Feb. 27, 2017 The Oil Capitals hit the road, Friday, February 24 in the morning, to match up against OCN Blizzard for the first game of three on the road. This was the Capitals first road game since Saturday, February 4 against Wayway Wolverines.  OCN opened up the scoring in the first period with a power play goal at 8:06 from George King assisted by Brady Keeper. At the end of 20 minutes of play, the Caps trailed by one but outshot the Blizzard 14-6. The Oil Capitals managed to find the back of the net at 7:21 in the second period with a goal from Dylan Thiessen assisted by Carter Cowlthorp to tie the game 1-1. That wouldn’t be all from the Caps in the second as Tyler Kirkup put a short-handed goal by OCN goaltender at 18:26 assisted by Carter Cowlthorp. At the end of the second period, the Caps were in the lead 2-1 with a goal from Dylan Thiessen and a shorthanded goal from Tyler Kirkup. The shots on goal in the second were 17-5 for the Blizzard.  The third period was all Capitals again with a goal from Captain, Mack Hardy at 5:02 unassisted to stretch the lead to 3-1. Hardy got his second of the game with a goal at 17:24 assisted by Carter Cowlthorp. At the end of the third period, it was 4-1 Capitals and the shots on goal were 30-28 for the Blizzard. The Capitals next game was against the Swan Valley Stampeders Saturday, February 23 which the Caps hoped to continue on their winning ways from Friday's game. The Caps managed to do just that pulling out a 3-1 win over the Stampeders to earn a two-game winning streak.  The Stampeders found the back of the net first with a goal at 7:17 in the first period from Cody Ellingson assisted by Noah Basarab and Brian Harris. At the end of the first period, the Caps trailed by one and shots on goal were 13-11 in favour of the Caps.  The second period Kyle Salaway evened the score early with a goal at 28 seconds in assisted by Jordan Thomson and Ben Dalke. The Caps took the lead at 19:31 with a goal from Carter Cowlthorp assisted by Dylan Thiessen and Sam Schultz. At the end of 40 minutes of play, the Caps were in the lead 2-1 and shots on goal were 15-8 for the Capitals.  The Caps scored the only goal in the third period at 1:49 on the power play from Kyle Salaway for his second of the game assisted by Carter Cowlthorp. The Caps took the game 3-1 and final shots on goal were 36-30 for the Caps.  The Caps also earned all three stars of the game: Third Star – Marc Audet, Second Star – Carter Cowlthorp, and First Star – Kyle Salaway.  The third and final game of the three-game road trip was a rematch against the Swan Valley Stampeders. The Caps came close but couldn’t seal the deal, losing 3-2 in Sunday night’s game. The Caps earned four out of the six possible points.  The Stampeders opened up the scoring with a goal at 11:26 in the first period from Brian Harris assisted by Jason Cohan and Cody Elligson. The Capitals evened the score at 18:46 on the power play with a goal from Kirkaln Lycar assisted by Jordan Thomson and Dylan Thiessen. At the end of 20 minutes of play, the Caps and Stampeders were tied 1-1. The Shots on goal were 12-8 in favour of the Capitals.  Carter Cowlthorp put the Capitals in the lead 2-1 with a goal at 4:44 assisted by Jordan Thomson and Dylan Thiessen. The Stampeders evened up the score with a goal at 17:22 from Stephon Perreault assisted by Jaden Townsend and Carson Boyecko. At the end of two periods, the Caps and Stampeders were tied 2-2 and the shots on goal were 21-13 for the Caps.  Swan Valley Stampeders put one by Marc Audet early in the third with a goal from Stephon Perreault assisted by Jason Cohan and Cody Elligson to take the lead 3-2. That would be enough for the Stampeders to hold on and earn a 3-2 win over the Capitals. The final shots on goal were 45-32 for the Virden Oil Capitals.  The Caps next action is on the road Saturday, March 4 against the Winkler Flyers. This game will wrap up the Capitals 2016-17 regular season games! 

