The Oil Capitals ended their, 3 games in 3 nights, weekend trip with a bang. The team combined for a total of 28 points on the scoresheet, and 15 different players got at least 1 point on the night. 11 players had multiple points on the evening.
It was an end to end affair in the 1st, which saw Virden outshoot OCN 21-15 and the team took a 2-0 lead going into the intermission. Rookie Jesse Mistelbacher, get his 1st as an Oil Capital, and Hunter Cloutier chipped in his 19th of the season. The 1st period also saw Moosomin’s Austin Johnston drop the gloves against OCN’s Tanner Barbeau. Both players received game misconducts.
OCN began the 2nd period, keeping the game close as Joseph Courrier and Nolan Dawson kept the outcome in question. The Oil Capitals extended their lead for good as Yellowhead Chief product, Josh Belchar, chipped in with two goals (10 on the season, Parker Brakebill, Jayden Wojciechowski, and Kolten Kanaski, with his team leading 28th, closed out the period putting the Oil Capitals up 7-2.
In the 3rd, the goals kept coming; Captain Ben Dalke got his 18th of the year, and rookie sensations, Brett Paddock and Tanner Andrew, notched their 8th and 13th goals respectively on the campaign. OCN added another to make the final 10-3. Oak Lake product, Riley Wallace, continues to shine in his rookie season, stopping 31 of 34 shots, moving his record to 9-1-1 overall on the year. While OCN’s combination Kobey Clarke and Dorian Laganiere stopped 43 of 53 shots on the night.
The Oil Capitals ended their 3 in 3 with a possible 4 of 6 points and by all accounts the team was happy with the weekend overall as GM and Head Coach, Troy Leslies added: “a real solid game tonight for our whole lineup. Riley was sharp and made some real key saves. We continue to get good offensive contributions from our backend which will be key heading into the playoffs. A real good effort to finish up the three in three nights. Great to get a possible 4 of 6 points on the weekend on the road.”
Oil Capitals Tid Bits: McCullough Park (Flu), Dylan Halliday, and Keagan Morrison didn’t dress for the Oil Capitals. The team is currently in the middle of a 6 game road trip overall, as the Tundra Oil and Gas Place opens their doors to the Viterra Curling Championships. The Caps play in Steinbach Friday, against the Pistons, and Saturday in Winnipeg against the Blues. The weekend also coincides with the 1st “Fathers Road Trip”; all player’s dads are able to take part in the road trip just as the players and staff do. The Oil Caps follow that up with a trip to Neepawa to face the Natives on February 13th, before being home for Valentine’s Day on the 14th, vs the Terriers.
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