The Weyburn Red Wings will be well-rested when they get on the ice tonight at Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox. The Wings will be meeting the Notre Dame Hounds for the first time this season, as the Highway 39 rivals get ready for six matchups during the season.

The Red Wings head into the game tied for second in the Viterra Division with five points, well back of the Estevan Bruins who are in first. The Bruins do have three games in hand, though, which makes a world of difference.  The Hounds are third in the Olympic Buildings Division, with a 3-2-1-1 record.

Weyburn is playing for the first time since the SJHL Showcase. The Wings went 1-1 at the showcase, beating the Flin Flon Bombers in a shootout, then falling 5-3 to the Kindersley Klippers the next afternoon.

As for the Hounds, they are coming off back to back 5-2 losses to the Melfort Mustangs. The most recent loss was on Saturday in Melfort. The game was a chippy affair, with the two squads combining for a total of 174 penalty minutes.

Discipline is a key issue for both teams but from a different point of view. For the Red Wings, they have kept their cool all season. They have yet to have a player serve a five-minute major for fighting, and are the least penalized team in the league by a country mile, averaging just 9.2 minutes a game. At the other end of the spectrum, the Hounds average 24.7 penalty minutes a game. Spending so much time in the box has been detrimental to the Hounds, as they are 7th in the league on the penalty kill, sitting at 84.6 percent. The Red Wings, who are converting with the man advantage 16.7 percent of the time, will be looking to exploit the chances.

The Red Wings are being led this season by Derick Smith. The 19-year-old rookie from Dexter Michigan has picked up five points so far this season, including three power-play goals. Right behind his is captain Mike Eskra who has four points so far this year. At the other end of the ice, the Hounds have looked to returning players like Marshall Wilton, Colby Brandt and Chaz Smedsrud for their offense, although a number of their points came against the Yorkton Terriers, who have been struggling as of late.

The goaltenders are also a key for both teams. Notre Dame has been rotating through their combo of netminders, Jacob Standen and Jack Ryan, which has helped them to pick up three regulation wins on the season and two more points in overtime and shootouts. The number for the duo isn't bad so far this season. Standen has two wins, and a GAA of 2.34. Ryan has played two games and is sitting at 3.00 for the GAA.

At the other end, Arik Weersink and Carter Phair have carried the load for the Red Wings. The tandem has been impressive so far, with Weersink collecting two wins so far. Their GAA is respectable for the early part of the season, as teams are still in a feeling out process. With either of the two in net for Weyburn, they stand a strong chance of picking up the victory.

The game between the two tonight starts at 8:00 p.m. You can catch all the action on Red Wing Radio K106, starting with the pregame show at 7:50 p.m.