Feb 23, 2017 Virden, MB –  The next player in the Meet the Oil Capitals Series has played in 36 games with the Caps this season, earning 12 wins and 24 losses. He has a 3.19 GAA and .904 SVP. He also played 4 games for the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL. During his time there he had a 5.02 GAA  and .820 SVP.  A goaltender from Thunder Bay, Ontario… #31 Marc Audet.  Quick Facts: Date of Birth: 3/27/1996 Hometown: Thunder Bay, Ontario Height: 6’3”  Weight: 185 lbs  Position: G  Catches: Right Favourites Food: Chicken Alfredo Pre-game Meal: Chicken Alfredo Movie: Slap Shot T.V Show: Suits Superstitions: Always tapes his stick a certain way before the game and does drills to focus.  Lists playing Major Junior Hockey as a career highlight. Audet aspires to win a championship and play in the NHL. 

Feb 21, 2017 Virden, MB –  The next Oil Capital in the Meet the Oil Capitals Series has played in 17 games with the Oil Capitals this season, earning 3 points (3A). He also played 6 games for the Dauphin Kings, registering 1 point (1A) and 2 PIMS.  A defenceman from Winnipeg, Manitoba… #3 Hayden Pierce.  Quick Facts: Date of Birth: September 21, 1996 Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba Height: 6’2”  Weight: 195 lbs  Position: D  Shoots: Right Favourites Food: Chicken Wings T.V: Ballers Hobbies: Golf, and fishing Athlete: Shae Weber Pro sports team: Detroit Red Wings Pierce’s favourite rink in the league to play in other than Tundra Oil & Gas Place is Dauphin Credit Union Place. He aspires to become a firefighter.

Feb. 20, 2017 Virden, MB – The Oil Capitals and Pistons squared up again tonight after  the Caps beat them last night 4-2. The Caps were looking for the sweep in tonight's game and battled back and took the game to overtime but Pistons put one by McVeigh at 1:50 to take the game 3-2.  The Caps earned 3 out of 4 possible points this weekend series against the number one Pistons. Assistant Coach Carter Duffin said, "We were happy with our performance this weekend, especially being our final regular season home games in front of an enthusiastic crowd . We were able to dig deep in the final 20 minutes and pick up our tempo and intensity and score two hard working goals that allowed us to take it to overtime. This is great momentum for the team as we will carry this forward when we head out on the road Monday."  The Pistons opened up the scoring in the first period with a goal from Bradley Schoonbaert at 8:25 assisted by Mackenzie Graham and Tyler Anderson. The Caps trailed by one after the first period and were outshot 15-11.  The second period the Pistons went ahead by two with a power play goal at 13:55 from Branden Purtill assisted by Jordan Bochinski and Danny Pion. After 40 minutes of play, the Caps trailed by two and were outshot 15-10.  The Caps turned things on in the third period putting pressure on the Pistons. The Caps finally broke the goose egg at 11:04 with a goal from Jesse Korytko assisted by Marco Creta and Jordan Thomson, 2-1. The Caps didn't take long to tie the game, only 22 seconds later Marco Creta put one up on the board assisted by Tyler Kirkup and Kirklan Lycar. After 60 minutes of play, the Caps and Pistons were tied 2-2 and were headed to overtime. The shots on goal in the third were 12-11 for the Pistons.  Overtime had chances both directions, but the Pistons managed to bury one by McVeigh at 1:50 with a goal from Mackenzie Graham assisted by Tyler Anderson. The Pistons battle by the Caps with a  3-2 overtime win. The final shots on goal were 45-32 in favour of the Pistons.  The Redferns Farmer Strong Hardest Working Player of the Game – Mack Hardy STARS OF THE GAME  1st STAR  2nd STAR  3rd STAR Steinbach Pistons  Mackenzie Graham Virden Oil Capitals  Marco Creta Virden Oil Capitals  Jesse Korytko   The Caps next action is on the road Monday, Feb. 20 against the Portage Terriers – 7:30 pm puck drop.  

