The Weyburn Red Wings are on the ropes, after falling 4-1 Tuesday night to the visiting Battlefords North Stars. The North Stars now lead the best of seven SJHL quarterfinal series 3-0.

The North Stars jumped out to an early lead when Cole Johnson beat Arik Weersink with a wrist shot. Johnson took advantage of a screen to be able to get the puck past the Weyburn goaltender. The Stars then made it a 2-0 game when Johnson scored again, just over a minute into the second period.

The game had an edge to it, which boiled over just seconds into the middle period. Red Wings forward Dexter Robinson dropped the gloves with Battlefords centre Troy Gerein. Although there was a size mismatch which favoured Gerein, Robinson held his own in the tussle. Both received a five minute major for fighting and a game misconduct.

The Red Wings got on the board in the third period, just past the halfway mark, thanks to a heads up play by Jordan Kazymyra. He sent a long pass up to Jeremy Velazquez who came in all alone from the blue line in, and he beat Joel Grzybowski with a wrist shot over the goalie’s left shoulder.

The Red Wings threw everything they had at Grzybowski throughout the evening but were stymied by bounces, posts, and spectacular saves. Grzybowski had perhaps the save of the season in the first period while the Wings were on the power play.

Landon Walters took a feed across the slot from Cole Woodliffe. The goaltender was well out of position, and it appeared to be a guaranteed goal for the 20-year-old from Regina. Grzybowski, though, leapt across the crease, and right in the nick of time, got his trapper out to make the save.

“There’s not a lot to be said, I mean, we’re fighting for our lives,” said Red Wings netminder Arik Weersink after the game. “We’re going to lay it on the line tomorrow, I know we will.”

“It was a really gutsy effort. I felt we were the better team tonight,” explained Red Wings head coach Wes Rudy. “Their goalie made a few good saves there early in the game; we hit a few posts; that’s the difference.”

Game four of the series is Wednesday night at Crescent Point Place. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. You can catch all the action in Red Wing Radio, K106, starting with the pregame show at 7:20 p.m.