The Weyburn Red Wings are fighting hard for the 10th and last place for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs. Flin Flon is one point behind Weyburn for 10th, with a game in hand.
The Weyburn Red Wings are fighting hard for the 10th and last place for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs.
Flin Flon is one point behind Weyburn for 10th, with a game in hand. There is a lot of pressure for the Wings this weekend, as they head into their home-and-home series against Estevan. They need to win some points, but they also need Flin Flon to lose during the weekend.
Also still in the mix is the La Ronge Ice Wolves, who are now down to their last life. They trail Weyburn by six points for the final playoff spot, with three games to play.
Already, the Red Wings have set their annual awards night, which will be Sunday, Mar. 2 at the Weyburn Royal Canadian Legion.
Cocktails are 5 p.m., dinner is at 6 p.m., and the program will follow, including the home jersey auction.
Residents who want tickets for the annual awards night are encouraged to contact Ryan Gibney at the Red Wing office.
During a home game against Battleford on Feb. 22, the Red Wings lost 4-1 against the North Stars. Neither team was able to score during the first period.
Then during the second period, the North Stars picked up two goals, one of which was a power play goal. They added to their lead with another goal in the third period, before Weyburn was able to get on the board.
Colton Laroque scored the only goal for Weyburn, during a power play at 12:21 in the third. He was assisted by Cody Pettapiece and Ty McLean.
The North Stars secured the win after scoring into an empty net at 17:37. Rylan Parenteau was in net for the Wings, he stopped 32 out of 35 attempts. The Red Wings had 28 attempts on the North Stars net.
Earlier in the week, the Red Wings took a 6-4 loss against the Yorkton Terriers. The Red Wings started with a 2-1 lead after the first period. Matt Eng scored a power play goal at 3:40, assisted by Tyler Borstmayer and Jacob Jeske. Then Josh Lees scored at 15:27, assisted by Brian Farkas and Ty McLean.
Then during the third period, the Wings only picked up one goal when Tyler Borstmayer scored a power play at 5:57, assisted by Matt Eng and Nick Pouliot. The Terriers notched two goals of their own, tying up the score at 3-3.
The Terriers dominated during the third period, scoring three goals, one of which was a power play. The only goal for the Wings in the third period was scored by Colton Laroque, who notched a power play goal at 5:18, assisted by Pettapiece and Farkas.
Only the top 10 out of 12 teams will qualify for the SJHL playoffs. The three division champions will claim the top three seeds, based on points. After that, the next seven best teams, regardless of division, qualify for post season play.
The Yorkton Terriers have locked up top spot in the Viterra Division with an 11-1 win over the visiting Nipawin Hawks on Saturday night. The win puts the Terriers four points ahead of Melville, and with the Terriers holding the tie-breaker and Melville having just two games left, it's enough to clinch the inaugural Viterra pennant.
Yorkton's sights are now set on the first overall seed, which they continue to lead Kindersley for by two points. Both teams have three games left, and the Terriers hold the tie-breaker.
The Kindersley Klippers have a two-point lead over the Battleford North Stars for first place in the Kramer Division. The Klippers and North Stars also have a do-or-die home-and-home series this weekend. Kindersley does have one game in hand.
For the Sherwood division, the Melfort Mustangs have an the inside track on the Sherwood Division title and third overall seed. With a league-high four games still to play, they need one win or one Nipawin loss to lock up that spot. Melfort and the Hawks have a home-and-home series to end the season.
The Red Wings will finish the regular season with a home-and-home series playing against their Highway 39 rivals, the Estevan Bruins. The Bruins are safely in third in the Viterra division, but still could play spoiler against the Red Wings for the playoffs.
On Friday night, the Red Wings will be in Estevan, then they host a home game against the Bruins on Saturday, Mar. 1.
Only four teams play the Wild Card series, which will start the SJHL playoffs, while the other teams get a little rest. If the Red Wings keep their 10th place finish, they would face up against the seventh place team for the best-of-five Wild Card series.
