A third period that many Red Wings fans considered controversial, and three unanswered goals in that period, led to the Nipawin Hawks defeating the Weyburn Red Wings 4-1 at Crescent Point Place Saturday night.
The third period saw the Red Wings collect a number of penalty minutes, and three players sent to the dressing room in a short span by referee Marc Dubreuil. The Hawks used those power plays to pick up two goals late in the game to seal the fate of the Red Wings.
Both played shutout hockey in the second period, which was punctuated by spurts of offense from both teams. Both goaltenders made plays that looked superhuman, as they held the opposition off of the scoreboard. It wouldn’t be until the third period anyone was able to solve either of the two netminders.
The game-winning goal came just past the six minute mark of the third period, when Grant Baetsen had the presence of mind to grab a puck from in front of a sprawled Hargrave and easily lift it over for the goal. It had appeared Hargrave thought the puck was under his trapper, but the referees and Baetsen saw it in the open.
From there, penalties became problematic for the Red Wings, leading to the Hawks taking the lead. Mike Eskra was called for tripping in the Weyburn zone, after a member of the Hawks appeared to have stepped on a stick behind the Wings net. While Eskra pleaded his case, as did two of his teammates, Cole Woodliffe and Carson Rose, the officials handed a 10-minute misconduct to Rose. With Rose, leading scorer for the Wings, gone from the game, it put the ball back in Nipawin court, and they made it count. Less than a minute into the man advantage, Keegan Kjargaard put the puck past Hargrave, making it a 3-1 game.
Shortly after that goal Nipawin kept pressing, but Weyburn tried to maintain possession, and mount an attack. With just under two minutes to go, Red Wings defenseman Jeremy Lagler was carrying the puck in his own zone, when he was tripped up from behind. Lagler was called for high-sticking, which led to vocal complaints from the Red Wings on the ice, and many on the bench. Lagler received a two minute minor, and was escorted off the ice by the linesman after receiving a misconduct. Red Wings forward Jake Wozney had banged his stick on the ice in mock applause, and was also shown the gate with a 10-minute misconduct penalty. With three key members of the Red Wings offense now in the locker room, the Hawks pressed the advantage, and scored just 11 seconds into the power play.
Shortly after the powerplay marker, the Wings kept pressing to add another goal to close the gap. While chasing down a puck in his own end, Hawks defenseman Eric Soar appeared to lose an edge, and clipped Red Wings forward Jarrett Metheral in the skates, leading to an awkward collision along the boards between the two. After the collision, Metheral was challenged by Nipawin Jaden Bosman, but Cody Chasse stepped in, and fought a spirited tilt with Bosman, The final punch from Chasse took Nosman to the ice. Both were sent off, receiving five minute majors for fighting, along with a gross misconduct each.
The Red Wings will now look to figure out the difference between the past two games, and their previous five game winning streak, as they prepare for their first road trip of the season. The Wings depart Tuesday, playing in Melfort that night, following it up with game against the La Ronge Ice Wolves Wednesday. Thursday will be an off day for the Wings, before they play Flin Flon Friday, and a return matchup with the Nipawin Hawks next Saturday.
All four games on the road can be heard on Red Wing Radio, K106, with Steven Wilson making the call on the road, and Zac Chartrand hosting the intermissions from the studios back in Weyburn.
Sat, Apr 20, 2:30 PM
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