The Virden Oil Capitals 2016/2017 season came to an end last night in front of a packed house of over 1200 fans at Tundra Oil & Gas Place. The Oil Caps fell 4-1 to the Winkler Flyers, dropping their MJHL Quarter-Final series 4 games to 2. Virden opened the scoring in the first period when Jeran Knorr beat Troy Martynuk. The Oil Caps outshot the Flyers 17-11 in the opening frame. The Flyers would tie things up on the powerplay in the 2nd period when Gino Lucia scored on a goal mouth scramble. The Flyers fired 16 shots at Oil Caps netminder Riley McVeigh in the 2nd period. The Calgary native would make 39 saves in the losing effort. Winkler would add three more in the third period to book their ticket to the MJHL Semi-Final. The Oil Caps would finish the night 0/2 on the powerplay while the Flyers converted on just one of their four opportunities. The loss brings to a close the 5th Anniversary season for the Oil Capitals who will say farewell to seven graduating players. -Marc Audet -Hayden Pierce -Sam Schultz -Carter Cowlthorp -Dylan Cusmano -Jordan Thomson -Mack Hardy The Oil Capitals organization would like to thank each and every one of these young men for their contributions not only on the ice, but in the community of Virden. We wish you the best of luck in your future . Reminder fans, Oil Caps season tickets are on sale now. Stop by the Oil Caps office or call 204-748-4848 to reserve your seat!

The Virden Oil Capitals are proud to announce that graduating forward Carter Cowlthorp has committed to the Norwich University Cadets of the NCAA Div III Great Northeast Athletic Conference for next season. Cowlthorp, who hails from Boissevain arrived in Virden early in the 14/15 season from the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins. “I can speak on behalf of the whole organization on how thrilled we are that Carter will be going to a great program such as Norwich,” said GM & Head Coach Troy Leslie. In his three years in Virden, Cowlthorp appeared in over 161 games and is coming off a career year in which he registered 24 goals and 52 points. Along with the career high in points and goals, he was named the Oil Caps Redferns Hardest Working Player, along with picking up the Fountain Tire Fan’s Choice Award and the Arlington Hotel Three Star Award at last week’s Oil Caps Year End Banquet. “Carter has been a great representative of the Oil Capitals organization both on and off the ice,” added Leslie. “We wish him nothing but the best at Norwich and sincerely thank him for all he has brought to this organization.” In Norwich, Cowlthorp joins fellow Boissevain native and former Steinbach Piston David Robertson along with former Winnipeg Blues forward Taeron Lewis. Norwich is a private military college based in Northfield, Vermont. The Oil Capitals would like to congratulate Carter on this achievement and wish him the best of luck in his pursuit of education.

