LAKings.com feature: Prairie ‘Dogs

TerriersGame 2 of the Western Conference Final begins in five hours, so naturally our attention shifts to Vernon, British Columbia, where the SJHL Champion Yorkton Terriers completed a stunning turnaround by winning four consecutive games after being pushed to the brink early in the RBC Cup, Canada’s nationwide Junior A tournament. The team’s resurgence, which was capped by a frantic comeback from two goals down late in the championship game, is awfully similar to the manner in which the Kings posted comebacks over the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks earlier this postseason.

Jarret Stoll, who spent much of his childhood in Yorkton, backed the club by providing the team with pre-game meals and offering his support via social media. He spoke about his pride of the team’s accomplishments and of coming from a region where junior hockey is immensely popular.

“…I’m just glad to see them win, just glad to see them pull it off. It’s a special memory and moment for them. They’ll always remember that. Some of those kids will move on and keep playing. Some of them maybe won’t. Some of them might end up playing in the NHL someday and they’ll all look back on that and still remember those good times.”

Though a tremendous nod of respect and great faith, the food and the tweets from two time zones away weren’t the reason the Terriers won the tournament. That instead came from the winning expectations and ability to execute with so little margin for error – something that the Kings have displayed by posting comebacks in each of their first two playoff series.

“Everyone might have been a little bit tense and worried, but we knew that Games 3 and 4 were must-wins,” said 21-year-old Yorkton forward Tyler Giebel. “You’ve got to do every single thing you can, otherwise your season’s over.”

“You know what? Some people might not think it’s that big of a deal, but to us it meant a lot,” Giebel said about Stoll’s tweets and pre-game spreads. “It was awesome.”

LAKings.com: Prairie ‘Dogs

Previous LAKings.com features:
Backbone of Experience
Game 7 Mentality
Northern Roots
Great Expectations
Alec Martinez: Ready to Play
Ice Chirps
Rogie and Quick
Their Move
Jumping Off Point
Weekend in Manch
Silver and Black Lining
Winter’s Spell
Culture Shift
Five-Ringed Granger
Loosened Reign
Halfway There
Robyn’s Flight
Net Gains
Mark Morris: An Open Door
Darryl Sutter: Playing Hardball
Influencers
Another Go
Dining Out with Willie Mitchell
Kings of CHLA
West is Best
Their Words
Numbers Aside
Follow Me
Talk About It
Padded Down
Little Time for Rest
Make Them Better
Comfort Level
Getting There
Will to Win
Buying In
Fine Tuning
Battle Tested
Smooth and Selke
Up, Up and Away
In Their Eyes
Work in Progress
Committed
Scuderi’s Actions Speak
Brown’s Model a Path for Doughty

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