The Weyburn Red Wings will be looking to clinch a playoff spot for the third season in a row when they take the ice against the Melville Millionaires tonight at Horizon Credit Union Centre in Melville (K106, 7:30 p.m.). The Wings are currently in third in the Viterra Division, and eighth overall in the SJHL. They are one point back of the Yorkton Terriers in the division, and one point back of the Notre Dame Hounds for sixth place overall. The top six teams in the final standings avoid the survivor series round.

The Red Wings will be looking to their offense to once again step up. The Wings have scored 21 goals in the month of February, and 37 in their past 10. It’s a stark difference from a few months ago, when the team was dominating play night in and night out, but wasn’t getting any puck luck in terms of scoring goals.

There have been a few sources of that offensive push for the Wings. Jake Wozney has 15 points in that stretch, while his linemate Carson Rose has picked up 16 points while cruising on a nine game point streak. Ian Parker and Connor Burk, reunited once again on the same line, have found the chemistry that made them successful in previous season, as they have notched four points each in the past three games as well.

Defensively, the Wings have been stellar. The play of rookies Carson Scheschuk and Dylan McCabe, combined with the play of Blake Dempsey, Devon Becker, Erik Olson, Jamieson Ree and captain Mike Eskra have helped limit their opponents in terms of shots on goal as of late. The defensive corps has been chipping on on scoring as well, combining for 15 points from the blueline in the past 10 games.

The goaltending for the Wings has been strong as well. Carter Phair, Shaun Fleming and Jake MacLennan have combined to allow 24 goal in the past 10 games, helping the Wings to their current three game point streak, and points in seven of the past 10 games. Their steady play will be key for the Wings as they enter the final five games for the regular season.

The Millionaires are a young team. Of the 14 forwards on their active roster, 13 of them are in their first year in the SJHL. In total, there are 16 rookies in the lineup for the Millionaires, including goaltender Colby Entz, who is the Viterra Division’s nominee for Goaltender of the Year. Entz has been a key reason for the resurgence of the Millionaires in recent weeks. They have picked up wins against Kindersley and Estevan as of late, in part due to the play of Entz, as he allowed just four goals in those games, while facing a total of 94 shots.

Tucker Scantlebury has been a strong presence offensively for Melville, as he has picked up five points against the Wings in four games this season, and leads the team in scoring with 28 points. Aside from Scantlebury, not many others have been able to step up and chip in points wise for the Mills. While fellow rookie Damian Bentz has played well, he only has 27 points on the year. The Millionaires are a team looking to build for the future, and this is characterized by the youth of the team.

The youth can cause an issue, however, as the Millionaires can play undisciplined at times. They are averaging 21.7 penalty minutes per game, and their penalty kill has suffered as a result. They are clicking along at just 76.7 per cent, which is the second lowest in the league. The fifty seven power play goals given up on the season is the second highest, behind only La Ronge.

With six games remaining on the season, the Millionaires have a shot at clinching a playoff spot, if a lot goes right for them on the year. The are four points back of Melfort for the final playoff spot, and have a game in hand as well. If they can’t clinch the spot, Melville will be looking to play spoiler for other teams for the rest of the season.

The game will be broadcast on Red Wing Radio K106, starting with the pregame show at 7:20 p.m. The two teams return to Weyburn for the second half of the home and home Saturday night.