The Weyburn Red Wings are champions of the Viterra division, after defeating the Estevan Bruins 6-2 on Saturday.
As of Monday morning, the Red Wings were tied for second in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Melfort Mustangs. Both teams are only one point behind the Battlefords North Stars for top spot in the league.
The annual awards banquet for the Red Wings has been set for Friday, March 11 at McKenna Hall. Tickets are $25 each and are available at the Red Wings office, located just inside of Crescent Point Place.
During Red Wings action on Friday night, they claimed a 5-1 victory over the Melville Millionaires on home ice.
Tucker Neuberger started off scoring for Weyburn, with a goal in the first period of action.
Then the Wings notched three goals during the second period. Jarrett Fontaine was first to score, followed by Connor Burk and Braden Mellon.
Melville finally got on the board in the third period. The last goal of the game was scored by Jacob Jeske for Weyburn.
Jack Burgart was in net for the win, and he stopped 28 out of 29 shots.
Then while in Estevan on Saturday night, the Red Wings captured the win they needed over the Bruins to ensure their claim in the Viterra division.
In the first period, Cole Woodliffe and Jacob Wozney both notched goals for Weyburn, providing a strong start for Weyburn.
In the second period, Elvis Jansons scored while shorthanded to add to the Red Wings lead, followed by a goal by Aidan Teilborg. Later in the period, Estevan got on the board, scoring while shorthanded.
In the third period, Carson Rose scored for Weyburn, followed by a shorthanded goal by Estevan, then Tyran Brown scored a powerplay goal in the last seconds of the period to ensure the valuable win for Weyburn.
Burgart was in net for Weyburn, and he stopped 22 out of 23 shots. Charter Phair also had a few minutes in net, stopping two our of three shots.
Right now, Burgart is the top goaltender in the league, with only a few more games left in the regular season of action.
After 41 games, Burgart has a goal-against-average of 1.97. He also has won 26 games in net, with only nine losses, four overtime losses and two shootout losses. But there is tight contention for the position between him and Tayrn Kotchorek from the Battlefords North Stars.
This weekend, the Red Wings will be in Notre Dame for a game on Friday, Feb. 26. Then they host Kindersley at Crescent Point Place on Saturday, Feb. 27 starting at 7:30 p.m.
The last home game of the regular season will be Saturday, March 5, when Estevan pays a visit to Crescent Point Place.
Details on the playoff series will be announced once some final spots are tied up by other teams.
Winning the Viterra pennant will mean that the Red Wings will have home ice advantage heading into the SJHL playoffs.
Residents can check with the Red Wing office for details on acquiring playoff tickets, once those games are confirmed.
