Benny Walchuk:
It’s time for the Melville Millionaires Coaches Show on GX94. I’m joined by head coach and GM Doug Johnson as the SJHL playoffs are just around the corner. Doug, you wrapped up the regular season with a matchup against the Yorkton Terriers—an overtime loss Friday and then a loss Saturday with a younger lineup. What did you take away from the weekend?
Doug Johnson:
Obviously, getting a point Friday was important, even though I didn’t think we played with a lot of jam or intelligence. To not have our best and still come away with something—that’s a bit of a positive. Then Saturday, once we had seventh locked up, we made the decision to rest some guys. It’s been a grind with a heavy schedule, and we had some players dealing with injuries we didn’t want to aggravate. It gave us a chance to bring in some younger players, and we saw some really encouraging things—kind of a glimpse of the future for this team.
Benny Walchuk:
You mentioned the APs, but also some depth guys stepped into bigger roles. How important was that heading into playoffs?
Doug Johnson:
It was big. There weren’t many power plays, but some guys really took advantage of the opportunity. Nathan Taylor played well, Goldie and Craigs were solid on the back end, and I thought Jayden Kokosha had one of his better games. Those are guys who don’t always get top-six minutes, but they stepped up and showed they can contribute. Hopefully that builds confidence because in the playoffs, you never know when you’ll need that depth.
Benny Walchuk:
Another Highway 10 battle with Yorkton in the playoffs—can you talk about the excitement around this matchup and what it means to the communities?
Doug Johnson:
There’s a lot of excitement, no doubt. For our team and the organization, it’s a great matchup. But more than that, the rivalry between Melville and Yorkton runs deep—it goes back generations. People in both communities care about this one, and they always have. It’s great for the fans, great for the region, and it just adds another chapter to that rivalry for a new generation.
Benny Walchuk:
As you head into the series, what are the key areas your team needs to be sharp in?
Doug Johnson:
It comes down to playing to our identity. We haven’t always been consistent with it, but when we are, we’re a tough team to play against. We’re hard, physical, fast, and we can wear teams down. Opponents don’t like playing against us when we’re at our best. If we can bring that level consistently for a full 60 minutes—and throughout the series—that’s going to give us a real chance to frustrate teams and have success.
