Yorkton Terriers forfeit 3 wins over ineligible player

Yorkton Terriers appealing decision WATCH: The Yorkton Terriers are appealing a decision from the league to take away 3 wins from the team this season.

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Yorkton Terriers have forfeited three wins over the use of an ineligible player.

According to the league, the violations happened during the team’s games against the Nipawin Hawks on Oct. 11, the Estevan Bruins on Oct. 16 and the Melville Millionaires on Oct. 18.

The team points and wins from the affected games will go to the opposing teams. All individual players will retain their personal statistics.

For league scorekeeping purposes and potential tiebreakers, the Terriers will have their scores changed to zero. All goals scored against Yorkton remain as-is. If the opposing team didn’t score in the game, the score has been changed to a 1-0 win.

The move shuffles the Terriers down in the standings to a ninth place tie with the Estevan Bruins.

According to SJHL rules, in addition to forfeiting games at the discretion of the commissioner, a team that uses an offending player will also receive a mandatory fine of $450.

The team’s first chance to get one of those wins back will be Tuesday night against the Flin Flon Bombers.

In a response on Tuesday, the Terriers announced they intend to appeal the league's decision.

"We owe it to our players, fans, and the entire Yorkton community to appeal this decision and uphold the integrity of our team," it said in the response.

The team ended off by restating its dedication to "maintaining fair play and transparency" in all of its operations.

"The team firmly believes that the ruling was unjust and is committed to ensuring that the situation is rectified."