The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings were looking to make it two wins in a row when they travelled to Melville to play the Millionaires Tuesday night. The Wings would take an early lead, and not look back, as they tripled the Millionaires 6-2, handing Melville their first loss in regulation for the season.
The game was also the first one back for Jaxson Ruthven, who rejoined the team last week after starting the season in Aberdeen with the NAHL’s Wings. He would finish the night off with a goal and two assists. He was paired with the top line of Jerome Maharaj and Turner McIntyre, and the chemistry paid off.
“I think it’s pretty easy for me and Jerome,” Ruthven said after the game. “We’ve been together our whole junior career, and I think that’s a big reason why I came back; because of the success we had last year and knowing that I could come back here and play with a guy like him.”
Ruthven wasn’t the only player with a multi-point night, as Ethan Dekay scored twice – the first goal of the game, and the last goal of the game.
“I think just playing with speed, being able to move pucks quick and get them deep and go to battle,” Dekay said of the team’s success when playing 5-on-5. “I think that’s just what we’ve been doing and it’s been working.”
Dekay opened the scoring in the first period with a power play goal 8:07 into the game. Max Chakrabarti and Maharaj assisted on the goal. The helper from Maharaj also extended his point streak to three games, tallying six in that span.
The Red Wings would then extend the lead to 2-0 2:28 into the first period when Chad Lebeau scored his first of the campaign. Luke Dekay had the assist on the goal.
Melville replied with a power play goal 48 seconds later when Matt Kjemhus beat Angelo Zol on the power play, but then the Red Wings took the game over after that.
Captain Blake Betson scored what would stand as the game-winner, and his second of the season, at the 7:33 mark to extend the lead to 3-1. Liam Fitzgerald and Ruthven had the assists on the goal. Drew Molde then made it a 4-1 game with his first of the year, assisted by Lucas Schmid and McIntyre.
Melville would reply with another power play goal, this time from Cade Drury with 3:34 left to play in the period, and the second period would wrap up with Weyburn up 4-2.
In the third, Ruthven would score 2:06 into the frame, assisted by Karman, to make it 5-2. Then, Ethan Dekay bookended the game with his second of the night, finishing off the scoring with a power play goal 7:25 into the third, assisted by Ruthven and Chakrabarti.
In goal, Zol would turn aside 27 of the 29 shots he faced to earn the win, his second in a row.
“He did everything that he needed to do for us, and at the end of the day, he didn’t give up a lot of second chances,” head coach Cody Mapes said of his performance. “He made probably three or four really good saves that we needed him to make, and he smothered some pucks when we were kind of running around a little bit.”
The win improves the Red Wings’ record to 2-4-0-0 on the season, and they will look to make it three wins in a row Friday night. They will be travelling to Assiniboia for a neutral site game against the Notre Dame Hounds. You can catch all the action in that game on Great Plains Ford Red Wing Radio, starting with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m.