March 17, 2017 Virden, MB – The Virden Oil Capitals dropped game 5 in last night’s road game in double overtime for the Flyers to regain their series lead 3-2. The 3-2 double overtime loss marked the third time this series that these two teams went to overtime to find an answer.  The Flyers, Scott Gall scored the game-winner in double overtime, 5:13 into the fifth period giving the Flyers the 3-2 edge in the series.  Less than 24-hours after the Oil Capitals tied the series 2-2 with a huge double overtime win at home the Flyers titled the ice back in their favour with 3-2 double overtime win to take the advantage in the series.  The Virden Oil Capitals came out flat in the first period, and the Flyers were able to take it to them early on. The Caps earned their first shot on goal 14 minutes into the contest, with a great scoring chance for Tyler Kirkup in all alone, but Troy Martynuik was a brick wall. The Flyers got on the board first with a power play goal at 18:45 from Lawson McDonalad assisted by Coltyn Bates and Matt Christian. At the end of the first period, the Caps trailed 1-0 and shots on goal were 9-3 for the Flyers.  The second period remained the same and the Flyers were able to hold a 1-0 lead going into the third. The shots on goal after the second were tied 11-11.  The Oil Capitals came out flying in the third period, finding a spark as Captain, Mack Hardy got his team rolling with an early goal only 9 seconds into the period assisted by Ben Dalke to tie the game 1-1. The Oil Capitals were taking it to the Flyers and found a way to take a 2-1 lead at 3:21 with a goal from Sam Schultz for his first of the playoffs assisted by Jordan Thomson and Jeran Knorr. The Flyers were trailing for the first time in the game, but it didn’t last for long as Lawson McDonald tied it up 2-2 at 6:21 assisted by Braden Billaney and Scott Gall. The Oil Capitals dominated the Flyers in the third period, outshooting them 17-9. For the third time, this series the game would head to overtime to find an answer.  Only 46 seconds into the first overtime period the Flyers, Colten Bates took a penalty for interference sending the Caps to the power play. In the series the Caps power play has been extremely successful, as 8 out of the 10 goals have come on the power play. The power play opportunity didn’t last long for the Capitals as Ben Dalke was sent to the box for boarding at 1:57 to create a little four on four action.  At the end of the first overtime, neither team was able to find the back of the net forcing the game to second overtime.  At 5:13 in the second overtime Tyler Lindstrom fired a shot on the net, the puck rolled behind McVeigh, creating a scramble, as Winkler’s Scott Gall located the puck first and was able to put it in the back of the net for the double overtime game winner.  Riley McVeigh stopped 33 shots in last night’s contest. The final shots on goal were 37-36 for the Flyers. The Oil Capitals went 0 for 6 on the power play.  The Oil Capitals are back at home for game 6 of the series Sunday, March 19th at 7:00 pm. The Oil Capitals will look to even the series and keep their playoff run alive. Tickets are now on sale at the Oil Capitals Office – Saturday, March 18th until 5:00 pm and Sunday, March 19th 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Come support the Oil Capitals in their playoff run and help them even the series! 

March 17, 2017 Virden, MB- The Virden Oil Capitals, Ben Dalke scored an impressive power play goal at 5:33 into double overtime to beat the Winkler Flyers in game 4 and tie the of the best of seven MJHL Quarter-Final Series 2-2.  The Virden Oil Capitals power play proved to be the difference-maker in last night’s game.  Head Coach, Troy Leslie said, “ Last night was a tight close checking game that could have gone either way right to the end. This is what playoff hockey is all about and we are looking forward to a full barn on Sunday!”  The Oil Caps were back in their home barn after Tuesday night’s 3-1 victory on the road. The Oil Capitals were looking to keep the momentum rolling in their direction and did just that starting off the game opening up the scoring with an early goal from Jordan Thomson for his second of the series with a shot from the point and finding its way to the back of the net. The Oil Capitals have opened up the scoring three times in the best of seven series. The Oil Capitals were in the lead 1-0 after the first period, with a goal from Jordan Thomson to put them in the lead. The shots on goal were 10-8 for the Virden Oil Capitals after the first.  With the Oil Capitals to an early lead in the first period, the Flyers kept battling and were able to put one by Riley McVeigh midway through the second period with a goal from Tyler Jubenvill assisted by Nolan McGuire to tie the game 1-1. At the end of the second period, the Oil Capitals and Winkler Flyers were tied 1-1. The shots on goal after the second were 14-12 for the Virden Oil Capitals.  The Oil Capitals and Flyers were still tied after the final period of play in the game. The Flyers came within inches of taking a 2-1 lead, but McVeigh kept the puck out of the net and forced the game into overtime. For the second time in the series, the Oil Capitals and Flyers needed to take the game to overtime. In the second overtime period Oil Capitals, Ben Dalke scored a beautiful power play goal to win the game and tie the series 2-2.  Riley McVeigh made 36 saves in last night’s game and earned his second win of the series. The Oil Capitals outshot the Flyers 44-37.  Assistant Coach, Carter Duffin said, " We identified at the beginning of this series that we needed to have strong and fast starts against Winkler. Last night we got on the board early and continued to out shoot them in the first period. As we get deeper into this series, we will continue to hold strong to our structure and pushing the tempo, giving us the opportunity to find success every night."  Oil Capitals next action is on the road Friday, March 17th for game 5 of the series. The Caps next home action is Sunday, March 19th for game 6 back at Tundra Oil & Gas Place – puck drop 7:00 pm. Tickets are now on sale at the Virden Oil Capitals Office March 17th until 3:30 pm, Saturday, March 18th from 9:00 am until 5:00pm and Sunday, March 19th from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm! 

