The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings not only picked up a win Monday afternoon against the Estevan Bruins but accomplished two other feats at the same time. They officially clinched a playoff spot, and clinched the Highway 39 Cup, as they doubled up the Bruins 6-3 at Crescent Point Place.
The win also came in front of the largest crowd this season – 1355 – as families came out to watch the matinee, and the team celebrated its history by honouring the alumni of the storied franchise.
“We’re still in a huge battle here to try to win our division, so people coming out and supporting the guys is huge,” said head coach Cody Mapes. “Things get tighter down the stretch, and every little advantage you can get at home is great.”
How the game ended, though, was not reflected in how things started. The Bruins would be first on the board just 22 seconds in as Rory Elson beat Angelo Zol to put the visitors up 1-0.
Weyburn would answer back, though, with a pair of goals just over a minute apart. The first came with 8:30 left on the clock in the opening frame as Jaxson Ruthven took a feed from Chad Lebeau and buried it in the Estevan net. Then, with 7:13 to play, Liam Fitzgerald potted his 14th of the campaign, assisted by Jerome Maharaj and Cyprus Smith-Davis.
The Red Wings would make it a 3-1 lead with 2:01 remaining when Luke Schreader buried a shot from the point for his third of the season. Josh Karman and Maharaj had the assists on the goal.
The Bruins would respond in the second period, taking advantage of some penalty trouble for the Red Wings. It started with a goal from Brady Wilson at the 7:13 mark to pull within one.
Max Chakrabarti would reply for the Red Wings with 8:01 left in the second. His 11th of the year was assisted by Simon Martin and Ethan Dekay. The Bruins, though, weren’t finished, as Wilson scored his second of the night on the power play with 3:15 to go in the middle frame, making it a 4-3 game after 40 minutes.
“There (were) a couple chances that we had to bounce back from – obviously the first goal 20 seconds in and then after giving up a late goal on the power play in the second period,” Mapes commented. “It’s good to see a little resiliency there.”
Just 2:01 into the third period Smith-Davis notched a goal of his own. His 13th of the season was assisted by Fitzgerald and Martin. Then, Braigh LeGrandeur put the game on ice with his 10th of the year with 3:32 remaining. The assist on the goal was credited to Matthew Edwards.
The Red Wings remain in third place in the overall standings, and have a slim one-point margin over the Yorkton Terriers for first in the Viterra Division.
Weyburn will be back in action this coming weekend. On Friday, the team will play the Nipawin Hawks at Crescent Point Place.