Kahl Puts Up Major Saves in Wings Loss to Mustangs
Sam Boldt tries to protect the Red Wings net as Mustangs forward Logan Belton drives towards the net
After a win Saturday at home over the Melville Millionaires, the Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings were looking to build some momentum as they traveled to Melfort to take on the Mustangs Wednesday night. Despite an amazing effort from the young Eric Kahl in net, the Red Wings would fall 4-2 in the end.
In the first period, the Red Wings started off well and were in the offensive zone in the first few minutes of the game, but the Mustangs would set up a blue line trap that the Red Wings had some difficulty trying to get by. Shots would end up 6-0 in favour of the Mustangs, but the Red Wings would get the game’s first powerplay.
After a powerplay that did manage some shots, the Red Wings wouldn’t score but would get the game’s first goal when Blake Norris put a shot intentionally wide of the net, and Matteo Turrin would tip the puck from a sharp angle around the outstretched pad of Joel Favreau to give the Red Wings the lead 14 minutes in.
After 1: Red Wings 1 – 0 Mustangs, shots 15-3 Mustangs
In the second period, the Red Wings would not get the same start they had, falling back on their heels. Although the Mustangs would score later on in the period, 2006 born goaltender Eric Kahl had maybe his best period of the game in the second with some huge saves. His biggest came when he stopped the shot and kicked the rebound out to the right side of the net, he hugged the post while the Mustangs forward went around behind the net to Kahl’s left and sent the pass out front for a onetimer, and Kahl kicked over left just in time to get the glove on the shot to keep his team in the lead.
After an unsuccessful Mustangs powerplay, the Red Wings would get caught in their own zone and a puck would squirt out from the wall to the slot where two undefended Mustangs were waiting, and Logan Belton onetimed the shot to beat Kahl at the 16 minute mark.
Just 59 seconds later, the Red Wings took the lead back when Leyton Holoien mishandled the puck on his own blueline, and Jakob Kalin stole the puck away and hustled down the right side of the ice. Holoien kept up with Kalin to negate the shot, but Kalin sent a sweet feed into the middle where a streaking Mi-Kwan Tallman was able to tip the puck over Favreau’s shoulder for the goal.
With just over two minutes left in the period, offsetting penalties would open the ice up to 4-on-4, and now the Red Wings were able to get some rushes going including a breakaway from Ty Mason, but Favreau made a big stop to keep his team within one.
After 2: Red Wings 2 – 1 Mustangs, shots 14-4 Mustangs in the period, 29-8 Mustangs overall
In the third, the Mustangs scored under two minutes into the period when Ryan Duguay came in on a break down the left side and he’d fire a shot wide side that beat the hot glove of Kahl to tie the game up once more.
Just before the five minute mark, Clarke Huxley would score the go ahead goal on a passing play in front of the net, and suddenly the Red Wings were in trouble. They still couldn’t manage to get much for offence going as the game went on.
With over two minutes left, the Red Wings would pull Kahl to try and get the game tied once again, but the Mustangs captain Ben Tkachuk would steal the puck at the blue line and tuck the puck into the open cage.
FINAL: Red Wings 2 – 4 Mustangs, shots 18-4 Mustangs in the period, 47-12 Mustangs overall
Facing a total of 46 shots, the 16-year-old Eric Kahl stopped 43 shots in just his second start of the season.