The Winkler Flyers scored six unanswered goals in a 6-1 victory over the visiting OCN Blizzard on Sunday night, earning their fifth win in their last six games. After giving up the game’s first goal, the Orange and Black scored twice in the second and four times in the third to increase their overall record to 6-1-1.
Sunday’s contest was the first of two straight games against their rivals from the north, as the Blizzard will also be the Flyers next opponent, Tuesday night back in Winkler. During their six head-to-head meetings last season, the Flyers had a 3-0-3 record.
Both teams had their chances as part of a fairly even first period, but it was the visitors who hit the scoreboard first. With 1:16 remaining in the first period, OCN forward Devin Muir beat Flyers’ goaltender Clarke Flegel from just in front of the net, giving the Blizzard a 1-0 lead on the power-play. It would turn out to be the only puck to get past Flegel in the hockey game. The Flyers went into the first intermission down 1-0 with the shots even at 12-12.
Winkler picked up the pace in the second period and started taking over the game. Just past the halfway point of the period, Jordan Wall took the puck to the middle of the OCN blueline and fired a wrist shot off the cross bar and in for his first of the year, tying the game 1-1. With 3:54 to play in the period Kayden Jarvis took the pass in the slot and beat Blizzard goaltender Emiliem Boily blocker side to put Winkler in front 2-1. Kurt Sonne and Nolan McGuire drew the assists. It was McGuire’s first regular season game in nearly 10 months due to a series of injuries.
The Flyers peppered the OCN goal with 21 shots in the second period and took their 2-1 advantage into the third.
The third period is where the Flyers put the game away. Just three minutes into the final period, Cam Whyte redirected Mitch Dyck’s point shot past Boily for the Flyers third goal. Kayden Jarvis also assisted on Whyte’s fifth of the season. At the 7:14 mark, Lawson McDonald and Zak Hicks assisted on Scott Gall’s power-play goal and the Flyers had a 4-1 lead. It was Gall’s fifth of the year.
Last year’s leading scorer Tristan Keck who had not scored a goal since the first game of the season broke through for a pair later in the period. Near the midway point of the third, Clarke Flegel kicked out a rebound to the Flyers’ blue line and right on the stick of Keck. The Morris native then put it into high gear and scored on a beautiful wrist shot on a short-handed breakaway making the score 5-1 for Winkler.
With just over three minutes left in the game, Keck picked up another loose puck in the neutral zone and raced in on another breakaway, scoring his second of the game and third of the year to push the Flyers in front by a score of 6-1.
Clarke Flegel had a very solid game in goal for the Flyers increasing his record to 2-0 with a 32 save performance. The Flyers outshot OCN 49-33 overall. Winkler went 1-for-6 on the power-play and 3-for-4 on the penalty-kill. Winkler has now scored a power-play goal in all eight regular season games.
The 6-1-1 Winkler Flyers will host the 3-3-2 OCN Blizzard for a second straight game on Tuesday, October 13th. Puck drop at the Winkler Recreation Complex is 7:30pm.
GREAT CANADIAN OIL CHANGE THREE STARS
1st – Tristan Keck – Winkler (2 goals – 1 assist)
2nd – Kayden Jarvis – Winkler (1 goal – 1 assist)
3rd – Clarke Flegel – Winkler (32 saves)