SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN - The Carlyle Cougars defeated the Redvers Rockets 6-5 in a shootout Friday night in an early-season clash between two of the top teams in the Big Six Hockey League, but then lost 4-3 to the Carnduff Red Devils the following night.
Redvers had a 3-1 lead at one point in the second period, but Carlyle fought back to tie the game before the frame was finished. The two teams traded goals in the third.
Ben Johnstone had two goals for Carlyle, and Taysen Holt, Cale Adams and Jon Gaudet also scored.
Presten Kopeck finished with four goals on the night for Redvers, and Jordon Miller also scored.
Curtis Meger was in goal for Carlyle, and Thomas Bauche was the Rockets' goalie.
The following night, Carlyle raced out to a 3-0 lead, with Brett Turgeon, Josh Romanyk and Riley Niven scoring for Carlyle in the opening 15:20 of the game. The latter two goals came nine seconds apart.
Casey Thompson scored before the first period was out, Cooper Bowman tallied 61 seconds into the second and Matthew Plews tied the game midway through the stanza. Brandon Trask scored the winner with just over six minutes to play in the third.
Cameron Pateman (Carlyle) and Cody Dumaine (Carnduff) were the goalies.
Two other games were played on the weekend. The Oxbow Huskies edged the Kipling-Windthorst Oil Kings 2-1 in overtime on Friday. Alex Von Sprecken scored the winner 61 seconds into overtime on a power play.
Cody Davis notched the other Oxbow goal. Carson Harcourt had the Oil Kings' goal.
Zack Miller was in goal for Oxbow, and Zachary Barath was the goalie for Kipling-Windthorst.
The Midale Mustangs beat the Wawota Flyers 7-4 Saturday in the Flyers' season opener. Josh Bear scored twice in the opening seven minutes of the first period for the Mustangs, and Sterling Bear had a goal and three assists for Midale. Dallas Kickley, Connor Burk, Matt Geske and Jonas Thomson also scored. Carver Ottenbreit was in goal for Midale.
Brady Dinwoodie, Taylor Ernst, Turner Jacobson and Lucas Hislop scored for Wawota. Brendan Rinn was the Flyers' goalie.
The Flyers will visit the Huskies on Nov. 22. Three games are slated for Nov. 23: the Oil Kings at the Red Devils, the Moosomin Rangers at the Rockets and the Cougars at the Mustangs. Those games are all expected to start at 8 p.m. Carnduff will be at Wawota on Nov. 24 at 6 p.m.
