The Winkler Flyers are on a six-game winning streak after downing Winnipeg once and Niverville twice this past week.
The junior team welcomed the Winnipeg Blues to Winkler last Wednesday and made short work of the sixth-place team.
The lopsided game saw the Flyers fire 49 shots on their opponents’ goalie, fielding just 15 in return. Winkler netminder Leif Ekblad let just two past, both in the first period, while the Flyers’ offensive lines lit up the scoreboard with three in the first (Nicholas Mckee, Liam Carlone, and Isaiah Peters), one in the second (Brody Beauchemin), and two more in the third (Niklas Gudmundson and Jayce Legaarden) to seal the 6-2 win.
Their home game against the Niverville Nighthawks a day later was a much closer affair, but still went Winkler’s way 3-2.
Goals from Peters and Gudmundson gave Winkler the lead 2-1 after 20 minutes. After a scoreless second period, Gudmundson made it 3-1 midway through the third. Niverville managed one more as the time ran out, but failed to catch up.
Liam Ernst was between the posts for Winkler this match and made 18 saves as the Flyers outshot the Nighthawks 41-20.
Winkler won the rematch three nights later in Niverville by a much wider margin.
Brady Craik, Peters, Legaarden, and Blake Matheson scored through the first two periods to give the Flyers a 4-0 lead. Niverville managed one lone goal in the second period’s 14th minute, but that was all she wrote for either side that night, giving Winkler the win 4-1.
The Flyers outshot the Nighthawks 52-22 that game, with Ernst in net to make 21 saves.
Winkler retains its hold on first place in the MJHL East Division with a record of 39-7-3-1 and 82 points, three ahead of the second-place Steinbach Pistons and seven up on the Portage Terriers in third.
This week the Flyers were in Selkirk Tuesday night (results were not available at press time) and they’re in Steinbach on Saturday.
Sunday they host Waywayseecappo. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
