As the Winkler Flyers get ready for the unofficial second half of the season, the club has announced their leadership group for the remainder of the season. Head Coach Ken Pearson has given 20 year old forward Patrice Wren the Captain “C”, while Tristan Keck, Reid Burak and Jon Carlson will serve as Assistant Captains. “With a veteran group we knew we had good leadership candidates, and we just wanted to see who evolved as the leaders both on and off the ice” said Pearson when asked why he waited until the Christmas break to decide on his captains. Patrice Wren came to Winkler in a trade this past off season from the Pembroke Lumber Kings where he won the RBC Cup in 2011. The 20 year old from Beachburg, Ontario is in the middle of his fourth year of junior hockey. He is currently third in team scoring with 29 points (10 goals – 19 assists). “Wren plays in all situations and has done everything you want to do in junior hockey. He plays the way we want all our guys to play. He also has the respect of all our players which is important for us.” Added Pearson. Morris, Manitoba native Tristan Keck is in his third season in Winkler and served as an Assistant Captain in 2013-2014. Morden product Reid Burak is also in his third season as a Flyer. Jon Carlson, from Fort Francis, Ontario was picked up in a trade from Portage this summer. “Tristan and Reid have been here for three years and have gone through the ups and downs, with both bringing a different dynamic to the team. Reid will battle for you, do anything for his teammates and say something when needed, Tristan is more of a lead by example kind of guy. Jon came in this summer and from day one jumped right in and became a great team player.” The Winkler Flyers will host the Steinbach Pistons on Wednesday, December 31st at 4:30pm in their New Year’s Eve matinee. It will be Winkler’s first game back from the Christmas Break.

Scott Gall scored his second of the game, 19 seconds into overtime to lift the Winkler Flyers to a 6-5 win over the Steinbach Pistons on New Years Eve. Dasan Sydora made 39 saves to help the Orange and Black pick up the win in their first game back from the Christmas break. With both teams hitting the ice for the first time since they met December 20th in Steinbach, the Flyers and Pistons met for a New Year’s Eve matinee in Winkler. The Flyers had a (1-2-1) in their four previous meetings against the Pistons. After the Pistons took a 1-0 lead on the power-play, just over seven minutes into the game, Kayden Jarvis tipped in his seventh of the year on the power-play pulling the Flyers even at a goal a piece. Jordan Wall and Even Last assisted on the goal with 9:21 to play in the first. With just under two minutes left in the opening period, Scott Gall and Lawson McDonald assisted on Jarvis’ second of the game and the Flyers had a 2-1 lead. Steinbach would tie the game in the final minute and the two teams skated into the intermission tied 2-2 with the Pistons outshooting the Flyers 16-6 through 20 minutes. Steinbach pushed back hard in the second period but Dasan Sydora and the Flyers defense managed to hold off the Pistons attack. After a number of minutes of being pinned in their own zone, Kayden Jarvis rushed the puck up the ice and slid it over to Scott Gall who tipped in his 12th to put the Flyers up 3-2 with 5:55 left in the second. Despite being outplayed in the middle frame, Winkler added to their lead with just over a minute left in the period when Cam Whyte scored a short-handed marker giving Winkler a 4-2 lead. It was Whyte’s 19th goal of the season and it gave Winkler a 4-2 lead after the second, despite being outshot 28-17 through 40 minutes. The Pistons started the third period with their second power-play goal of the game midway through the period, cutting Winkler’s lead to 4-3. The Flyers got that one back with 6:45 left in regulation when Lawson McDonald scored his eighth from Scott Gall and Evan Last. Now trailing 5-3, the Pistons scored two straight goals, including their third power-play goal of the night with 2:10 left on the clock and the game remained tied 5-5 after regulation. The ensuing overtime period did not last long as Scott Gall carried the puck down the left wing and snapped in his second of the game into the top corner giving the Flyers the 6-5 victory. Zak Hicks drew the lone assist on Gall’s 13th of the season. Dasan Sydora made 39 stops while improving his record to (19-5-2). The Pistons outshot the Flyers 44-25 overall. Winkler went 2-for-4 on the power-play and 1-for-4 on the penalty-kill. Four different Flyers recorded multi-point games with Scott Gall (2 goals – 2 assists), Lawson McDonald (1 goal – 2 assists), Evan Last (2 assists) and Kayden Jarvis (2 goals -1 assist) all recording more than one point. The Flyers (23-10-6) will host the Selkirk Steelers on Friday, January 2nd in their next game. The Flyers remain tied for second place in the MJHL Standings with the Winnipeg Blues and lead the fourth place Pistons by three points. GAME STATS

