The Oil Caps (24-15-6) are on the road for just the second time this month when they venture to Dauphin tonight to take on the Kings (15-23-6).
Virden has gone 4-1 in their last five games with their most recent wins coming against Selkirk on Tuesday and Winkler last Friday. They currently sit just a point behind the Flyers for fourth in the standings and can take over that spot tonight with a win, combined with some help from Swan Valley who host Winkler.
The Stampeders will turn around and host the Oil Caps tomorrow night when the team travels to Swan River to round out their mini two-game road trip. Meanwhile, the Flyers will be in OCN on Saturday before taking on the Kings on Sunday to cap off their weekend.
Virden is catching the Kings tonight on a bit of a slide as they’ve dropped their last five contests. However, the Oil Caps have not had much success against Dauphin this season, dropping two of three decisions on the season. Dauphin is fighting for home ice in the Survivor Series and are looking to stay ahead of OCN and Waywayseecappo, two teams that are playing some of their best hockey right now.
As mentioned, the Oil Caps will take on the Stampeders (19-18-5) tomorrow night in their fifth meeting of the season. This is another group that has given Virden problems, having taken three of the first four match ups on the year.
The Oil Caps and Stampeders will meet again next Saturday, January 31st, during the Oil Caps Subway Hockey Card Night in Virden. The Oil Caps will need to take both of these games in order to earn a split in the season series.
Tonight’s game in Dauphin is scheduled for a 7:00 puck drop, while tomorrow night’s game in Swan River is slated for 7:30 pm. Ray Walker will unfortunately not be making the trip this weekend, but both games can be viewed on FASTHockey.
Finally, a Happy Birthday shout out goes to Oil Caps goaltender, Cam Pateman. He turns 19 today.