Liam Rutten made his bid to be on the opening day roster for the Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings Friday. He scored two goals as the Red Wings went on to a 4-2 win over the visiting Notre Dame Hounds. The Red Wings are now 3-0 in exhibition action, with one more game to go Saturday night in Wilcox. 

“Lots of tough decisions to make, but guys are working hard and that’s what we want to see,” said Red Wings assistant coach Cody Mapes after the game. 

Weyburn opened the scoring early in the first period with a power-play goal, after Notre Dame’s Sho Tokai received a two minute minor for checking from behind, and a game misconduct, just 14 seconds into the game after a hit on Weyburn’s Daytona Houle.

Houle missed a few shifts but returned to the game in the first period.

The goal was scored by Red Wings veteran Ben Hiltz at the 2:05 mark, with assists on the goal credited to Flynn Perry and Carson Robertson.

Notre Dame would tie the game up before the end of the period, though, with a power-play marker of their own. 

With just over five minutes remaining in the first period, Gabriel Leblanc got the puck past Malcolm Patry. Assists went to Jarrett Penner and Guillaume St-Onge.

In the second period, the Red Wings stepped out ahead as Jaeger Lapointe scored on former Red Wings netminder Cody Levesque, who was acquired by the Hounds from Nipawin earlier in the day. Lapointe was assisted on the goal by Taylor Schmidt.

The lead would be short-lived, as St-Onge replied for the Hounds with 6:37 left on the clock in the second period, scoring on Joe Young, who replaced Patry halfway through the frame.

Weyburn was quick to respond.

Rutten scored his first of the game just 49 seconds later, making it a 3-2 game. He was assisted on the tally by Kai Studler.

For most of the third period, neither team was able to solve the goaltenders, until just one minute was left to go in the game. Rutten scored his second of the evening.

The Red Wings will now head out on the road Saturday for their final game of the preseason. They finish off the home-and-home with the Hounds at the Duncan McNeil Arena in Wilcox.