This coming weekend, the Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings will be hosting their annual Parent-Billet Weekend. In addition to the festivities surrounding the games, the team will also be holding their annual Calcutta Shootout.
“It’s your usual thing that we do here,” explained Nick Nielsen with the Red Wings. “We’ve got all of our Red Wings coming out, all of our coaching staff is going to be shooting, all that kind of stuff, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
So, how does a Calcutta Shootout work?
Fans get to bid on the player they think is most likely to win the shootout. The bidding is already underway, starting on the Red Wings Facebook page. At 11:00 a.m. Saturday, the online bidding will shut down, with the bidding re-starting at 6:00 p.m. at the game itself. The bidding will then close at the end of the second intermission. The shootout itself will take place right after Saturday night’s game against the Kindersley Klippers.
“It’s always a fun time,” Neilsen said. “The guys kind of get dressed up a little goofy sometimes, and the parents are all here too, so they’re having some fun watching their kids get to put on a little bit of a show, not just by playing the game they love, but also getting to have a little bit of fun with things too.”
This year, the shooters and goalies will be divided into three groups. Each shooter will shoot on the goalie in their group. If the shooter scores, they move on to the second round. If they do not score, they are eliminated. The goalie with the highest save percentage after the first round will then move on to the final.
In the second round, the shooters who scored will take one shot on one of the eliminated goalies. If they don’t score, they are eliminated. If they do score, they are off to the third round.
The third round will see all the shooters who have scored two goals shooting on the other eliminated goalie. This round will go on until there are four shooters, which will start the final round.
If the goalie stops all four shooters, the goalie takes first place. If the goalie wins, shooters continue to shoot to decide second and third. If any shooters score in the first go-around of the final, they place ahead of the goal. They then go until the last shooter is standing, as anyone who doesn’t score is eliminated.