The Winkler Flyers split their final two games of the regular season, but those results had little impact on their fourth-place finish in the MGEU East Division standings.
It’s right where the MJHL team has been for weeks, trailing the top three teams by a wide margin with a record of 34-20-2-2 and 72 points.
The Niverville Nighthawks clinched first place with 103 points followed by the Steinbach Pistons in second with 96 and the Portage Terriers in third with 79.
Rounding out the bottom of the standings was the Selkirk Steelers (43 points), the Winnipeg Blues (40), and the Winnipeg Monarchs (24).
In the league standings overall, Winkler’s record has it in fifth place behind the Nighthawks, the Steinbach Pistons, Virden Oil Capitals, and Portage and ahead of the Dauphin Kings, Waywayseecappo Wolverines, and the Neepawa Titans.
Those eight teams now move on to round one of the Turnbull Cup playoffs, where Winkler is slated to square off against Niverville. Game one is in Niverville Saturday followed by game two in Winkler Monday, March 23.
The Nighthawks will be a tough nut for Winkler to crack. In the eight times the two teams squared off this season, Winkler only won once, 7-5, though most of the other games were only won by Niverville by one or two goals.
Ending on a high note
The Flyers last week faced off against the Winnipeg Blizzard and the Selkirk Steelers to close out the regular season.
Tuesday night’s game in Winnipeg saw the home team win it 6-5. Winkler held period leads of 3-1 (goals courtesy of Connor Vandal, Graeme Pickering, and Liam Carlone) and 5-3 (Charlie Weaver and Caden McMahon) before the wheels fell off the cart. Winnipeg scored three in the finale frame’s first 10 minutes to come from behind and win.
Liam Russell took the loss in net for the Flyers, making 27 saves as Winkler outshot Winnipeg 47-33.
The Flyers ended things on a much higher note a few nights later in Selkirk, downing the Steelers 6-2.
The shots battle was a close one—30-27 in Winkler’s favour—but it was the Flyers’ shooters who found their mark, most notably in the second period.
They were up 1-0 thanks to a goal 12 seconds into the first courtesy of Kade Stringer.
McMahon, Charles Bernier, Carlone, William Lyons, and Jack Swaenepoel then drowned out Selkirk’s lone goal in the second.
The home team managed just one more, late in the third—nowhere near enough to close the gap.
Russell was between the posts again this game for Winkler. He made 25 saves.