Feb. 17, 2017 Virden, MB – The Virden Oil Capitals take down the first place, Steinbach Pistons 4-2 on home ice.  Head Coach, Troy Leslie said, " It was nice to get a solid effort from everyone tonight. Our compete level and energy was really good, it was a win our team needed."  The first period was a quiet one with neither team able to put one on the board. The Caps had their chances, outshooting the Pistons 21-11 in the first. The Caps opened up the scoring at 6:49 in the second with a power-play goal from assistant captain, Carter Cowlthorp assisted by Kyle Salaway. The Pistons answered back at 14:00 with a goal from Braden Purtill assisted by Joseph Leonidas and Landon Plett, 1-1. At the end of the second period, the Caps and Pistons were tied 1-1. The shots on goal were 16-12 for the Caps.  Carter Cowlthorp put away a short-handed goal at 6:56 in the third period assisted by Dylan Thiessen to take the lead, 2-1. It didn't take long for the Pistons to answer back with a goal at 8:01 on the power play scored by William Koop assisted by Ryan Carlson and Tyler Anderson, 2-2. The Caps took the lead 3-2 at 16:33 with a goal from Jesse Korytko for his third of the season assisted by Jordan Thomson. Seconds later Kolten Kanaski would stretch the lead to two assisted by Ben Dalke and Carter Cowlthorp, 4-2. That would be enough for the Caps to take the game 4-2. The final shots on goal were 46-43 Pistons.  The Redferns Farmer Strong Player of the Game – Jordan Thomson STARS OF THE GAME  1st STAR  2nd STAR  3rd STAR Virden Oil Capitals  Jesse Korytko Virden Oil Capitals  Carter Cowlthorp Virden Oil Capitals  Riley McVeigh   The Caps and Pistons square up again tomorrow night at Tundra Oil & Gas Place – 7:30 pm puck drop.  

Feb. 15,2017 The next Oil Capital in the Meet the Oil Capitals Series has played in  12 games with the Oil Capitals this season, earning 4 points (4A). He also played 24 games for the Portage Terriers, registering 23 points (9G, 14A) and 69 PIMS.  A defenceman from Wawanesa, Manitoba… #27 Jordan Thomson.  Quick Facts: Date of Birth: April 28, 1996 Hometown: Wawanesa, MB Parents: Brian and Lisa Thomson Shoots: Left Favourites Food: Hamburger helper Athlete: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins T.V. Show: The Ranch Pro Team: Edmonton Oilers Hobbies: Fishing and quadding Something that most people wouldn’t know about Thomson is that he doesn’t like chocolate. Lists his career highlight a winning a WHL Championship. Thomson’s favourtie rink in the leauge to play in other than Tundra Oil & Gas Place is the Dauphin Credit Union Place. Mentions that he aspires to reach the highest level of professioinalism in whatever field he chooses. 

The Oil Capitals are hosting their Fifth Annual Year-end Awards Banquet Thursday, March 2 at the Sunrise Banquet Hall (Tundra Oil & Gas Place). There will be door prizes, awards presentation, Oil Capitals live jersey auction of the white jerseys with the fifth year patch on them, and for supper roasted pork loin. The Oil Capitals are also proud to announce a special guest speaker – Jeff Odgers.  Forty-seven-year-old, Odgers was born May 31, 1969, and is from Spy Hill, Saskatchewan.  The Right-winger played for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL for four consecutive seasons; 1986-1990. In that time he played 275 games for the Wheat Kings, earning 181 points (92G, 89A) and 839 PIMS. He then spent one full season with the Kansas City Blades of the IHL, playing in 77 games earning 31 points (12G, 19A) and 318 PIMS.  Odgers first season in the NHL was in 1991-92, he played for the San Jose Sharks in 61 games, earning 11 points (7G, 4A) and 217 PIMS. After this season Odgers spent the majority of his career in the NHL – playing for San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and the Atlanta Thrashers (which are now the Winnipeg Jets) where he finished his 12-year career in the NHL.   Final NHL career stats – played in a total of 821 games, earning 145 points (75G, 70A) and 2,364 PIMS.  Come and join us in celebrating the 2016-17 season and get excited about the playoffs!! Tickets for the banquet can be purchased at the Oil Capitals office or email Brandi at Marketing@oilcapshockey.com

