If the Whitehorse Huskies hope to win a Coy Cup, specialty teams play could be the determining factor.

“Special teams can make or break you in leagues like this,” head coach Mike Tuton said after the team’s 6-5 win Sunday.

On Saturday, the Huskies gave up three powerplay goals in the first period, finishing the game at a woeful 40 per cent success rate killing penalties.

On the other hand, their powerplay started the year with a 50 per cent success rate, as the squad converted three of six chances against the Whitecourt Wild.

On Sunday, the Huskies displayed a much-improved special teams, killing off six of seven penalties (86 per cent) while converting three of nine powerplay opportunities (33 per cent).

“It’s tough to practise all the time and not have any games,” said Tuton of his club’s early struggles.

“The penalty kill killed us Saturday night. We made a couple adjustments, and I think we only gave up one (Sunday).

We killed off a huge five-on-three.

“It was a real big difference for us, the way everybody stepped up. We just didn’t want guys chasing. We wanted to keep them to the outside.”

The two-game set with the Wild served as a bit of a wake-up call for the Yukon boys.

“These were two important games for us,” said Tuton. “It really showed us where we’re at and exposed some of our weaknesses and strengths. For now, we’ll just get back to work.”

“It’s good to get games and start to play the game the right way,” leading scorer Derek Klassen added Sunday.

“Specialty teams is going to be the biggest thing, especially in senior hockey. It can be the difference in the hockey game.

“It’s kind of hard for guys when you’re playing rec league for two or three months and then you get into an actual hockey game. ... But I thought we were better today than we were yesterday, and that’s all you can really ask for.”

Klassen, 29, said it’s nice to see that the Huskies roster – laden with scorers – is able to put the puck in the net, but added true success begins in the defensive zone.

“We’re going to outchance teams most of the time, but we’re not going to win too many hockey games if we’re giving up five or six goals every night.”

The 2016 Coy Cup championship will be held in Terrace, B.C., March 22 to 26.

The Central Interior Hockey League’s Terrace River Kings will host the event, after finishing as second to the champion Fort St. John Flyers last season.