40 minutes of great hockey was enough to get the job done against Neepawa last night, as the Terriers beat the Natives 8-2 in MJHL hockey at the PCU Centre in Portage.

It was an exciting return to the Terriers' lineup for forward Turner Santin this weekend, as he combined for 4 points in 2 games. "It feels good to be back and to get a few points," says Santin, who finished last night with 2 goals and was named the 1st star of the game. "I really like playing with Ryan Hendrix a lot, I think we work well together."

6 other Terriers finished the night with at least 2 points, while goalie Brock Aiken made 25 saves for his 15th win of the season. For most of the game it looked like the ice was slanted in the Terriers' favour, but they looked flat-footed and uninterested for short moments as well. 

"Sometimes in our own zone maybe we don't pick up the right guy," says Head Coach Blake Spiller when asked about the defensive breakdowns. "I think that at times in games our defensive responsibilities need to be a lot better."

Brock Aiken makes a huge pad save to keep the Terriers up. (Photo by Aaron Wilgosh)

Spiller says their effort level has been a much better since their loss to Steinbach.

"We played well against the Blues and got out to a good start against Neepawa. We made some nice plays and got some nice goals, and with Brakel out tonight it was nice that Takato Cox stepped up. He really played great with that group."

The Dogs finished the night 0-for-2 on the powerplay but 3-for-3 on the PK. Get the full rundown here.

Bumps and Bruises

The Terriers' 20 year old defenders Riley Thiessen and Jordan Thomson both sat last night's game out. "Thiessen started versus Neepawa actually but he re-aggravated his injury in practice Saturday," says Spiller. "He kind of fell funny but I think he'll be able to go Wednesday. It was more precautionary because we were up a little bit so we took him out. Thomson is getting evaluated Monday, I don't expect him to be out long, but we'll know more then."

The Terriers next challenge is OCN Wednesday at the PCU Centre.