Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

Red Wings Snap Losing Skid With Big Comeback in Kindersley

Mathieu Gautier celebrates with Ty Mason after Gautier tipped in his own rebound out of the air to get the Red Wings first goal of the game.

 

Coming into the game on a three game losing streak, the Red Wings were faced with the 12th ranked team in the league in the Kindersley Klippers, and early on it looked like things might turn sour early. After falling behind, the Red Wings would score four straight goals for the comeback 4-3 win on the road.

Five minutes into the first period, the Red Wings were on the powerplay when a pass along the blue line would be intercepted by Liam Bell who passed it ahead, and Aidan Bangs was sprung on a breakaway where he beat rookie goaltender Eric Kahl with a shot to give the Klippers the game’s first lead.

Just over halfway through the period, the Klippers were on the powerplay cycling the puck along the blueline from Bell over to Josh Morton, and Morton put a pass through the middle looking for a backdoor tip, and Matt Mazzocchi was credited with the goal although it careened off a defender.

Before the end of the period, the Red Wings would kill off two more penalties before Ethan Whillans driving the net would get knocked down by Morton, sending Whillans hard into the boards. After the play, Red Wings captain Matt Reidy stepped up to Morton and dropped the gloves to stick up for his teammate, but Morton didn’t and Reidy was handed a ten minute misconduct. Whillans was fine and stayed in the game.

After 1: Red Wings 0 – 1 Klippers, shots 8-8

The second period didn’t start great for the Red Wings either. Another powerplay, but this time it was Mazzocchi who would intercept the puck and speed down the ice on the shorthanded breakaway to score. Eric Kahl was then pulled 1:49 into the second, and Dazza Mitchell would step into the net the rest of the way.

Two minutes later and the Red Wings were on the board. Nick Kovacs earned his first point of the season as he had an assist on the setup, Ty Mason from behind the net put the puck out front for Mathieu Gautier, and Gautier would whack his own rebound out of the air to crack the ice for the Red Wings.

Halfway through the period, the Red Wings on the forecheck were given a gift when Cash Arntsen of the Klippers put a pass into his own slot in a breakout attempt, but the only man there was Red Wing Riley See who had enough time to settle the puck, pick his spot, and fire home a wrist shot that beat Falk and brought the Red Wings back to within one.

The Red Wings would kill another penalty after that, and their powerplay would even get an opportunity, but nothing would get through either goaltender.

After 2: Red Wings 2 – 3 Klippers, shots 11-9 Klippers in the period, 19-17 Klippers overall

Three minutes into the third, the Red Wings were cycling the puck when defenceman Blake Norris rocketed a backhand at the net and hit the crossbar. On the same play though, the Wings would get the puck back and Matt Reidy, staying back to support Norris on the forecheck, would get the puck on the left point and rip a wrist shot through traffic and that sent the water bottle flying and tied the game while See earned the lone assist on the play.

Two more penalties for the Red Wings in the midst of the game saw the bench get a little shorter, and 11 minutes in the momentum generated from the penalty kill would get the Red Wings ahead. Again on the cycle, Braigh LeGrandeur would send the puck from behind the net to the side wall for Ethan Whillans, and he found Elijah Anderson open alone in the slot. Anderson danced around Logan Falk before roofing the backhander for the Red Wings first lead of the game.

After that, the Red Wings would be down a man the rest of the game as Blake Betson took a kneeing penalty on a collision behind the play for four minutes, and shortly after that the Klippers would pull their goalie to try and tie it. In the end, Mitchell and the Red Wings defence held strong and snapped their losing skid with the comeback victory.

FINAL: Red Wings 4 – 3 Klippers, shots 15-8 Red Wings in the period, 32-27 Red Wings overall

Eric Kahl’s first SJHL start will show that he allowed three goals on ten shots, but he played better than those numbers show. Two breakaway goals and one that bounced off his own defender, and he made some great saves before that. Dazza Mitchell gets the win for the Red Wings facing 17 shots and stopping all of them.

Captain Matt Reidy and assistant captain Mathieu Gautier not only helped their team to the win with goals, but they also both had big shot blocks late in the game that kept the Red Wings ahead.

The Red Wings next game is this coming Friday as they start a home and home with the Melville Millionaires on the road.