December 2025 As the holiday season approached, the spirit of giving and community shined brightly, and this past December, the Oil Caps participated in various volunteer activities around the Community. Throughout the month of December as the snow fell, the “Snowmen” shovelling team was called! Lots of the Oil Caps helped out around town shovelling […]

Saturday night was hockey night in Oil Country as the Caps took on the Dauphin Kings! The Caps were looking for the win with the last game in their home barn before the New Year but fell short with a 4-3 overtime loss to Dauphin.  Virden Oil Capitals assistant coach, Carter Duffin said, “The difference in the game came down to a few shifts. We made a couple bad choices, had a couple bad shifts and it quickly undid all of the hard work we put in to get ourselves up 3-1. Moving forward, we need to make sure we come to the rink ready to go to work from the drop of the puck until the final buzzer without taking a shift off.”  The Kings opened up the scoring early in the game with a goal from Kyle Olekluk at 2:11 in the first period assisted by Brendan Arnold and Grady Hobbs. The Caps kept putting the pressure on for a goal to come midway through the first from Kirklan Lycar assisted by Ben Dalke and Sam Schultz. The Caps broke the tied game, with seconds left in the period, as Kyle Salaway put one away assisted by Jeran Knorr and Tristen Cross. After 20 minutes of play, the Caps were in the lead 2-1 and shots on goal were 15-7 in favour of the Capitals.  The second period was a quiet one with goals, as neither team able to put one away. There were lots of opportunities at both ends, but it proved to be a goalie standoff in the second. At the end of two periods the Caps held the lead 2-1 and shots on goal were 19-8, Oil Capitals.  Captain, Mack Hardy started the scoring off in the third with a power-play goal at 5:04 assisted by Kirklan Lycar and Dylan Thiessen, 3-1 Capitals. The Kings answered back with a goal from Matthew Greening at 9:00 assisted by Daniel Chartrand. The Kings kept coming and tied the game up 3-3 at 15:50 with a goal from Daniel Chartrand assisted by Ashton Clark and Matthew Greening. At the end of 60 minutes of play the game was tied 3-3 and would head to overtime. The shots on goal in the third were 19-14 for the Capitals.  The Kings ended overtime 47 seconds in with a goal from Ashton Clark assisted by Daniel Chartrand and Riley Shamray. The Kings took the game 4-3 and final shots on goal were 54-30 for the Capitals.  The Redfern’s Farmer Strong Hardest Worker of the Game was Dylan Cusmano. The Caps also picked up one of the three stars of the game – Kirklan Lycar was the Third Star of the game with a goal and an assisted.  Sunday night the Caps hit the road to take on the Steinbach Pistons for the last game before the Christmas break! The Caps dropped a tough 5-3 comeback win to the Pistons.   The Capitals came out flying and capitalized on a power play opportunity early with a goal from Carter Cowlthorp at 4:22 assisted by Tristen Cross and Sam Schultz.  The Capitals stretched the lead to two late in the first with a goal from Jeran Knorr at 18:20, unassisted. At the end of 20 minutes, the Capitals were up 2-0 and shots on goal were 12-11 for the Pistons.  The Oil Capitals kept the momentum going with a goal from Kirklan Lycar at 7:10 in the second period assisted by Mack hardy, 3-0 Caps. The Pistons put one past Marc Audet late in the period with a goal from Mackenzie Graham assisted by Tyler Anderson and Bradley Schoonbaert. At the end of 40 minutes, the Caps were in the lead 3-1 and the shots on goal were 18-9 for the Pistons.  The third period proved to be a tough one for the Capitals as the Pistons came out rolling on all cylinders. The Pistons cut the lead to one with a goal from William Koop at 3:16 assisted by Bradley Schoonbaert. Less than a minute later the Pistons scored again to tie the game 3-3 with a goal from Wyatt Hinson assisted by Bradley Schoonbaert. The Pistons kept coming scoring again and taking the lead at 7:23 with a goal from Mackenzie Graham assisted by Bradley Schoonbaert and Wyatt Hinson. The Pistons stretched the lead to two with a goal midway through the third from Vaughn Dupre assisted by Jordan Bochinski. After 60 minutes of play, the Pistons took the game 5-3 and final shots on goal were 44-24 for the Pistons.  The Caps next action is December 31, 2016, on the road against the Portage Terriers at 7:30 pm. You can listen to the game live at Kickfm.ca or go to OilCapitals.com and click the link! The Capitals next home game is January 2 against the OCN Blizzard!! Thank you fans for your ongoing support, we look forward to seeing you in the New Year! Everyone have a great holiday and remember to be safe!! 

