.