March 15, 2017 The Virden Oil Capitals were on the road for game 3 of the best of seven MJHL Quarter-final series against the Winkler Flyers. The Oil Capitals went into last night’s game down 2 games in the series and were looking to come home with the road win.  The Flyers outshot the Oil Capitals 32-26 but the Caps came out on top with impressive, hard working 3-1 performance. Virden Oil Capitals Toy Leslie said, “ Last night was a really solid effort in all facets of the game for us. Our special teams both power play and penalty kill provided spark and energy for our team and Riley had a real solid performance for us in net. We will need the same type of performance Thursday night at home. Can’t wait to get an additional boost from a large Oil Capitals crowd.”  The first period was high energy with the Caps getting on the board first with a power play goal at 19:23 from Ben Dalke assisted by Tyler Kirkup and Jordan Thomson. The Caps held onto the lead through the first period, 1-0. The shots on goal were 10-7 for the Virden Oil Capitals.  The second period turned into a special teams battle as there were 16 minutes handed out between the two teams. During this time the Caps killed off a five on three which they also successfully did in the third period. The Caps held the 1-0 nothing lead after 40 minutes of play and shots on goal were 10-5 for the Winkler Flyers.  The Capitals got on the board first in the third period with their second power play goal of the night scored by Tyler Kirkup assisted by Jordan Thomson and Kirklan Lycar to take the lead 2-0. The Flyers answered back at 9:15 with a power play goal from Braden Billaney assisted by Tyler Jubenvill and Troy Martyniuk. Winkler pulled their goalie with 1:38 left in the third period to add an extra attacker. The Capitals sealed the deal with an empty-net goal from Kolten Kanaski at 19:58. The Capitals earned a 3-1 win over the Winkler Flyers to take game 3 on the road! The Oil Capitals are back in action Thursday, March 16th at Tundra Oil & Gas Place – 7:30 pm puck drop. Tickets are now available at the Virden Oil Capitals Office or call (204)-748-4848 for more details!  

March, 12, 2017 Virden, MB – The Caps came into Sunday night’s game after facing a hard fought 5-4 OT loss on Friday night at Winkler. Last night’s 4-1 loss to the Winkler Flyers put the Caps down 2-0 in the MJHL Quarterfinal best of seven series. Virden Oil Capitals Assistant Captain Carter Duffin said, “ We were excited to come home after a long game one in Winkler and play in front of our hometown fans. Through the first two periods we were able to get a lot of pucks on net and we needed to capitalize sooner. We are working towards having a quick turn around as we head back to Winkler, knowing that we have had success in that building in the past and we will look to get on the score board early to get momentum back in our favour.” Marc Audet started between the pipes for the Virden Oil Capitals playing in his first playoff game as an Oil Capital. Looking to bounce back from Friday’s 5-4 OT loss the Oil Capitals came out flying but couldn’t put one by Winkler's goalie, Troy Martyniuk. The Flyers opened up the scoring at 13:22 with a power play goal from Ian Mackey assisted by Tyler Jubenvill and Lawson McDonald. At the end of the first period, the Caps trailed 1-0 and shots on goal were 17-12 for the Oil Caps. The second period was a quiet one with no scoring on either side. The Caps were outshot 15-6 after 40 minutes of play. The Flyers put their second of the game on the board at 14:57 with a power play goal from Coltyn Bates assisted by Tyler Jubenvill and Lawson McDonald. The Flyers stretched the lead to three with a goal at 15:19 from Ian Mackey assisted by Nolan McGuire. The Caps answered back at 16:58 with a power play goal from Tyler Kirkup assisted by Ben Dalke and Kirklan Lycar, 3-1 Flyers. At 18:03 the Flyers sealed the deal with a goal from Matt Christian assisted by Brody Moffatt and Mitch Dyck, 4-1. The Flyers took game 2 with a score of 4-1 and outshot the Oil Capitals 42-30. The Caps next action is tomorrow night at Winkler for game 3! The next home action is Thursday, March 16th for game 4 – 7:30 pm puck drop.

