Despite a valiant comeback in the third period that saw Virden overcome a two-goal deficit, the Oil Caps wound up falling 6-5 in a shootout to the Flyers in Winkler on Saturday night.
The Oil Caps started off on the right foot early in the contest when Tyler Kirkup picked up his league leading 37th goal of the season just 1:02 into the first period. The Flyers however would respond as Matt Christian would tie the contest at the 5:17 mark. Markers by Will Blake at 6:10 and Cole Kirkup at 9:09 would give the Flyers a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes.
The Oil Caps cut into the lead just after the five-minute mark of the second as Landyn Cochrane netted his 14th of the season to make it 3-2. Weiland Parrish would respond for the home team however a few minutes later on the power play (9:33) making it 4-2 after two periods of play.
The Oil Caps battled back in the third as Kyle Salaway scored what would be his first of two on the night just 2:08 into the final frame to make it 4-3. Dylan Thiessen’s 20th goal of the year (7:31) and Salaway’s 29th of the season with the man advantage (10:06) would complete the comeback for Virden as the Oil Caps held a 5-4 lead midway through the final frame.
The lead didn’t hold up however as Matt Christian’s second of the night for Winkler at 16:34 tied the game at five apiece.
After a five-minute overtime session solved nothing, Weiland Parrish would score the shootout winner for the Flyers.
Troy Martyniuk picked up the win in net for Winkler, making 28 saves in the process, while Dalton Dosch and Riley McVeigh combined to stop 26 shots in the loss for Virden.
Extra Notes:
-It’s the second straight two-goal game for Kyle Salaway. He had two goals and three assists in the Oil Caps 12-3 blowout win over the Blues on Thursday.
-The Oil Caps now sit two points up on the Terriers in what continues to be a heated battle for second place in the MJHL standings.
-The Oil Caps next game is Friday night in Neepawa against the Natives. Game time for that contest: 7:30 p.m.