The Winkler Flyers came up just short on Wednesday night, falling 3-2 despite a strong start and a late push to tie the game.
Winkler opened the scoring less than a minute in, as Joshua Ingram buried his first of the playoffs just 54 seconds into the game. Riley Fequet and Connor Rieger picked up the assists on the early goal, giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead after one period while also holding a slight edge in shots.
The momentum shifted in the second period, with Niverville striking twice early. A power play goal tied the game, and another marker less than two minutes later gave them their first lead of the night. Despite several power play opportunities, the Flyers couldn’t find a response in the middle frame.
In the third, Niverville extended their lead late to make it 3-1, putting the Flyers in a tough spot heading into the final minutes. Winkler pushed back on the power play, and Niklas Gudmundson pulled them within one with 1:23 remaining, finishing off a play from Ryan Winklebleck and Rhylan Baxter.
The Flyers continued to press, but couldn’t find the equalizer before time ran out.
Liam Ernst turned aside 24 shots in the loss, while Winkler finished 1-for-5 on the power play.
The Flyers will look to bounce back in their next outing as the series continues Friday night in Winkler!