March 10, 2017 The Virden Oil Capitals dropped a hard fought triple overtime 5-4 battle in Game one of the MJHL Quarter- Final Series. Winkler Flyers, Tyler Lindstrom put the game winner away with 27.9 seconds left in the third overtime period. The Capitals had a two-goal lead with five minutes to go in the third period and the Flyers battled back to tie the game to send it to three overtime periods.  Head Coach Troy Leslie said, “ I thought our effort was really good last night. We needed our power play to be effective and it was. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t hold our two goal lead. We are looking forward to a boost from our hometown fans in tomorrow night’s game as we look for energy to get the series back on even terms.”  Virden’s strength last night was their power play, which managed to convert 3 out of 6 times (50%) during Friday’s match-up.  The Oil Capitals started the series on the road after finishing in 7th place in the league and taking on 2nd place Winkler Flyers. In the first period, Jordan Thomson found the back of the net for the first time as an Oil Capital, scoring the first goal of the game on a power play assisted by Kirklan Lycar and Ben Dalke. Despite the early lead by the Capitals, the Flyers answered back seconds later to tie the game 1-1. At the end of 20 minutes of play, the Caps and Flyers were tied 1-1 and shots on goal were tied 13-13.  The Caps Carter Cowlthorp got things rolling early in the second to take a 2-1 lead assisted by Marco Creat and Kyle Salaway. The Caps scored their third power play goal at 9:12 with a goal from Ben Dalke assisted by Kirklan Lycar and Mack Hardy and extended the lead to 3-1. Seconds later the Flyers Will Blake answered back assisted by Tyler Lindstrom, 3-2 Caps. The Caps assistant captain, Carter Cowlthorp put the Caps back up by two with an unassisted goal. The Flyers went on the power play and put one by McVeigh at 15:02 with a goal from Matt Christian assisted by Coltyn Bates, 4-3 Capitals. The Flyers tied the game 4-4 at 16:50 with a goal from Brody Moffatt assisted by Nolan McGuire and Tyler Lindstrom.  The Caps and Flyers battled deep into the third overtime period when Winkler Flyers Tyler Lindstrom put the game winner away with 27.9 seconds left. The final shots on goal were 52-45 in favour of the Flyers.  Game two is at Tundra Oil & Gas Place tomorrow night at 7:00 pm for a chance for the Caps to even the series. You can purchase your tickets at the Caps office or call (204)-748-4848 for more details! 

March 6, 2017 Virden, MB –  The Virden Oil Capitals are excited to announce Round 1 playoff schedule against Winkler Flyers. Tickets for playoff game 2 & 4 are on sale now! Stop by the office or call (204)-748-4848 for more details!  SERIES B – VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS  vs WINKLER FLYERS Mar 10 Virden Oil Capitals at Winkler Flyers 7:30 pm Mar 12 Winkler Flyers at Virden Oil Capitals 7:00 pm Mar 14 Virden Oil Capitals at Winkler Flyers 7:30 pm Mar 16 Winkler Flyers at Virden Oil Capitals 7:30 pm Mar 17 Virden Oil Capitals at Winkler Flyers (if necessary) 7:30 pm Mar 19 Winkler Flyers at Virden Oil Capitals (if necessary) 7:00 pm Mar 21 Virden Oil Capitals at Winkler Flyers (if necessary) 7:30 pm