Virden, MB-  The Oil Capitals dropped a tough 5-2 game to the Winnipeg Blues. Head Coach, Troy Leslie said, “Obviously, we are struggling right now. The three quick goals in the second period hurt us. I thought we did some positive things to try to get ourselves back in the game. Right now it is important that we stick together and go get a win tomorrow night in Dauphin." The first period the Caps had a lot of opportunities, with the Blues goalie making great saves to keep his team in the game. Neither team was able to capitalize in the first; it was 0-0 after 20 minutes of play. The shots on goal were 10-6 in favour of the Caps. The second period the Winnipeg Blues took control of the game scoring early at 3:53 with a goal from Rhett Lough unassisted, 1-0 Blues. The Blues continued to put pressure on the Caps with a goal from Adam Woworky at 4:56 assisted by Kelton Sutherland, 2-0 Blues. That was not all from the Blues, as they scored another goal at 5:10 to stretch the lead to three, scored by Kelton Sutherland assisted by Joel MacGillvray and Brenden Bartlett. The Oil Capitals pulled Marc Audet, replacing him with Riley McVeigh shortly after the third goal. The remainder of the period the Caps found their bearings and getting things rolling again. The Caps found the back of the net at 17:58 with a goal from Ben Dalke assisted by Jacob Cronin and Sam Schultz, 3-1 Blues. At the end of 40 minutes of play the Caps trailed by two goals. The Shots on net were 14-11 in favour of the Capitals.  After an eventful second period, the Caps got things rolling with a goal from Evan Cusmano for his first of the season and first as an Oil Capital at 7:03 in the third assisted by Carter Cowlthorp and Kirklan Lycar. The Oil Capitals found a little momentum, but the Blues shut it down with a goal from Adam Wowrky at 11:08 unassisted, 4-2 Blues.  Capitals continued to battle back, but couldn’t put one past Adam Derochie. The Blues scored one more time at 17:26 with a goal from Nick Prouty assisted by Dallas Tulik and Rhett Lough. The final score at the end of 60 minutes of play was 5-2, Blues. The final shots on goal were 36-25 in favour of the Oil Capitals. The Redferns Farmer Strong Hardest Working Player of the game – Ben Dalke. The Caps earned the second star of the game – Evan Cusmano with his first goal of the season and as an Oil Capital. The Caps next action is Saturday, December 10 on the road against the Dauphin Kings at 7:30p.m. You can catch this game live at Kickfm.ca or you can go to Oilcapitalshockey.com and click on the link! The Caps next home action is December 17 against Dauphin Kings at 7:30p.m. proudly brought to you by Subway for hockey card night. Come and cheer on the Caps at their last home game of the year!

November 12, 2016 Virden, MB – It was hockey night in Oil Country as the Caps took down the Portage Terriers, 4-1. It was a great evening, with a great crowd to help the Caps honour our First Responders. In honour of the First Responders, the Caps were wearing special featured RCMP jerseys – which will be available for sale online tomorrow afternoon on eBay.ca with a portion of the proceeds going to the Virden Skate Park. Captain, Mack Hardy got things rolling for the Caps with a goal at 10:08 in the first period assisted by Dylan Thiessen and Dylan Cusmano. Assistant Captain, Carter Cowlthorp stretched the lead to two at 17:22 in the first unassisted. After 20 minutes of play, the Caps were in the lead, 2-0 and shots on goal were 10 – 6 in favour of the Caps. Mack Hardy started off the second period right for the Caps getting his second of the game at 11:41 assisted by Ben Dalke and Tyler Kirkup extending the lead to three. The Terriers found some momentum near the end of the third putting one past Marc Audet, 3-1 Caps. At the end of the second period, the Caps lead the game 3-1 and shots on goal were 14-9 in favour of the Caps. The Oil Capitals had their fair share of changes, but the score remained 3-1 midway through the third period. The Caps would score one more time with a goal from Jeran Knorr at 16:32 assisted by Tristen Cross and Carter Cowlthorp This would be enough for the Caps to hold the lead and win the game with a final score of 4-1. Final shots on goal were 24-33 in favour of the Capitals. Multi-point Night: Mack Hardy – 2 points (2 goals) Carter Cowlthorp – 2 points (1 goal & 1 assist) Redferns Farmer Strong Hardest Worker of the game – Carter Cowlthorp. The Caps earned all three stars in tonight’s 4-1 win: Third Star – Marc Audet, Second Star – Tristen Cross and First Star – Mack Hardy. Oil Capitals next game is at home Thursday, November 17th against WayWay – 7:30p.m. puck drop.

The Virden Oil Capitals are pleased to announce that graduating defenseman, Owen Solecki, has committed to play for the Keyano College Huskies hockey program next season. The Burns Lake, BC native was acquired by the Oil Caps prior to the January 10 trade deadline this season where he had a three points (1 G, 2 A) in 30 games for Virden. The 20-year-old blue liner played a crucial role for the team down the stretch and provided them with the experience and grit they needed to advance to the league semifinal. “We’re proud to see Owen achieve his goal of playing college hockey,” stated Troy Leslie, the Oil Caps Head Coach and General Manager. “Owen is a very mature and focused guy who had a good idea of what he wanted to do after junior hockey… this step seems to fall right in line with his plan.” Solecki plans to pursue a degree in power engineering while patrolling the blue line for the Huskies. “The school is a good fit for me and it allows me to keep playing the game which I’m excited about,” stated Solecki during a phone interview from his parent’s cattle ranch in Northern BC. “I plan to return to the farm one day, but for now I’m looking forward to this next step.” The recent Oil Caps alum is moving on, but he soon won’t forget his time in Virden. “Obviously I didn’t get to spend a full season with the team, but it was my favourite place to play junior hockey in my career. The fan support is awesome, we had a great group of guys, and my billets were unreal,” praised Solecki who played two seasons with La Ronge in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League before starting this past season with the OCN Blizzard. Keyano College is located in Fort McMurray, AB where the Huskies hockey program plays in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. During the 2014-15 campaign, the Huskies went 14-12-2-4 before falling to the eventual league champions, NAIT Ooks, in the league semi-finals. Keyano’s hockey program is led by Head Coach, Nate Bedford.