The SJHL has reached the one-third mark of the season, as the Red Wings have played 19 games in the 58 game schedule. For the Wings, they are reaching the marking post with a record of 11-7-0-1, and 23 points, which has them in second place in the Viterra Division, and fifth overall. They trail the Estevan Bruins by six points for first in the division, and a chance at first overall in the league.

The season has been an up and down one so far for the Wings. They opened the season with two wins, and looked strong for most of September, with the exception of two lopsided losses, one to the Estevan Bruins, and the other to the Humboldt Broncos. From there, Weyburn embarked on a five game winning streak, which saw them scoring at a steady clip. That came to a halt on October 21st, when they lost to the Melville Millionaires at home. Since that game, the Wings have been trying to get the ship righted, especially in terms of special teams.

In the past six games, Weyburn has posted a 2-4 record. Over that time, they have given up a total of 21 goals, while scoring 16. The key difference in those games has been the special teams. Weyburn has given up 11 power play goals over the stretch, which included a long road trip through the four teams in the Sherwood Division. Those 11 goals came on 30 man-advantages for their opponents. In the same span, the Wings have enjoyed 19 power plays, scoring on three. The special teams hasn’t given the opportunity for the Red Wings that many would expect, especially when compared to last season, but there is room for improvement.

The Wings have been able to generate chances on the power play, and are registering shots on goal. In what was considered to be their best performance while on their road trip, a 2-0 loss to the Nipawin Hawks, Weyburn put up 45 shots on goal, many of them coming during the team's five power play opportunities. Strong goaltending, though, proved to be the difference, as Kristian Stead, the netminder for the Nipawin Hawks, was unbeatable in net, much like he has been for most of the season.

Discipline has been a key factor for the Red Wings this season, as they are third in the SJHL in terms of penalty minutes. In the past few years, they have been closer to the bottom of the league in that regard. In the six game stretch that included the road games, Weyburn took a total of 157 minutes in penalties. That works out to just over 26 minutes a game. The league average this year for penalty minutes is 20 minutes. When Weyburn is taken out, for comparison purposes, it is 19 minutes.

There have been many, many bright spots for the Red Wings so far this season. Nathan Hargrave, acquired just before the start of the season from the Kindersley Klippers, has been a strong goaltender for the club. He has carried the bulk of the workload, and his save percentage, and goals against average have been among the tops in the league. Behind him, Shaun Fleming and Jake McLennen have proven to be strong goaltenders in their own rights.

The defensive corps this year has three strong returning veterans in Jeremy Lagler, Blake Dempsey and captain Mike Eskra. They are complemented with the play of Devon Becker, a 19-year-old first year wing from B.C., and rookie Carter Budzak. Add in Dylan McCabe, and Carson Scheschuk, two young rookies who have proven their age isn’t an obstacle, and Weyburn is set along the blue line.

The forwards have a strong returning group of veterans, lead by 20-year-olds Braden Mellon, Donavon Lumb, Ian Parker, Connor Burk, Jacob Wozney, and Carson Rose. The six players have scored 28 of the Red Wings 53 goals on the season, and have continued to show improvement as the year goes on. The returning veterans like Cole Woodliffe, Ty Brown and Landon Walters have also been strong. The addition of rookies like Noah Wozney, Cody Chasse, Ben Hiltz, Nathan Gelsinger, and Jarrett Netheral have rounded out the scoring of the Wings, as every player has at least one point, and only six players have yet to score a goal.

As the middle third of the season approaches, the Wings will be looking to improve the special teams. The powerplay and penalty kill are two facets of the game which play a key factor in whether or not any Junior A team will have a successful season, and it is especially true come the postseason. The Wings will get a number of chances to work on the powerplay in their next few games, especially with the second most penalized team in the league coming to town Friday night.

The Wings will be hosting the Kindersley Klippers at Crescent Point Place Friday night, and follow that up with a trip to Moosomin Saturday to take on the Yorkton Terriers in a neutral site game. With two opponents who are on the bottom half of the schedule coming up, Weyburn has to resist playing down to their opponents, and at the same time, stay disciplined.

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on Red Wing Radio K106 from Moosomin.