The Interlake Lightning wrapped up a demanding four-game stretch last week with two wins and two losses, showing continued progress as they navigate the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League schedule.
The week opened with a tough matchup on Jan. 14, as the Lightning dropped a 4–2 decision to the Winnipeg Thrashers at Seven Oaks Community Centre. Interlake got goals from Corwyn Bear and Mathias Sibilleau, but Winnipeg pulled away with three unanswered goals, including an empty-netter, to secure the win.
Interlake bounced back on Jan. 16 with a hard-fought 4–3 shootout victory over the Parkland Rangers in Dauphin. Ben den Teuling opened the scoring, while Brody Huver and Logan Jacobson added second-period goals to build a two-goal lead. After Parkland rallied to force overtime, Ryder Kirk and Corwyn Bear converted in the shootout, and goaltender Grayson McDonald turned aside two of three attempts to seal the win.
Momentum carried into Jan. 17, when the Lightning earned a 4–1 victory over the Southwest Cougars at the Souris/Glenwood Memorial Complex. After an early Cougars goal, Interlake responded with tallies from Bear, Kirk and Reid Toporoski to take control. Thoren Corbett added an empty-net goal late, while Seth Schaeffer stopped 25 of 26 shots in the win.
The weekend concluded with a rematch against Southwest on Jan. 18, where the Cougars earned a 4–1 victory to split the back-to-back. Kyler Zulyniak scored the lone goal for Interlake early in the third period, but Southwest responded quickly and added an empty-netter to close out the game.
The four-game stretch highlighted the Lightning’s growing ability to compete in tight contests, including a shootout win and a strong defensive effort in Saturday’s victory. With points earned in two of four games, Interlake continues to build momentum as the regular season progresses.
