Hometown Terriers lose one and tie one

By ALEX MORGOTCH

News Review

The Yorkton Hometown Midget AA Terriers played a pair of road games over the weekend.

The first, against the Melville Millionaires Midget AA team on January 28 saw the Yorkton team suffer a 3-1 loss.

Scoring for the Terriers was Kyle Pfeifer assisted by Keagan Erhardt. The goal was scored at the 8:24 mark of the second period.

The first goal of the game was scored by Melville in the first period with the two final goals of the game going in during the third period.

The game was played in Churchbridge.

A second weekend game for the Hometown Terriers took place Sunday in White City against the Balgonie Prairie Storm.

The hard fought battle ended in a 6-6 tie following three periods of play.

Scoring single goals for the Terriers were Keagan Erhardt, Evan Neibrandt, Kyle Pfeifer, and Doug Weber. Kyle Scott recorded a pair of goals for the team.

Picking up single assists were Keegan Sharp, Kyle Pfeifer, Jordan Yarychy, Nathan Shabatura. Kyle Scott and Doug Weber each had a pair of assists during the contest.

Three of Yorkton’s goals were scored in the first period, two in the second and one in the third.

The Balgonie team chalked up 25 penalty minutes while the Terriers waited for 40 penalty minutes to pass by. Cory Bashutski and Nathan Shabatura were both given misconducts adding to the total time the team spent in the penalty box.

Volunteers backbone of local hockey scene

By ALEX MORGOTCH

News Review

I ran into Darren again at the Terrier game the other night. He greeted me with his usual beaming grin and his all too familiar joke.

Darren keeps insisting it’s time for me to take another trip. I’m not sure what prompted his fixation on my travel plans. It may have had something to do with one of my past columns or some jibe at my fading tan and a Mexican vacation. The exchange started me thinking about Darren.

Physically Darren is not an imposing figure. He’s one of the few people who is actually shorter than I am. There certainly aren’t many of those around.

Now, I don’t know much about his past, but I suspect he may not have been an athletic superstar. Despite the fact he may not have excelled at sports, Darren is very much an important part of the local sports scene. He is one of the few people in town who probably takes in more local hockey games than I do.

I also run into him at baseball games, lacrosse games, and almost any sports event taking place in the city.

Now while he doesn’t rack up the stats like Korchinski, have the profile of Zawatsky, nor the commanding presence of Bill Sobkow, he is an important part of the local sports scene in his own way.

You see, Darren volunteers a lot. He can be seen selling 50/50 tickets, working the gate, selling programs and generally making himself useful to the many teams and organizations he associates with.

His volunteer work may not appear glamorous. He’ll rarely make the sports news. Instead, his contribution goes a long way to ensuring that some kids will have an opportunity to make the news.

Why does he do it? I’m not all that sure. Perhaps he finds it a pleasant social outlet. He certainly seems well known by many players and fans alike.

Maybe, in working the events, he feels he’s participating in his own way, a part of the game or a part of the team.

Whatever the case, he seems happy and content making his contribution to local sports. He’s also positive and upbeat about the whole thing. In all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never heard him complain nor bemoan his lot, nor criticize anyone or any activity. While I’m sure he has his down days like everyone else, he hasn’t let it show as far as I know.

And, every once in awhile, those he helps do recognize his importance and he does make the news. Yorkton Minor Hockey named Darren Volunteer of the Year last year for example. Despite his modest blush when accepting the award, there was also a sense of pride at his accomplishment. It seemed a fitting tribute to a true local sportsman.

We’re lucky to have Darren and others like him working quietly behind the scene to support local teams and sports events. While they can’t guarantee success, they certainly go a long way to facilitate it.

Finally, yes, Darren, I will be taking that trip. Perhaps sooner than you know. I’ll tell you all about it when I return. Maybe at the next Terrier or Harvest home game...