Tristan Keck scored twice and Connor Slipp kicked aside all 22 shots he faced as the Winkler Flyers blanked the Dauphin Kings 5-0, Friday night at Credit Union Place. Playing their third game in four nights, the Flyers played a near perfect road game, picking up their fifth straight win.
Back on the road after beating the Winnipeg Blues in a shootout the night before, the Flyers went in search of their 13th win in their last 15 games. Winkler had won four of the previous five meetings against Dauphin, outscoring them 15-3 in their last two games alone.
Winkler got off to a good start when Jordy Williamson ripped a shot under the left arm of Kings netminder Brandon Holtby, giving Winkler a 1-0 lead with 6:49 remaining in the opening period. Scott Gall drew the assist on Williamson’s 14th, picking up his 20th point in his last 15 games played.
The Flyers doubled their lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal just over five minutes later. From the right wing corner, Tristan Keck fed a pass up to the point to Jordan Wall who fired a wrist shot on goal. Standing right in front of the net, Kayden Jarvis tipped in his 12th of the season giving Winkler a bit of a cushion entering the first intermission.
Winkler picked up the pace in the second and really started to take it to the Kings. With just over four minutes left in the period, Mitch Dyck muscled the puck out of the Winkler zone, sending Tristan Keck and Kayden Jarvis charging into the Dauphin end. After Jarvis nudged the puck forward, Keck picked it up and found the far side of the net for the Flyers third goal of the game.
Then with 1:05 left in the second, Keck and Jarvis went in on another odd man rush with Keck scoring his second of the game and 34th of the season to give Winkler a 4-0 lead. Kayden Jarvis and Connor Hamonic assisted.
The Orange and Black would tack on another one in the third period thanks to Braden Billaney’s ninth of the year on the power-play. Lawson McDonald and Thomas Mansbridge assisted on the goal to put the Flyers in front by a score of 5-0.
Connor Slipp and the Flyers defense, who had snuffed out the Kings offense all night long, had all the insurance they would need after that, giving Slipp his second shutout of the season. The 19 year old goaltender increased his record to 17-4, while winning his fourth game in his last five starts.
The Flyers outshot Dauphin 41-23 in the game, 18-6 in the third period alone. During the Flyers five game winning streak, the club has outscored their opponents 30-7. With the five goal victory, the Flyers have now won 24 of their 39 wins by a margin of three goals or more. They have also scored five goals or more in 11 of their last 15 games.
Winkler (39-12-3) will return home to face the Selkirk Steelers on Sunday, February 21st. Puck drop at the Winkler Recreation Complex is 7:30pm. Winkler is 2-1-1 against the Steelers this season. Advance tickets are available at the Winkler Coop Gas Bar. After Friday’s game, the Flyers are just three points back of the second place Steinbach Pistons with six games remaining in the regular season for both teams.
Great Canadian Oil Change Three Stars
1st Star – Tristan Keck (Winkler)
2nd Star – Kayden Jarvis (Winkler)
3rd Star – Lawson McDonald (Winkler)
Winkler Canvas Hardest Working Flyers Of The Game
All Winkler Defensemen