Red Wings Split Games With Top 2 Teams In SJHL
For their first home games in over a week, the Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings were faced with a tough task in taking on the Humboldt Broncos on Friday, and the Battlefords North Stars Saturday. The Red Wings would put up two big efforts, earning a win on Friday 5-4 over Humboldt before losing 4-3 to the Battlefords.
Friday vs Humboldt
In Friday’s action, the Broncos came into town fresh off a 6-0 loss to the Estevan Bruins, while the Red Wings had points in their last two games for the first time this season.
In the first period, the Red Wings killed off a penalty in the first minute before Ty Mason came down the right side of the ice and set a shot on goal, squeaking it through the five hole to give the Red Wings the lead for Mason’s fourth of the season with assists form Blake Norris and Matteo Turrin who earned his fourth point in four games as a Red Wing. Eight minutes in, the Red Wings would score again when Ethan Whillans stole the puck at the blueline and went in alone, beating the goaltender for his fifth of the season unassisted.
The second period saw the Broncos fight back with a goal five minutes in from Connor Miller, and it would stay one goal game for a while. Eleven minutes in, Matt Reidy would get the puck on a 2-on-0 with Simon Pollock, and Reidy would make a gorgeous move to fake out the goaltender before passing the puck to Pollock and tapping the puck into the net for his fifth of the season back when he returns to the lineup. The Broncos would score again from Carsten Kayter on the powerplay, but in the dying second of the period Max Monette would score his first of the season as a Red Wing when Lucas Jeffreys sent the shot off Monette and in, again with an assist from Pollock.
In the third period, there was no scoring until after the halfway mark of the frame. Jacob Boucher would tap in a backdoor pass for the Broncos to make it a one goal game once more. At the 15 minute mark, Ty Mason would score his fifth of the season and his second of the game on a nearly identical play, down the right side, shot through the fivehole, except this time it was on the powerplay with assists from Eduard Wruck and Braigh LeGrandeur. That would go down as the game winner as the Broncos would add one more in the final two minutes thanks to Ethan Zielke, and the Red Wings would extend their point streak to three straight games.
FINAL: Red Wings 5 – 4 Broncos, shots 37-34 Broncos
Saturday vs Battlefords
With the Broncos a little sick and injured in Friday’s game, the Red Wings still had something to prove when the best team in Canada came into Crescent Point Place. The North Stars were coming off a 7-4 win over the Estevan Bruins the night before.
The North Stars opened it up 18 seconds in when Owen Underhill scored his first goal of the season, and then the first period would stay go back and forth with no penalties or anything until 15 minutes in. Then, Jake Southgate would score for the North Stars, extending their lead. Less than two minutes later, Matthew Reidy would score his third of the season with assists from Riley See and Jordan Edwards.
Five minutes into the second period, the Red Wings would score on the powerplay when Sam Boldt would make a nice toe drag shot into the middle of the slot for his first of the season, assists from Jackson Hassman and Blake Norris. Mi-Kwan Tallman would score his sixth of the season, assists from Max Monette and Ty Mason, giving the Red Wings the lead.
Then there was an unfortunate play where Matteo Turrin’s point streak would end on an ejection for a match penalty when he was pulled out of the pile in front of the net and be given a five minute major. On the five minute powerplay, the North Stars would score first from Kian Bell on essentially a 5-on-3 while Lucas Jeffreys was hobbled on one foot after a shot block, and two minutes later the North Stars took the lead when Tynan Ewart scored the second goal on that five minute major.
In the third, the Red Wings would fire shot after shot on goal, but Josh Kotai made some incredible saves particularly on the penalty kill to keep his team in front and give the North Stars the win. If nothing else, the Red Wings proved that they can contend with the top team in the SJHL and take it to them for long portions of the game.
FINAL: Red Wings 3 – 4 North Stars, shots 31-30 Red Wings