Heading into Humboldt Saturday night, the Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings were looking to break a five-game losing streak, while the Broncos were looking to extend their five-game winning streak. The two teams would go back and forth with plenty of opportunities all throughout the game, but in the end, it would be the Broncos who came out on top, skating to a 4-3 victory.
In the early going of the game, the Red Wings put a lot of pressure on Humboldt, with Rayce Ramsay having to make a number of big stops in his crease to keep the Red Wings off the board. At the other end, Jackson Fellner stood tall until the Broncos were finally able to solve him in the second half of the opening period.
Landen Stromme scored his first goal of the season, and his first in the SJHL, with 7:46 to play in the first. The goal was then followed up by Cage Newans, who scored with 3:48 on the clock.
Facing a two-goal deficit in the second period, Weyburn came out firing, and it would pay off.
With Noah Barlage taking a double minor for kneeing early in the period, Weyburn would capitalize with the man advantage. Ty Mason wired the puck in past Ramsay at the 3:12 mark to put the Red Wings on the board. His tally was assisted by Blake Norris and Ethan Clements.
Then, another power play goal from the Wings would even things up. Ethan Whillans scored his sixth of the campaign, assisted by Norris and Mason, with 8:36 remaining in the middle frame.
The Red Wings would then take the lead late in the third period when Kirk Mullen scored his sixth of the year, assisted by Mitch Wilkie and Colby Feist.
As things started in the third period, though, Humboldt would find a way to score a power play goal of their own. Just seven seconds into the period, Cooper Chisholm received a boarding penalty, giving Humboldt the man advantage. Just eight seconds after that, Noah Barlage fired the puck past Fellner from the point to make it 3-3.
The Broncos would then gain the lead again at the 3:46 mark of the period when Alec Saretzky buried a rebound to make it 4-3.
Humbolt got a chance to add to the lead at the 6:14 mark when the league’s leading scorer, Connor McGrath, was awarded a penalty shot when he was upended on a breakaway. Before that could happen, though, there were some tense moments as Red Wings goaltender Jackson Fellner appeared to have been injured when McGrath collided with him after being tripped up.
Fellner was attended to by Red Wings trainer Marv Fox on the ice and was able to remain in the game. He would face McGrath on the penalty shot but didn’t need to worry about making the save as the prolific point-getter put his attempt wide of the net.
Weyburn continued to throw everything they could at the Broncos for the remainder of the game, but they were unable to solve Ramsay for the game-tying goal despite numerous quality opportunities.
The Red Wings will now get set for a four-game homestand that starts Tuesday night. They will be hosting the Nipawin Hawks at Crescent Point Place.