Feb. 13, 2017 Virden, MB – The Caps dropped a tough 5-4 game to the Dauphin Kings Saturday night at Tundra Oil & Gas Place. The Caps battled back to close the gap after giving up 5 goals to the Kings in the first period. The Kings went 3 for 5 on the power play and the Caps went 2 for 4. The final shots on goal in the 5-4 loss were 41-34 for the Capitals.  The first period the Caps found themselves in a tight spot after giving up 5 goals, but continued to battle, scoring three themselves in the first. After the first period there were 8 total goals scored between both teams, five of those on the power play. After 20 minutes the Caps trailed 5-3  and the shots on goal were 14-10 for the Oil Capitals. The Caps goals were scored by Mack Hardy, Kyle Salaway, and Ben Dalke. Assists that period were Kirklan Lycar, Dylan Thiessen, Sam Schultz, Carter Cowlthorp and Mack Hardy.  The second period was a quiet one compared to the first after seeing 8 goals. Neither team was able to get one up on the board. After 40 minutes of play the Caps were behind 5-3 and shots on goal were 21-13 Kings.  The third period the Caps spent the majority of the last 20 minutes in the Kings zone. Carter Cowlthorp was able to put one by Brandon Holtby at 7:11 in the third assisted by Jordan Thomson and Tyler Kirkup. The Caps continued to battle trying to get one more to tie things up – pulling Audet in the final minute hoping to take advantage of the extra man, and had lots of chances to do so, but couldn't get one by Holtby. The Kings took the game with a final score of 5-4.  The Redferns Farmer Strong Player of the Game – Sam Schultz STARS OF THE GAME  1st STAR  2nd STAR  3rd STAR Dauphin Kings  Ashton Clark Virden Oil Capitals  Carter Cowlthorp Dauphin Kings  Trevor Selk   The Caps next action is at home tomorrow night against the Winkler Flyers – 7:30 pm puck drop.  

Feb.10, 2017 Virden, MB – The Virden Oil Capitals earn their second straight win on home ice, beating the Winnipeg Blues in tonight's match-up 6-1. The Caps outshot the Blues 40-34 in tonight's win and went 1 for 4 on the power play. Head Coach, Troy Leslie said, "It was nice to get a quick start tonight and sustain that for 60 minutes. It was good to have our scoring spread out throughout our forward group. We will need the same type of effort again against Dauphin tomorrow night." The Caps opened up the scoring in the first period with a goal from Tyler Kirkup at 4:09 assisted by Jordan Thomson and Carter Cowlthorp, 1-0. The Caps kept coming at the Blues putting another on the board at 5:23 with a goal from Kirklan Lycar assisted by Ben Dalke and Mack Hardy, 2-0. Kolten Kanaski stretched the Caps lead to 3 with a goal at 6:47 assisted by Jeran Knorr, 3-0. At the end of the first period the Caps were in the lead 3-0 and shots on goal were 13-13. The second was all Caps as Kolten Kanaski put one away 1:46 into the period assisted by Sam Schultz and Morgan Magwood, 4-0. The two teams continued to battle back and forth until the end of the period when Kyle Salway found a way to barry one assisted by Marco Creta and Tyler Kirkup, 5-0 Caps. At the end of the second period the Caps had the lead 5-0 and shots on goal were 14-9 in favour of the Capitals.  Winnipeg got their first of the night with a power play goal from Dexter Kuczek assisted by Geordie Keane and Rhette Lough, 5-1 Caps. The Caps put one more away for the night scoring a power play goal at 13:42 from Carter Cowlthorp assisted by Kirklan Lycar and Kyle Salaway, 6-1. The Caps took the game 6-1 and final shots on goal were 40-34.  The Redferns Farmer Strong Hardest Working Player of the Game – Drayson Skulmoski.  STARS OF THE GAME  1st STAR  2nd STAR  3rd STAR Virden Oil Capitals  Kolten Kanaski Virden Oil Capitals  Riley McVeigh Virden Oil Capitals  Tyler Kirkup   The Caps next action is tomorrow night at home against the Dauphin Kings – 7:30 pm puck drop. Don't forget about the Sweet Heart Skate following the game.  

Feb. 9, 2017 The next player in the Meet the Oil Capitals Series has played in 50 games with the Oil Capitals this season, earning 30 points (15G, 15A). Last year he played in 53 games with Cochrane Crunch of the NOJHL, registering 58 points (22G, 36A).   A Forward from Kelowna, British Columbia… #21 Jeran Knorr. Lists that winning AAA provincial championship as a career highlight. Something that most people wouldn’t know about Knorr is that he can speak Spanish.  Quick Facts:   Date of Birth: September 20, 1997   Hometown: Kelowna, British Columbia   Billets: Shawn & Tricia Studer    Favourites   Food: Pizza Cookie   Moive: Pain & Gain   T.V. Show: Friends   Pre-game meal: Chicken and Quinoa Aspires to get a degree in Business Management.