With their parents watching on, the Weyburn Red Wings went to a shootout for just the second time this season Friday night, and Cade Kowalski found the back of the net for the winning goal, as the Wings edged the Notre Dame Hounds 3-2. The game was played on the first night of the annual parent billet weekend.

The win snaps a four-game losing slump for the Wings and moves them to within a single point of Notre Dame for sixth in the overall league standings. The Wings are also five points back of the Estevan Bruins for first in the Viterra Division.

The Wings kicked off the scoring in the first period, with a quirky goal. The puck was bouncing to the left side of the Notre Dame net, and Jeremy Velazquez knocked it out of the air. It ended up bouncing off the equipment of Jacob Standen, who started in net for Notre Dame, and into the goal, giving Weyburn the lead.

The Wings would add to the lead in the second period, putting a lot of pressure on early in the game. Standen left after the opening 20 minutes, so the Wings were looking to test rookie Jack Ryan, who came in to play the rest of the game.

Jordan Kazymyra had a breakaway early in the period, but despite having Ryan beat, put the puck wide. Shortly afterwards, Connor Pyne came in on a breakaway and hit the puck off Ryan’s blocker, then the crossbar, and it ricocheted out off the left-side goalpost.

Kazymyra had another opportunity, this time, taking the puck away from Max Salpeter just outside the Hounds blueline on the left wing. Kazymyra came in, and made no mistakes this time, scoring on Ryan, putting Weyburn up 2-0.

The Hounds would reply just past the halfway mark of the period. Rookie Jared Hamm put a puck in past Arik Weersink from the hash marks during a scramble in the crease. The Hounds weren’t finished, though.

Zack Kosteniuk would score a goal three minutes later, when a dump in went off his stick, and re-directed past Weersink, knotting the game up at two.

The Wings wouldn’t give up, though, In the third, they had Ryan on his heels, but he made saves when needed, and the goalposts helped him out often. At the other end, the Hounds kept Weersink busy, as he faced a total of 54 shots over the three regulation periods.

Neither team was able to score, so it went to overtime. With just over two minutes remaining in the extra frame, the Red Wings had a great chance to come away with the win. With the Hounds taking a too-many-men penalty, they were able to put the top power play in the SJHL in action. However, again Ryan stood tall, and the game eventually went to a shootout.

Marshall Wilton, the first shooter for Notre Dame, had Weersink sprawling and lifted the puck over his right leg. Landon Walters would then score for the Wings, with a nifty move which got the puck past Ryan and put Walters right into the goaltender. The next two shooters, Jack Flaman and Velazquez for the Wings, didn’t score. The third shooter for Notre Dame was their captain, Chance Longjohn. He tried to put a move on Weersink, who got the paddle in the way and made the save. Cade Kowalski then came out for the Wings, and he pulled Ryan out of position, and beat him with a backhand flick into the roof of the net, securing the victory for the Wings.

Weyburn is back in action Monday afternoon. They host the Battlefords North Stars at 3:00 p.m. at Crescent Point Place.