The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings beat out the storm that was moving into the province Tuesday night as they embarked on a three-game road trip through the Sherwood Division. While they managed to get ahead of the storm, arriving in Nipawin just hours before it hit, they weren’t able to get ahead of their opponents on the ice, falling 4-2 to the Hawks.
The Hawks opened the scoring in the game just moments into the first period as Mason Svarich got the puck past Dazza Mitchell to make it 1-0. The Wings didn’t take too long to respond, however, as Austyn Hansen would find the back of the net for his second of the season in a rather unorthodox manner at the 7:13 mark.
After the puck had been sent into the Nipawin zone by Jackson Ferry, there was a battle behind the Nipawin net. Ethan Whillans pushed the puck forward, towards the right-hand side of the goal. Hansen grabbed the puck, fending off a backchecker from the Hawks, and threw it out front. It would redirect off a skate in front of the net, and between the legs of Nipawin netminder Harmon Laser-Hume to make it 1-1.
The two teams would not score in the remainder of the period but Nipawin would pull ahead in the second.
Just before the halfway mark of the period, Dawson Brace would get the puck past Mitchell to make it 2-1. Then, Braxton Buckberger added to the lead with 7:16 to play in the third period.
Nipawin added to the lead early in the third, as Evan Bortis fired a seeing eye shot from the point that got past all the traffic in the slot, and beat Mitchell over the left-hand side.
The Wings weren’t finished though.
With a power play in the second half of the period, Weyburn would add a goal to pull within two. During a scramble in the crease, Drew Kuzma ended up with the puck on his stick, and put it past Laser-Hume to make it a 4-2 game. Kuzma’s goal, his fifth of the campaign, was assisted by Cooper Chisholm and Davis Chorney.
In the dying moments of the game, with the net empty, the Red Wings threw a flurry of shots towards the Nipawin net, beating Laser-Hume twice, but the puck instead hit the post instead of the twine.
Now, the Red Wings will need to prepare for their next game, which will be Thursday night in La Ronge. The Wings will actually play the Ice Wolves twice at the Mel Hegland Uniplex in two nights, before heading back to Weyburn for a week of rest.