The Winkler Flyers managed only a single point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the visiting Selkirk Steelers on Friday night, in the middle game of their three game homestand. The Flyers fired nearly 50 shots on goal and dominated much of the game only to see too many of their chance fail to produce results. Playing their first game of 2015, the Flyers welcomed the Steelers looking for their second win in a row. The Flyers had three wins and a loss in their previous four games against their rivals from Selkirk. The Flyers opened the scoring at the tail end of the first period thanks to captain Patrice Wren. With 41 seconds left on the clock, Wren stripped a Steelers forward of the puck in front of the Flyers net and carried it down the ice. Near the top of the left faceoff circle, he snapped a wrist shot over the shoulder of goaltender Hayden Dola, scoring his 11th of the year and giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Winkler continued to generate more scoring chances in the second period and had many great opportunities to add to their lead but failed to find the back of the net. The Flyers lead remained 1-0 through 40 minutes while outshooting Selkirk 29-22 after two periods. With 7:52 to play in the third period, Steelers’ forward Justin Derlago snuck the puck through the legs of goaltender Dasan Sydora and the game was tied 1-1. The Flyers had several chances to take the lead back but it was Selkirk who took a 2-1 lead with just 1:18 to play in regulation. Now trailing for the first time in the hockey game, the Flyers pulled their goaltender with a faceoff coming up deep in Selkirk territory in the final 30 seconds of the period. After winning the faceoff, Patrice Wren got the puck to Tristan Keck on the right wing wall and the league’s leading goal scorer wired a shot into the top corner pulling Winkler even with just 11 seconds to play. It was Keck’s 33rd goal of the season. The Flyers had their chances to finish off the Steelers in overtime but the contest remained 2-2 through 65 minutes of play. The shootout was quick, as both Selkirk shooters would find the back of the net while Scott Gall and Patrice Wren were either stopped by the goaltender or the goal post and the Steelers would get the extra point and the 3-2 victory. Dasan Sydora had another strong game in goal for Winkler making 38 saves while seeing his record slip to (19-5-3). The Red Deer native made many key stops in the game, including a couple of big saves on Selkirk breakaways. Winkler outshot Selkirk 49-40 through 65 minutes of play. The Flyers went 0-for-5 on the power-play and 2-for-2 on the penalty-kill. The Flyers (23-10-7) move into sole possession of second place in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with the point and have now earned at least a point in their last four games. Winkler will host the Neepawa Natives (10-26-2) on Tuesday, January 6th in their next game. It will be Winkler’s final home game until February 1st against Virden thanks to the Provincial Women’s Curling Championship being played in Winkler later in the month. GAME STATS

