In a tight-checking goaltenders' duel, the Weyburn Red Wings skated to a 4-1 win over the Yorkton Terriers on Monday to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

With the win, the Red Wings advanced to the semi-final round of the SJHL playoffs against the Notre Dame Hounds. The series opens today, March 15, at the Colosseum at 7:30 p.m.

Monday night's game was also the return of Red Wing veterans Peter Hay and Sergei Sinicin, who sat out the previous three playoff games with various injuries.

"It felt pretty good to be back and contributing," said Sinicin.

Red Wing general manager Ron Rumball said their return was a shot in the arm for the team.

"They made a difference in the dressing room," said Rumball. "When your top scorer and top defenceman are out, their absence will be conspicuous."

Weisgerber also returned to the lineup after missing most of the third period of Thursday's game in Estevan with an undisclosed knee injury. It was caused when Estevan's Tyler Fleck and Weisgerber experienced a knee-on-knee mid-ice collision.

Over 1,220 people filled the Colosseum on Monday with air horns, sirens, drums and most other forms of noisemaker creating an electric atmosphere for the players.

"It feels fantastic to move on," said a relaxed Red Wing coach Dwight McMillan after the game. "That's what you play for - tension-filled hockey games."

Weisgerber, one of the Wings' veterans, said advancing to the next round gives the team confidence in the next round.

"We don't have a lot of playoff experience," said Weisgerber. Now everyone will be relaxed and play better. I think we'll be alright now."

The defeat was crushing to Yorkton Terrier coach and general manager Wade Klippenstein.

"We needed the bounces tonight and didn't get them," said a dejected Klippenstein. "I'm not happy with finishing 2-2 and not advance to the next round but that's the way it is. I'm not going to blame the playoff format."

From the start, this game was a goaltenders' duel with Weyburn's Terry Denike matching Yorkton's Ray Fraser shot-for-shot in the first period. Neither goaltender gave an inch despite being challenged with quality chances.

"Their goalie kept them in the game," said McMillan. "We created some great scoring chances to score."

"I believe Terry Denike played an incredible game," said Sinicin.

In the 3-2 loss to Estevan on Thursday, goaltending was again the story as Estevan's Trevor Frost robbed several Red Wings with his glove saves.

"It was desperation hockey for us," said Frost of the win. "I was just nervous enough to keep sharp."

The win was Frost's first start of the playoffs as Billy Thompson started Estevan's previous two losses.

Five minutes into the third period on Thursday, Tyler Fleck and Weisgerber knocked knees in front of the Red Wing bench. As Weisgerber rolled about in agony, Fleck was assigned a two-minute penalty for kneeing. Several minutes later, referee Greg Litvanyi changed his call, giving Fleck a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

"My biggest disappointment is the referee had made the call," said Estevan coach Nick Serregela. "We hoped he would stick to it, but he changed his call and that doesn't happen very often. He should probably have waited longer to make the call."

Serregela added: "I won't disagree with it. It's a discretionary call. If something like this happened to my guy, I'd expect the same call."

While McMillan said after the game he felt Fleck deliberately tried to injure Weisgerber, Weisgerber disagreed.

"I don't think it was intentional," said Weisgerber. "I just tried to step around him and we banged knees."

In Yorkton on March 7, the Red Wings came back from a 3-1 deficit to bring the game to a 3-3 tie. Yorkton's Clint Belitski scored the game winning goal in overtime.

As the Red Wings prepare for the Notre Dame Hounds, McMillan knows he will hate to contend with one of the SJHL's best defensive teams.

"They are the hardest-working team in the league," said McMillan of the Hounds. "They really check you hard. You have to bury the chances you get because you don't get many."

"We won't score often so we will have to play well on defence," said Weisgerber.

Jon Geiring, who has sat out since suffering a concussion in January during a game against the Yorkton Terriers, is close to returning to the Red Wing lineup.

"He needs to get medical clearance to play, but he's close," said Rumball. "He's had a couple of concussions before so you want to be careful and not rush things."