The Winkler Flyers made short work of the MJHL’s Winnipeg teams last week, but then stumbled in going up against Steinbach and Dauphin over the weekend.
The Feb. 4 game against the Winnipeg Blues here at home saw goalie Leif Ekblad get a shutout with 14 saves, while goals from Isaac Deveau, Brody Beauchemin (with two), Jacob Michelson, Blake Matheson, Isaiah Peters, and Marcus Hughes gave the Flyers the win 7-0.
It was déjà vu all over again three nights later against the Winnipeg Freeze, again in front of a hometown crowd.
This time around Ekblad made 13 saves in the 7-0 victory. Winkler’s offensive lines fired 60 shots the other way. Owen Wallace had a two-goal night, while singles came in from Kam Thomas, Nicholas Mckee, Isaiah Peters, Brady Craik, and Jared Grenier.
Saturday’s game against the Pistons in Steinbach wasn’t so cut and dry. Craik scored in the first to tie the game after 20 minutes, but the Pistons scored the second period’s lone goal to pull ahead 2-1.
In the final frame, Steinbach managed one more, sandwiched between goals from Beauchemin and Michelson, with the latter’s being the Flyers’ ticket to overtime.
After the extra minutes solved nothing, the resulting shootout went the Pistons’ way as two of their shooters to one of Winkler’s (Thomas) found the mark to take the win 4-3.
Liam Ernst was between the posts for the Flyers this game. He made 40 saves as Steinbach outshot Winkler 43-28.
Sunday’s home game against the Dauphin Kings was another close affair, but one that once again didn’t go Winkler’s way.
Lagaarden scored in the 2-1 loss. Ernst made 28 saves off 30 shots. His teammates sent 35 the other way.
The losses didn’t put too much of a dent on the Flyers’ lead in the East Division. They remain in first place with a 33-7-3-1 record and 70 points—three ahead of the Pistons with a game in hand and five up on the third-place Portage Terriers.
This week the Flyers were in Winnipeg to play the Freeze Tuesday (results were not available at press time) and they host Waywayseecappoo Friday night. They then they play in Virden Monday.
