The Oil Capitals played 2 games this past weekend picking up 3 points. On Friday night they played the Natives picking up the win in Neepawa. Saturday night they played Steinbach at home and lost the game in a shootout.
The Oil Capitals Friday night game opened with 2 Virden goals in the first period, giving the Oil Capitals an early 2-0 lead. They continued with the momentum scoring early in the second period, taking the 3-0 lead. Neepawa turned the momentum scoring 3 to tie game up 3-3. But Virden took the momentum back scoring 2 goals before the end of the period making the score after the second 5-3 for the Oil Capitals. Neepawa took a goal back early in the third period making the score 5-4. Virden took back a late goal on the empty net making the final score 6-4.
Virden’s Tristan Thompson wasted no time scoring his second of regular season just 2:41 into the first period, giving Virden the early 1-0 lead. Hunter Cloutier scored another for the Oil Capitals, his third of the season, at 10:30 making the lead 2-0 after the first period.
The Oil Capitals kicked off the second period early with Kolten Kanaski scoring his second just 0:47 into the period extended the lead early to 3-0. Neepawa got three quick goals to tie it back up. Graeme Patrick scored his first at 1:18 to make it 3-1 for Virden. Bradley Marshall scored his first at 3:56 on the power play, cutting Virden’s lead to one with a score of 3-2. Eli Lieffers scored his second at 5:03, tying the score at 3-3. Virden turned the momentum when Dylan Halliday scored his third at 12:38 putting the Oil Capitals back up 4-3. Kolten Kanaski scored his second of the game at 15:00, extending Virden’s lead to 5-3 at the end of the second period.
Neepawa wasted no time in the third with Nathan Driver scoring his first just 1:25 in, making the score 5-4. Tanner Andrew sealed the win scoring an empty net goal making the final score 6-4 for the Virden Oil Capitals.
Virden’s Dalton Dosch picked up the win with a save percentage of 90.2%. Neepawa’s Ethan Peterson took the loss with a save percentage of 87.5%.
Virden’s Saturday night game at home started with a busy first period with Steinbach scoring early, and the Oil Capitals scoring 2 late to take the lead after the first period 2-1. The second period was quiet with no scoring. The third period saw a late goal by the Pistons tying the score 2-2 and forcing overtime. With overtime being unsuccessful the game went to a shootout where ultimately Steinbach took the win with a score of 3-2.
The first period started early with Ty Naaykens scoring his first of regular season at 1:37, giving the Pistons an early 1-0 lead. Hunter Cloutier scored his fourth at 16:44 tying the game at 1-1. Kolten Kanaski scored his fourth at 18:05, leaving the first period at a score of 2-1.
The second period went scoreless. The third period went scoreless for awhile before Steinbach’s Rylan Bettens scored his first of regular season at 17:39 tying the game at 2-2 and forcing the overtime period.
The overtime period went scoreless forcing the shootout. Virden’s Kolten Kanaski scored first in the shootout with Steinbach’s Kyle Bettens missing his shot. Virden’s Hunter Cloutier missed his shot with Steinbach’s Ty Naaykens scoring. Finally Virden’s Tanner Andrew missed with Steinbach’s Codey Behun scoring making the final score 3-2.
Steinbach’s Matt Lenz picked up the win with a save percentage of 93.3%. Virden’s Dalton Dosch picked up the overtime loss with a save percentage of 94.1%.