50th edition of rivalry between Melville and Yorkton SJHL teams kicks off Friday

Yorkton, Sask. -

If rivalries could talk, countless stories would be told of the battles between the Melville Millionaires and the Yorkton Terriers.

The Battle of Highway 10 is back in action Friday, officially kicking off the 50th season of the two clubs locking horns in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) in Melville.

For some who have seen the ins and outs of the rivalry for seven years, Head Coach and General Manager of the Terriers, Mat Hehr said he was given very direct instructions when he started as an assistant coach with the club.

“I put my bags down and first thing I was told is, 'You hate Melville now.' So, welcome to Yorkton. Since then the rivalry's been awesome,” he said Friday, with a laugh.

Hehr’s had a lot to smile about early on this season, with his team atop the Viterra Divison standings at 4-1. However, an 11 day break leading up to Friday’s puck drop has the Terriers in an interesting position. They have as many as five games in hand on one team in the division, and only lead by one point — despite only losing the single game.

The Millionaires on the other hand are 3-3-1, good for third. The team hovering at 500 can leapfrog the Terriers Friday in the standings with a win.

Instead of a balanced scoring output mixed with solid goaltending like the Terriers, the Millionaires have some firepower up front with third-year Noah Wills leading the charge with eight assists and 13 points, good for third in the league.

But, that isn’t the most ideal, according to the team.

“We do like our firepower,” said Millionaires Head Coach and General Manager, Mike Rooney.

“We want to have depth throughout our offence. As much as firepower as we’ve had, we’ve struggled the last couple nights to score goals … Right now, it’s a little bit challenging.”

With this rivalry stretching back decades over decades over decades, stories from coaches, players and one person who has seen both sides popped up in advance of the weekend home-and-home.

Payton Kostyshyn, Melville born and raised defenceman, said watching the heated games growing up pushed him to want to be a part of not only the Millionaires, but the rivalry itself.

“I remember as a kid, at school you always see the Melville Millionaires come through. It was always somebody you looked up to and somebody you want to be when you’re older. That really pushed me,” he said.

One of Kostyshyn’s most vivid memories came in 2014, when the Terriers beat the Millionaires in the SJHL finals on their way to the RBC Cup Championship.

“That was pretty crazy … it was a really good rivalry. It was lots of fun to go see those games, those barns were always packed,” he said.

When asked about his hatred for the team to the east, Kostyshyn didn’t hold back.

“On a scale of one to 10, I’d have to say 10. It’s been like that my whole life, growing up in Melville — stickin’ with it,” he said.

Rooney described it as “big brother versus little brother,” “big city versus little city,” and has spent some time in the community personally. The Yellow Grass, Sask. product said he dislikes the team on the ice.

“I’ve lived in Yorkton. Been there a couple years way back when and I get along with (Hehr). I just assumed the city of Yorkton loved me,” said Rooney.

Now on the Melville side, Rooney said he doesn’t lose too much sleep if people don’t like Melville.

“I could care less if we’re liked or not. I have a dog, I don’t need friends, so I’m good,” he said.

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Canora’s Zach Rakochy spent parts of three seasons with the Millionaires, but now is an assistant coach, as well as the goalie coach for the Terriers.

“Being a part of and growing up watching the Highway 10 rivalry is always great. Lots of intense games and packed barns,” he said.

His welcome to the rivalry moment came in the first preseason game of his Millionaires career.

“I was in the old Melville Stadium. There was a line brawl, and then the backup goalie was almost fighting one of our players — reaching around me to try and fight him … It was a ‘holy,’ kind of thing. (I thought) ‘this is pretty legit.’”

Clay Sleeva is a second-year Terrier, also from Canora. He said it’s a big weekend, whenever Melville’s in town.

“It’s a war,” he said.

“Even playing back in my hometown, it was always a tough matchup with Melville … even when they came into our barn (in minor hockey), it was always rowdy with them.”

For his welcome to this rivalry moment, he didn’t have a specific event, rather more of a different type of hockey.

“I’ve never seen so much hitting in my life. It’ll be a good test for some of the rookies that have never played them before,” said Sleeva.

The next chapter of this storied rivalry continues Friday in Melville, with the second on the back-to-back scheduled for Saturday at the Westland Insurance Arena. The puck drops for both games at 7:30 p.m.