After a sluggish first period, the Winkler Flyers scored six unanswered goals in a 7-2 win over the visiting Neepawa Natives. Tristan Keck recorded his second career hat-trick, helping the Flyers erase a 2-1 first period deficit while earning their 24th win of the season. Playing their third of three straight home games, the Flyers welcomed the Neepawa Natives for their final game at home in the month of January. Winkler came into the game having earned at least a point in their last four games, which included an 8-3 win over Neepawa, January 2nd in Winkler in their last meeting. The Flyers got off to a quick start as Scott Gall scored his first of the game just 1:18 into the first period. Lawson McDonald and Evan Last drew the assists on the Morden native’s 14th goal of the season. However, the period would go downhill for Winkler moments later. Just over three minutes after the Flyers took a 1-0 lead, former Flyer Shawn Pachet tied the game for Neepawa. The Natives kept swarming the Flyers net, only to have goaltender Dasan Sydora turn them aside for the bulk of the period. Neepawa, who had a shot lead of 18-6 at one point in the period took a 2-1 lead with 4:23 left in the first and took their one goal advantage into the intermission. The second period went a lot smoother for Winkler as they started to take control of the game. Winkler tied the game 2-2 with 8:21 left on the clock thanks to Tristan Keck’s 34th of the season. Not even a minute later, Scott Gall drove through the Neepawa defense, made a nice move around goaltender Alex Henry, and tucked home his second of the game. Evan Last drew his second assist of the game and the Flyers had a 3-2 lead. Tristan Keck would score his second of the game with 1:08 to play before the break and Winkler took a 4-2 lead into the intermission. After being out-played and out-shot in the first period, the Flyers outshot Neepawa 19-6 in the second and had a two goal lead heading into the third. Just over seven and a half minutes into the third period, Evan Last and Scott Gall assisted on Kayden Jarvis’ ninth of the season and the Flyers lead was up to 5-2. Just 95 seconds later, Jordan Wall scored his second goal of the year when his point shot found the back of the net and Winkler had a four goal lead. With 14 seconds left in regulation, Tristan Keck hit the back of the net for the third time in the game and Winkler’s lead had grown to 7-2. Scott Gall and Tanner Hepp assisted on Keck’s league leading 36th goal of the season. Dasan Sydora (20-5-3) made 32 saves while earning his 20th win of the season. Winkler out-shot Neepawa 35-34 overall, 24-15 in the second and third periods. Winkler went 0-for-3 on the power-play and 4-for-4 on the penalty-kill. Tristan Keck (3 goals – 1 assist), Scott Gall (2 goals – 2 assists), Evan Last (3 assists) and Connor Hamonic (2 assists) all recorded multi-point games. Winkler played much of the game with just 15 skaters after Bryce Enns left with an injury after taking a check in the opening minutes of the game. Linemate Brett Klassen was then ejected after the subsequent fighting penalty. Assistant Captain Reid Burak was a late scratch due to illness. The Flyers (24-10-7) remain in second place in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League after the win as they now begin a stretch of six straight road games. Winkler will travel to Virden for the first time this season on Friday, January 9th (7:30pm). You can listen to Friday’s game live on Country 88.9FM and online at www.pembinavalleyonline.com with Matt Friesen’s pregame show at 7:25pm. GAME STATS

The Winkler Flyers have acquired veteran F Jagger Thomas (94) and future considerations from the Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL) for future considerations. The Orange and Black picked up the 6’1”, 192lbs winger with the January 10th trading deadline only days away. In 35 games played with the Stampeders this season, the Boissevain, Manitoba native recorded 15 points (2 goals – 13 assists) to go along with 35 penalty minutes. In his three previous seasons in Swan Valley he recorded 66 points (23 goals – 43 assists) and 124 penalty minutes in 170 games played. “He’s a hard working guy that can play against the other team’s top line.” Said Flyers Head Coach and General Manager Ken Pearson. He then went on to say that Thomas is also a great teammate and will be very good in the dressing room. The trade brings the Flyers roster up to 22 players, and with F Nolan McGuire out with a long term injury, the Flyers have two more roster spots to fill before the January 10th trading deadline. The Flyers would like to welcome Jagger and his family to the Winkler Flyers organization and look forward to seeing him on the ice in an Orange and Black uniform.

In their second trade of the week, the Winkler Flyers have added G Devon Fordyce (94) from the OCN Blizzard in exchange for G Casey Parker (95) prospect F Matt Bullard (98) and future considerations. Along with goaltender Dasan Sydora, this move gives Winkler one of the best goalie tandems in the MJHL. Fordyce is a 6’1”, 200lbs goaltender from Cochrane, Alberta. The 20 year old had an (8-16-1) record with the Blizzard this season while sporting a 3.02 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. He is also tied with Dasan Sydora for the MJHL lead in shutouts with three. Fordyce has Western Hockey League experience with the Prince George Cougars and Seattle Thunderbirds. He also helped the Brooks Bandits (AJHL) win the RBC Cup in 2013. Going to the Blizzard are 19 year old goaltender Casey Parker (95), 16 year old forward prospect Matt Bullard (98) and future considerations. Parker started two games for Winkler after being acquired from the Melville Millionaires (SJHL) at the December 1st roster cutdown deadline. The Flyers now have one card remaining ahead of the January 10th trading deadline with 22 players currently on the roster. The Flyers would like to welcome Devon and his family to the Flyers organization and would like to wish Casey and Matt all the best in the future.