March 3, 2017 Virden, MB – The Virden Oil Capitals held their annual Year-End Awards Banquet on Thursday night for just under 300 people at Tundra Oil & Gas Place. The evening had several highlights and emotion-filled speeches that touched on the five-year history of the club as well as the excitement heading into the upcoming MJHL playoffs. Former Oil Capital Marketing Manager, and current Brandon Wheat Kings voice, Branden Crowe, was the master of ceremonies for the night who invited team President, Dale Lewis, Head Coach and General Manager, Troy Leslie, team Captain, Mack Hardy, and special guest speaker, Jeff Odgers to the podium to say a few words to start the evening. Jeff Odgers gave an inspiring speech about his journey as a hockey player along with an introduction PowerPoint on himself. He explained the path that he had to take to get to the NHL, where he played for San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and the Atlanta Thrashers in his 12-year career. The well spoken, Odgers wrapped up his great speech with an inspirational talk about the Oil Capitals heading into playoffs.   The evening continued with the awards. Twelve awards were handed out at this year’s banquet along with the Cole Hamblin Memorial Award, which is presented annually to the Oil Caps most valuable player in the previous playoffs. Following the awards, to wrap up the evening, the Virden Oil Capitals Foundation jersey auction took place. All the funds from the auction will go towards community initiatives and projects. In total, the jersey auction raised $15,750. Thank you to everyone who purchased a jersey and supported the Virden Oil Capitals Foundation. The evening didn’t wrap up regular season play as usual, as the Oil Capitals have one game left tomorrow night on the road against Winkler Flyers. The Capitals will return home for Round one of the playoffs, and dates will be announced early next week. Tickets for the playoffs are on sale now! Stop by the Capitals Office to purchase your tickets or call 204-748-4848. 

Feb. 28, 2017 Virden, MB – Rare Disease Day occurs every year on the last day of February, with the primary focus on raising awareness with the general public and decision-makers about rare diseases and their impact on patients' lives. The Oil Capitals were proud to welcome Rita Scharff, on Friday, February 17, where she had a table set up, on the main concourse of the rink, which was available for anyone interested in learning and understanding more about rare diseases. Scharff became passionate about rare diseases when she found out her son had a rare disease. From this year to last  her teaching tactics haven't changed a lot, as her goal remained the same, increase awareness regarding rare diseases. Currently, there are over 7,000 types of rare diseases and they are finding more each day. The 2016 statistics for rare diseases show that only 60 percent of treatments are available in Canada. When these treatments finally become available here, it can be up to six years after they have been available to citizens in the United States and Europe. According to Global Genes, on average, it takes most rare disease patients eight years to receive an accurate diagnosis. Within this time period, they have seen over 10 specialists and have been misdiagnosed three times. Scharff said, “This is important for our family, as the biggest challenges for the families affected is receiving a diagnosis.  The more we can spread the message about rare diseases and genetic testing, the less time it will take for the diagnosis.” The Oil Capitals have helped play a role in spreading awareness for the last couple of years, that Scharff has decided to get the word out there.  Rita said, "The Oil Capitals have helped by providing the opportunity to increase awareness through the Rare Disease Night at one of the February home games and the various promotional materials they send out." Assistant Captain, Morgan Magwood was helpful with supporting Scharff bring awareness around rare diseases. “He provided his teammates with the blue jean ribbon to wear, which is a symbol of rare disease awareness.”  Scharff continued, “He also took Cade [Rita and Chad Scharff's son] to meet the team after the game and get a photo with them which we used in our thank you on social media to the Oil Caps.  We have already received feedback from the players asking about Cade and rare diseases looking to gain a better understanding of his syndrome.” The community has been a really important part of Scarff getting the awareness spread about Rare Disease Day. Scharff said, “ The schools, Virden Boston Pizza, Silverline Oilfield Services, Candace Creations, and of course the Oil Capitals have been amazing and we can’t thank them enough.”