By Sabrina Kraft
A special “Red Wing Week” is being marked by the City of Weyburn, which started on Sept. 12 and will conclude with Red Wing Day on Saturday, Sept. 17.
The Red Wings will face off against the Yorkton Terriers in the second half of a home-and-home season opener on Red Wing Day. They will be in Yorkton on Friday, Sept. 16.
Brothers Jacob Wozney and Noah Wozney expect a fast-paced series against the Terriers. Jacob is a second-year forward, while his brother Noah is a first-year forward.
“Playing the Terriers will be a fast-paced game. They are still a pretty young team, and a division rival, so that makes the game even more important,” said Jacob.
“Right now, we are learning the systems, the forechecks and who to cover, and where we need to be on the ice,” said Noah.
“I feel like we have a good team already. There are a lot of returning guys from last year, so we are clicking fast,” said Jacob. He said that many of the veteran players are taking leadership roles with the younger players.
Jacob also spoke highly of the coaching staff, and how they are helping direct the players.
“Wes (Rudy) already knows a lot of us, and the structure of the game. He knows that we know the plays and the strategy, so right now he just wants to get us out on the ice and playing hard.”
“Last year, Wes was pretty close to a lot of players, so we already have that connection in place.”
The Red Wings had two pre-season home-and-home series last week, facing off against the Notre Dame Hounds and then the Estevan Bruins.
“We hit the exhibition games like a running gun,” said Jacob. “There was only a little bit of strategy and structure. The main purpose of these exhibition games was to get us out on the ice and to play.”
Jacob felt that by the end of the exhibition series, that the team was coming together a lot more quickly, which is why they claimed a win over Estevan.
Some of the exhibition games were a chance for first-year players to have another opportunity to impress the coaching and scouting staff.
“It was an opportunity for the coaches to see who should play together,” said Noah.
“I felt that we established a good rivalry against the Estevan Bruins, because the games were really heated,” said Noah. “It will be really fun to face up against them again in the regular season.”
Jacob and Noah grew up playing hockey together, and they had the opportunity to play on the same team during the Red Wings training camp.
During the exhibition games, they noted there was more of an effort to put them on different lines.
“It looks like, since this is my second year, that I will be put on one of the top lines,” said Jacob. “As much as Noah and I play pretty good on the same line, there are other guys on the team who I have that same chemistry with.”
“It would be nice if in the middle of the year, or by the end of the year, that we get put on the same line,” added Jacob.
