The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings are entering the final two weeks of the regular season as the hottest team in the SJHL. They have won their past five games, outscoring their opponents 20-9 in that stretch. The Red Wings have also not lost in regulation since February 9th, when the Flin Flon Bombers beat the Wings at Crescent Point Place 4-2.
The Red Wings now find themselves 7th place overall in the league with six games remaining – three at home, and three on the road. The final stretch starts tonight when the Wings host the Notre Dame Hounds at Crescent Point Place.
The two teams have split the season series so far, with Weyburn winning the first meeting of the campaign, and the most recent, and Notre Dame taking the middle two.
The Hounds have had their own run of good play as of late, winning three of their last five, including a 5-2 win over the Battlefords North Stars on February 25th. Mathematically eliminated from the postseason, though, the Hounds will be looking to play spoiler for Weyburn’s push to take first in the Viterra Division for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Notre Dame has struggled away from home ice this year, picking up just five wins on the road. They have also struggled with their special teams on the road, something Weyburn will look to continue to exploit tonight.
The Red Wings' power play, led by Jacob Visentini and Max Monette with eight goals each, has cruised along at a 24.5 percent rate so far this season, and 27.9 percent at home. Against Notre Dame, they have scored on five of the 16 chances in the previous four games for a 31.3 percent conversion.
Weyburn has also been spreading out the offence. There is just one skater on the roster who has yet to score a goal this season and just one player without a single point – goalie Angelo Zol. The Red Wings also have six skaters who have hit double-digit goals for the season, and two who have hit the 20-goal mark, with a good chance a few more will join those ranks before the end of the season.
The playoff scenarios for the Red Wings all hinge on how the next six games go. The schedule has Weyburn playing Notre Dame tonight, a home and home with Melville on the weekend, travelling to Wilcox next week, and then a home and home to close out the season with the Estevan Bruins. Weyburn is currently ahead of Estevan for 2nd in the Viterra Division, three points back of Melville for first in the division, and fifth overall. Keeping the momentum alive for the Wings could see them vault up to fifth, the best finish for the team since the 2015-16 season.
The puck drops on the action tonight at Crescent Point Place at 7:00 p.m.