The La Ronge Ice Wolves picked up their third straight win when they clipped the Red Wings in Weyburn 4-2 on Friday evening.
“I thought we played a 60-minute game and put in the effort,” said Ice Wolves Assistant Coach Gaelan Patterson. “It turned out well again for us, so we’re going to keep this train rolling.”
The Ice Wolves wasted no time getting on the board. Zach Bannister opened the scoring 1:29 into the first when he redirected an Antonio Di Paolo offering past Cody Levesque. Weyburn tied the game at one 8:59 into the stanza when Rhett Frey beat Merek Pipes, who made 30 saves in his season debut for La Ronge.
“It wasn’t just me, it was all the boys — they did real well clearing the rebounds away, blocking shots,” said Ice Wolves goalie Merek Pipes. “It was a real team win.”
Peyton Malcolm gave the Ice Wolves a 2-1 lead 15:25 into the first when he picked up the puck and beat Levesque on a wraparound after the Weyburn netminder was caught out of position.
The Ice Wolves had some glorious opportunities on the man advantage in the second, but they were not able to tickle the twine. Neither team found the back of the net in the second frame, so the Wolves led 2-1 heading into the third.
The Ice Wolves added some insurance 9:12 into the third when Mitch Zambon tallied sixth of the season on a goal-mouth scramble. La Ronge made it a 4-1 game 11:16 into the third when Peyton Malcolm busted into the Weyburn zone with blazing speed and sent a tricky backhand upstairs past Levesque.
“He’s (Malcolm) quite the skater, you could see that right away, from the first time he was on the ice,” said Ice Wolves Assistant Coach Gaelan Patterson. “So far, it’s been good for him.”
Weyburn’s Ty Brown replied late in the third period, which cut the deficit to two, but that’s as close as the Wings would get on Friday night at Crescent Point Place.
With the victory, the Ice Wolves improved their record to 4-6 on the season, which has them sitting in tenth in the overall standings in the SJHL.
The Ice Wolves, who have won four of their last five games, will look to keep the momentum going on Saturday in Estevan when they face the Bruins for the second time this week. On Wednesday, La Ronge slipped past the Bruins 2-1 at Affinity Place.
You can catch Saturday’s game on MBC Network Radio, the pre-game show begins at 7:15 p.m. with Braden Malsbury. Following Saturday’s contest, the Ice Wolves will conclude their southern swing in Wilcox against the Notre Dame Hounds Sunday afternoon.
(PHOTO: The Ice Wolves left Weyburn with two points on Friday. Photo by Braden Malsbury.)