On a night of celebration, and helping good causes, the Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings made sure there was plenty to celebrate. Jacob Visentini scored a power play goal at the 4:28 mark of the opening period to make the teddy bears rain down onto the ice, and then he scored a power play goal with just over 10 minutes to play in the third to help lift the Wings to a 6-5 win over the visiting Kindersley Klippers Friday night.
"That's never a goal you like to wait more than a period for," head coach Cody Mapes said after the game. "It starts to kind of get into the back of your mind, for sure, so it was good to see that get out of the way early."
The Red Wings also wore special edition jerseys for the game, designed in collaboration with The Family Place. The jerseys were auctioned off, two during each intermission, and the rest as a silent auction in the lobby. Proceeds from the auction went to the Family Place.
"It's a very exciting night, and we're so blessed to have this partnership with the Red Wings," The Family Place executive director Dawn Gutzke said. "They volunteer for us multiple times throughout the week, coming in with the kids, so it's a pretty special night watching them skate in these custom-made Family Place jerseys."
The goals would come early and often in the game, with more than half of the goals scored on the night coming in the opening period.
Easton Inglis got the Klippers on the board first, scoring 3:40 into the game. The Red Wings, though, would answer back rather quickly, when Visentini scored his fifth of the season. Tyler Teasdale and Nick Kovacs had the assists on the goal.
Just over five minutes later, the Red Wings would take the lead when Drew Molde scored his first goal as a Red Wing with 10:23 on the clock. Visentini had the lone assist on the goal.
Teasdale then scored a goal of his own 62 seconds later. His fifth of the year was assisted by Jaxson Ruthven and Max Monette, and the Red Wings were up 3-1 just past the halfway mark of the opening frame.
The Klippers, though, were determined to come back. Taking advantage of a power play with Blake Betson of the Wings serving a minor for tripping, Logan Linklater would score with 1:27 to play in the period to make it 3-2. A scrum after the goal would result in some penalties, though, with two players from each team sent to the box to serve 10-minute misconduct penalties.
Kindersley would then tie the game up with 57 seconds left in the frame, as Russ Demo made it 3-3.
In the second period, it would be Kindersley again scoring the first goal. Cobe Perlinger beat Dazza Mitchell 5:58 into the period to make it 4-3. Less than two minutes, later, though, the game would be tied once more.
Dallen Oxelgren scored his second of the year, unassisted, at the 7:51 mark. Then, Elijah Anderson, on the power play, scored his sixth of the campaign, assisted by Visentini, to make it 5-4 Weyburn with 8:40 left in the second. The goal also ended the night for Kindersley's starting goalie, Cody Jaman, with Logan Falk coming in to finish the game off.
In the third period, Perlinger scored his second goal of the game 5:16 into the frame, tying the game up once again. However, unlike the last time these two teams would meet, overtime would not be needed.
With 10:13 left on the clock, Visentini would score his second of the night, and second of the season, on the power play to put Weyburn ahead 6-5. Kovacs and Cade Meiklejohn had the assists on the goal.
With the win, the Red Wings moved into sole possession of first place in the Viterra Division, two points up on the Estevan Bruins and Melville Millionaires.
The Red Wings will now get a short rest before they welcome the Humboldt Broncos to town on November 21st.