Dating back to the preseason, the last four times the Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings played the Yorkton Terriers, overtime or a shootout would be needed to determine the winner. The two teams split the two games in the preseason and then split the home-and-home to kick off the regular season.
Saturday night, the two teams would again play to a one-goal finish, but this time, they wouldn't need extra time, as the Red Wings skated to a 5-4 victory for their second win in a row.
The Terriers took the early lead when Harrison Aldridge beat Dazza Mitchell 7:40 into the opening period. The Wings, though, didn't need long to respond. Max Monette would score his seventh of the season, and fourth of the weekend, just 17 seconds later to tie the game up. Jerome Maharaj and Jaxon Ruthven had the assists on the goal.
Yorkton took the lead back 2:06 into the second period when Clay Sleeva scored his fourth of the campaign. The lead wouldn't last more than five minutes as Max Henderson scored at the 7:34 mark. His first of the season was assisted by Lucas Jeffreys and Wyatt LaCoste. The Red Wings then took the lead less than a minute later.
Ruthven netted his second goal of the campaign 8:26 into the period, assisted by Dallen Oxelgren and Monette, making it 3-2 Weyburn.
The Terriers, though, were determined to stay in the game, and Aiden Knutson scored an unassisted marker with 6:20 to play in the period, making it 3-3 after 40 minutes.
Yorkton then regained the lead 5:58 into the third when Knutson scored his second of the game on the power play, making it 4-3 for the Terriers.
The Wings responded just past the halfway mark of the period. Nicholas Kovacs scored his first goal of the season with 7:55 to play, assisted by Ruthven, making it 4-4. The tie wouldn't even last a minute, as Tyler Teasdale then scored a shorthanded goal 47 seconds later, assisted by Maharaj, giving Weyburn the lead, which they held for the rest of the game.
In goal, Mitchell turned aside 33 of the 37 shots he faced.
The Red Wings will now get a few days to prepare for their next games, as they host the defending champion Battlefords North Stars next Thursday and Saturday. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the North Stars eliminated the Red Wings in the playoffs last season.
Notes: The Red Wings have now scored four shorthanded goals in the past two games...With 14 points in the first 12 games of the season, Monette is now just one point away from matching last season's total...Monette has also scored in three consecutive games...The Red Wings still have a three-point edge on Melville for first in the Viterra Division, as the Millionaires also won Saturday night.
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