The Winkler Flyers fired 39 shots at Oil Caps goaltender Sean Kuehn and beat him only once in a 5-1 loss in Virden in the first of six straight games on the road. The Orange and Black had enough chances to win the game, but were forced to settle for their fourth road loss in their last six games away from home. Traveling to Virden for the first time this season, the Winkler Flyers were trying to keep their spot in second place in the MJHL standings, having earned at least a point in five straight games. The Flyers and Oil Capitals had met just once before this season with Winkler coming out on the wrong side of the decision at home back in November. The Flyers had also never lost a game at Tundra Oil and Gas Place since the Oil Capitals moved from Winnipeg before the 2012-2013 season. The Flyers had a good first period and had numerous chances to score only to be turned away by Virden goaltender Sean Kuehn. Winkler outshot Virden 11-6 in the period and went into the first intermission in a scoreless tie. Virden capitalized on their chances in the second and quickly had a 2-0 lead before the period was five minutes old. The Oil Caps took a 3-0 lead on the power-play with just under three minutes left on the clock and Winkler trailed by three heading into the break, despite generating offensive pressure in the Virden zone. Just after a Flyers power-play to start the third period, the home team extended their cushion to four goals, 1:36 into the period. Jordan Greig then scored his second of the game, on the power-play with just over eleven and a half minute left in regulation and Virden had a 5-0 lead. Winkler continued to fire pucks on goal and a bounce finally went their way with exactly three minutes to go in the hockey game. After taking the pass from Patrice Wren, Virden native Cam Whyte rung a shot off the cross bar. Luckily for Winkler, Tristan Keck was right there to knock the rebound into the net to cut Virden’s lead to 5-1. It was Keck’s league leading 37th goal of the season. Dasan Sydora (20-6-3) took the loss in goal suffering just his sixth regulation loss of the season. He made 22 saves in the game as Winkler out-shot the Oil Capitals 39-27 overall. Winkler went 0-for-5 on the power-play while Virden went 2-for-3. The Flyers (24-11-7) have the next six days off and will continue their six game road swing in Virden on Friday, January 16th. Puck drop at Tundra Oil and Gas Place in Virden is 7:30pm with Matt Friesen’s pregame show on Country 88.9FM and online at www.pembinavalleyonline.com getting underway at 7:25pm. The game can also be heard on CJRB 1220 in Boissevain. After the trades for forward Jagger Thomas and goaltender Devon Fordyce this week, the Flyers have one open roster spot to fill before the January 10th trading deadline. Stay tuned to www.winklerflyers.com, Twitter (@winklerflyers) or the Flyers Facebook page for up to date info on any trade deadline activity.   GAME STATS

