The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings wanted to extend their winning streak to three games last night when they entertained the Nipawin Hawks. Nipawin, however, had other plans as they knocked off another top-level opponent, upsetting Weyburn 7-5 in a high-scoring affair at Crescent Point Place.
The game started with Weyburn taking a 1-0 lead in the first period, thanks to a power play goal from Braigh LeGrandeur, assisted by Blake Betson and Josh Karman at 3:07. Weyburn would put a lot of shots on net in that first period, with Gage Roberts needing to make 15 saves to hold it as a 1-0 game. Meanwhile, Angelo Zol was tested just once during the first period in the Weyburn net.
Nipawin would respond in the second period, with Finley Radloff scoring at 8:27 to tie the game up.
The Red Wings replied themselves, with Jaxson Ruthven's 24th of the year coming with 5:04 remaining to make it 2-1 Weyburn. Liam Fitzgerald and Chad Lebeau would have the assists on the goal.
Two quick goals from the Hawks would not only tie the game but give Nipawin the lead, as Konnor Watson and Mason Karakochuk scored 10 seconds apart to make it 3-2 for the visitors.
Weyburn didn't wait too long to respond, though, as Fitzgerald's 15th of the season with 3:02 to play in the period evened things back up at 3-3. Lucas Schmid and Jerome Maharaj assisted on the even-strength marker.
But Nipawin quickly responded in the second period, finding the back of the net three times, with goals from Finley Radloff, Jack Taylor, and Will Whitter.
Despite trailing 3-1, the Red Wings answered back. Wyatt LaCoste scored in the second period at 14:56, with help from Liam Fitzgerald and Chad Lebeau, cutting Nipawin's lead to 3-2. Minutes later, at 16:58, Jaxson Ruthven assisted on a goal by Ethan Dekay to tie the game at 3-3.
The Hawks didn't waste much time to regain the lead, though. Just 64 seconds into the third period Eric Hoiness would score, with Van Taylor then scoring a shorthanded goal at the 8:41 mark putting Nipawin up 5-3.
The Red Wings weren't done, though.
With a 5-on-3 power play at the halfway mark of the third, Max Chakrabarti would score. The goal, at 9:47, was assisted by Ethan Dekay and Fitzgerald. Then, Fitzgerald's second of the game came 65 seconds later, also on the power play. He was assisted by Dekay and Maharaj to make it 5-5.
The Hawks would shock the crowd, though, with two goals just over a minute apart. The first came on the power play with 8:40 remaining as Finley Radloff scored on Zol. Then, Carter Anderson would score an insurance marker with 7:28 remaining, putting the game away.
With the loss, the Red Wings are still one point back of the Yorkton Terriers, who also lost Friday night, with eight games left in the season, and a game in hand. They will look to close that gap on Wednesday when they travel to Humboldt to take on the Broncos before returning home to face the Melville Millionaires at Crescent Point Place next Friday.