The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings pushed the Battlefords North Stars to the brink of elimination Wednesday night, and they did it in dramatic fashion. Liam Fitzgerald scored the overtime winner with 7:21 left in the first overtime period to lift the Red Wings to a 3-2 victory.
“Oh man, it’s kind of a blur,” Fitzgerald said when asked about the goal after the game. “It was a great play by Schmeider (Lucas Schmid) jumping down the board screen to a turnover. Got a good shot on goal, and I was fortunate enough to have the rebound get to me and be able to bang it in. I gotta say, that’s probably the happiest I’ve ever been to score a goal.”
Weyburn had opened the scoring in the game late in the first period. Jonah Bierd scored his first of the playoffs with 2:18 left in the frame, assisted by Jaxson Ruthven and Blake Betson.
The North Stars would answer back 6:18 into the second period when Nikita Ivashchenko scored on the power play. Then Jordan Grill beat Angelo Zol to give the home side a 2-1 lead. The lead didn’t last long, though.
Betson would score his third of the postseason with 7:10 left in the second to tie the game at 2-2. Ruthven and Bierd assisted on the goal.
Neither team would score in the third period, with the score staying tied at 2-2 until Fitzgerald’s overtime winner.
The Red Wings will now look to close out the series at home Saturday night at Crescent Point Place. A win will advance them to the league semi-finals for the first time since 2011-12.
The puck drops Saturday at 7 p.m.