Lawson McDonald scored a pair of goals to help the Winkler Flyers defeat the Swan Valley Stampeders 4-1 in the first game of their three game northern road trip. Dasan Sydora also made 34 saves on 35 shots as the Orange and Black snapped a three game losing streak. Still in search of their first road win since November 23rd, the Flyers returned to the Swan River Centennial Arena looking for their third win in as many games against the Stampeders. In their two previous meetings, the Flyers had outscored Swan by a count of 10-1. The Flyers had a strong opening period on Friday night but could not translate their chances into goals. Winkler outshot the Stampeders 13-7 in the first period and went into the intermission in a scoreless tie. Winkler managed to beat Stamps’ goaltender Graham Hunt just 38 seconds into the second period when Patrice Wren tipped in Connor Hamonic’s point shot and the Flyers had a 1-0 lead. Cam Whyte assisted on the captain’s 12th of the season. Just under five minutes later, Lawson McDonald buried his ninth of the season during a goal mouth scramble and the Flyers lead had doubled to 2-0. Brett Klassen and former Stampeder Jagger Thomas drew the assists. Near the end of the period, Klassen sent Bryce Enns into the Stampeders zone and the 20 year old Cartwright native fired in a wrister from the top of the circle pushing Winkler ahead 3-0 with 2:08 on the clock. The Flyers would add to their lead again in the third period, with this goal coming on a 5-on-3 power-play. With 8:42 to play in regulation, Cam Whyte and Jagger Thomas each picked up their second assist of the night on McDonald’s second goal of the game and 10th of the season. The third period was definitely in busiest period for goaltender Dasan Sydora who had his shutout bid broken with 5:49 to play in regulation when the Stamps cut Winkler’s lead to 4-1. Winkler would buckle down the rest of the way and skate away with the 4-1 road victory. Dasan Sydora made 34 saves on 35 shots while earning his 21st win of the season. Both teams finished the game with 35 shots on goal. The win snapped the Flyers three game losing streak and seven game losing streak on the road. The Flyers went 1-for-2 on the power-play and 2-for-2 on the penalty-kill. Along with McDonald’s two goals, Brett Klassen, Cam Whyte and Jagger Thomas all recorded multi-point games with two assists each. Thomas’ assists were his first points as a member of the Flyers. The Flyers (25-13-7) will continue their road trip, Saturday night in OCN (16-23-4). The Flyers are (3-0-2) against the Blizzard this season. You can catch the game live from the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre on Country 88.9FM and online at www.pembinavalleyonline.com with Matt Friesen’s pregame show at 6:55pm. GAME STATS

The Winkler Flyers managed a single point Saturday night in OCN, losing 3-2 to the Blizzard in a shootout. Tristan Keck scored his MJHL leading 39th goal of the season and Connor Hamonic added his fourth as the Flyers completed their season series against the Blizzard with a (3-0-3) record, taking nine of twelve points against OCN. On the heals of a 4-1 win over the Swan Valley Stampeders the night before, the Flyers made their final regular season trip to the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre in OCN. Winkler had won three of their previous five meetings against the Blizzard, lost one in overtime and once in a shootout. The Flyers got off on the wrong foot in this one as Devon Muir gave the Blizzard an early 1-0 lead just 13 seconds into the hockey game. Winkler responded well and would get that one back just a few minutes later. With the faceoff in the OCN zone, Brett Klassen won the draw back to Connor Hamonic who scored his fourth of the season, tying the game at one, 2:33 into the period. Winkler would then take the lead just over two minutes later when Cam Whyte and Patrice Wren assisted on Tristan Keck’s MJHL leading 39th goal of the season. The Flyers took their one goal lead into the second period. The Flyers continued to outshoot and out chance the Blizzard in the second period but could not get their opportunities to translate into goals. OCN would tie the game with just 57 seconds remaining in the second period and the game was all square through 40 minutes. Both teams had chances to finish the game off in the third as the Flyers and Blizzard combined for 32 shots in the period only to have the game remain 2-2 after regulation. After overtime solved nothing, the game was headed to a shootout. The Flyers have not had much luck in shootouts this season, coming into the game with a (1-6) record in shootouts and already losing one to OCN earlier in the year. Dasan Sydora and OCN goaltender Brody Claeys kept the shooters at bay through five and a half rounds before Cole McCartan won in for the Blizzard in round six. Sydora (21-7-3) made 36 saves through 65 minutes of work as the Flyers outshot OCN 42-38 overall. Winkler went 0-for-3 on the power-play and 2-for-2 on the penalty-kill. The Flyers (25-13-8) will conclude their three game northern road swing, Sunday night in Dauphin (16-23-6) with their sixth straight game on the road. Puck drop at Credit Union Place in Dauphin is 7pm with the pregame show live on Country 88.9FM and online at www.pembinavalleyonline.com getting underway at 6:55pm. The Flyers are (5-0) against the Kings this season. GAME STATS

This season, the Winkler Flyers and the Manitoba Liquor & Lottiers "IMPACT" program have teamed up to recognize an outstanding member of the Winkler Flyers Hockey Club by naming the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries "IMPACT" Player of the Month. During the month of November, Cam Whyte led all Flyers in scoring with five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 10 games played. He has already surpassed his career high of 21 points which he recorded last season. Manitoba Liquor Lotteries "Impact" Ambassador, Reid Curruthers presented Whyte with the award. Learn more about the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries IMPACT program Click Here.