Game Highlights – vs Notre Dame

courtesy of Steven Wilson; discoverweyburn.com

The Weyburn Red Wings used the energy brought to the rink by their hometown fans who travelled for the game and picked up a 4-2 win over the Notre Dame Hounds at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox. With the win, the Red Wings are now four points back of the Estevan Bruins for first in the Viterra Division. They are also one point back of the Humboldt Broncos for sixth overall, and two points back of the Hounds for fifth overall.

The Red Wings were led by a trio of players who recorded a goal and an assist, with Jeremy Velazquez, Jordan Kazymyra and Cole Woodliffe all picking up the two points. The scoring was rounded out by Ben Hiltz, as he notched his 22nd of the season. Arik Weersink earned the win between the pipes.

Hiltz opened the scoring for the Red Wings just 4:16 into the first period when he took a feed from Cade Kowalski and put it behind Hounds rookie goaltender Jack Ryan. Woodliffe was credited with the other assist. The line for the Red Wings combined has now accounted for 112 points combined this year.

Just 20 seconds into the second period, Velazquez made it a 2-0 game with a snipe past Ryan. Velazquez, whose status was questionable in the opening moments after taking a crushing open-ice hit from Hounds defenceman Max Salpeter, spent much of the game hovering around the Notre Dame goal and was rewarded for his efforts. Kazymyra assisted on the goal.

The Hounds would pull within one before the middle frame was over. Jared Hamm managed to get the puck past Weersink, one of the two blemishes on his night, as he made 26 save in total for the win.

In the third period, the Red Wings found themselves in a 4-on-4 situation, and Cole Woodliffe carried the puck in the Notre Dame zone against two defenders. The veteran forward battled his way over to the face-off circle to the left of Ryan, and threw the puck on net, beating the Hounds netminder for the tally at the 6:54 mark. The puck crossed the line three seconds after the penalty to Notre Dame expired, meaning it would count as a short-handed goal, the second of the season for Woodliffe. Mike Eskra picked up his 29th assist of the season on the tally.

The Hounds weren’t done yet, though. On the powerplay, Chaz Smedsrud found himself on the doorstep and went to put the puck into what looked like a gaping cage. Weersink got his left pad across in time to stop the initial shot, but Smedsrud had time to lift the rebound over the outstretched leg of the Red Wings goalie to make it 3-2.

Just over a minute later, with 10:22 left on the clock, Kazymyra scored his 14th of the season, as he took a pass from Velazquez and wired it past Ryan. Jevon Schwean had the other assist for the Wings.