The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings played a home-and-home series against the Estevan Bruins this weekend before facing the Humboldt Broncos Tuesday night.
The Red Wings had home ice advantage first on Friday against the Bruins. Four minutes and 26 seconds into the first, Mathieu Belanger scored his first SJHL career goal. Keigan Callander brought the puck up from the blue line in the Bruins end, and found the stick of Rhett Frey who was driving towards the net. Frey passed to Belanger who was standing in front of the net, and all Belanger had to do was chip the puck up and behind the distracted Bruins goaltender.
Before the end of the period though, Bruins player Brady Nicholas tied up the game. It looked like the game would be going into overtime as the score remained 1-1 heading into the last minute of play in the third. However, with approximately 21 seconds left in the game, Belanger battled for the puck in front of the Bruins net and chipped it to Nikolas Sombrowski standing behind the net. Sombrowski then wrapped the puck around easily swept it past the goal line.
Noah Decottignies spent the full 60 minutes in net and saved 23 of the 24 shots he saw. The three Red Wings stars were Belanger as the third star, Connor Karo as the second and Liam Rutten was the first star.
The following day, the two teams met in Estevan to play at Affinity Place. Late into the first on a power play, Ben Hiltz scored the first goal of the game. Nolan Steer and Karo were credited with the assists.
The Bruins eventually answered back with a power play goal of their own in the second period. Once again the score remained 1-1 and this time they went into overtime.
Two minutes and 18 seconds into overtime, Hiltz went on a breakaway and sealed the deal to win the game for the Wings. Hiltz was awarded the third star of the game, while Decottignies was awarded the first star. The Bruins outshot the Wings 37-22, so if it wasn’t for Decottignies, the game could have gone a lot differently. His impressive game play this weekend earned him the title of Goaltender of the Week by the SJHL.
The Red Wings next game was on Tuesday at Crescent Point Place against the Humboldt Broncos. Before the game on Monday night, the Red Wings announced they had traded ’01 born forward, Kai Studler, to the Kindersley Klippers in exchange for a PDF. Studler played seven games with the Wings and had one goal.
Early in the first, Broncos Reid Arnold scored the first goal of the game. Almost nine minutes into the frame, Tyson McLean tied up the game for the Wings, and Jevon Schwean had the assist.
Graham Skinner followed McLean’s lead and scored his first SJHL career goal. From the top of the right hand circle in the Broncos end, Skinner received the puck from Braden Birnie and fired a missile into the netting. Before the end of the period though, the Broncos tied it 2-2.
At 10:04 in the third, the Broncos broke the tie and even though it was only one goal over the Wings, it was enough to win the game 3-2.
Final shots were 42-20 for the Broncos. Despite taking the loss in net, Joseph Young put on an impressive display saving 39 of the 42 Broncos shots.
The three Red Wings stars were Sebastian Eger with the third star, Young with the second and Skinner with the first.
The Red Wings next game is tonight in Yorkton against the Terriers. They will host the Notre Dame Hounds on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7: 30 p.m.
The Chase the Wing lottery is back on for the Red Wings, and the Weyburn Review office is one of the many places you can buy tickets. The tickets are $5 each with a weekly draw being recorded live on the Red Wings Facebook page every Wednesday at 1 p.m.
