Early lead and strong defense propel Red Wings to victory

With five different players finding the back of the net, and Eric Kahl making 30 saves in his first start of the season, the Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings extended their winning streak to four games Tuesday night, beating the Notre Dame Hounds 5-1 at Crescent Point Place. The win also put the Red Wings into sole possession of first place in the SJHL, setting up a pair of crucial games this coming weekend. 

"I thought there were parts of our game here tonight that were good," said Red Wings head coach Cody Mapes. "You know, full of energy and speed."

The Wings started things off just 2:38 into the game when Liam Fitzgerald scored his first of the season. Dallen Oxelgren and Max Monette assisted him on the tally. Then, Jacob Visentini extended the lead to 2-0 with his second of the campaign. Monette had the helper, his second of the night and fourth of the year. 

Jacob Visentini's goal made it 2-0 Weyburn in the first period. (Photo by Steven Wilson)

The play in the first period was dominated by the Red Wings, with Notre Dame not managing to get a shot on goal until the second half of the frame, while Weyburn peppered Notre Dame goalie Jesse Pye 11 times in that span. 

The Red Wings would continue the offensive pressure in the second period when Rocco La Cara scored an unassisted goal on the power play after picking up a loose puck in the slot and putting it past Pye to make it 3-0. 

The lead would be extended to 4-0 with 5:07 left to play in the middle period when Jerome Maharaj scored his third of the year. He took a feed from Nolan Henderson and blazed past the Notre Dame defenders, beating Pye on the breakaway.

"I just kind of learned to bury it on a breakaway, so I guess the ugly ones will come later," Maharaj joked after the game when told fans are beginning to wonder if it was possible for him to not score a beautiful goal on a breakaway. 

Jerome Maharaj scored his third of the season on a breakaway. (File photo)

The Hounds would get one back before the end of the second period, though, when Kyle Kalamaras managed to tuck the puck past Kahl on the power play with 57 seconds on the clock. 

The third period would see a number of chances at both ends, but it would be a special teams goal to finish things off. Brad Banach took a feed from Lucas Schmid when a 2-on-1 developed while the Wings were shorthanded. The goal would put Weyburn up 5-1 to finish the game. 

The Red Wings will now get set for a three-game road swing, although they will have a few nights in their own beds. They head out to Melfort for two games this coming weekend against the Mustangs. Melfort is currently second in the league, one point back of the Red Wings. They finish off the swing with a game in Humboldt next Wednesday against the Broncos. 

"We can't get too high because we know we got a big weekend coming up here against Melfort," Maharaj said of the crucial games. "The room's good, but we're not getting too high on ourselves. We gotta dial it in."

"It could be a grind-it-out slugfest, or it could be up and down the ice and turn into a track meet, but it'll be a couple of good hockey games," Mapes said of the games. 

The road games can be heard on BIG 106, or don't eh Discover Weyburn app, with Nick Nielsen having the call on Red Wings Hockey, presented by Great Plains Ford. The start time for the games on Friday and Saturday in Melfort will be at 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday's game in Humboldt will start at 7:00 p.m.

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