Although Crescent Point Place wasn't ready to show off her polished look yet (much to the dismay of visitors) the Weyburn Red Wings came home to show the 1255 fans in attendance that they are a force to be reckoned with.
It's the type of home-opener that Weyburnites dream of - taking on their archrivals, the Estevan Bruins, in a rough and tumble match which pits family and friends from the two close communities. Well for at least 127 minutes of SJHL hockey anyway.
Estevan's Mark Cross opened the scoring in the dying seconds of the opening period after Weyburn had just finished throwing everything at the Bruins netminder Joel Danyluk for almost twenty minutes in the opening frame.
Weyburn's Drew George put the Wings on the scoreboard midway through the second period much to the delight of the crowd that was ready to explode when he found the back of the Bruins' net. Brock Appleyard was awarded an assist for his part in the first Weyburn goal.
Coltyn Sanderson brought the hometown crowd to their feet again when he scored the team's second goal with help from George and Appleyard with just over four minutes remaining in the second period.
In a fast paced game Weyburn's netminder Riley Hengen played an inspired game and kept the Bruins off the scoreboard time after time.
Midway though the final period Weyburn's Appleyard made the train whistle wail once again with what would turn out to be the winning goal with help from Ryan Whitell and George.
Estevan would manage one more goal by Joel Kot with eight minutes remaining in the contest but the Wings would throw up a strong wall of defence to seal the home opener with a 3-2 victory over the Bruins.
Bombers edge Wings 2-1
In a game the following night, which saw Wings netminder Mitch Kilgore turn away 15 of 17 shots it was a tough loss for the Wings in their second night in front of their hometown crowd.
Weyburn's powerhouse Brock Appleyard seemed to have found the attention of the evening's referee, and not for his scoring ability where they needed him most.
Weyburn was able to score first at the 16:36 mark of the first period when Coltyn Sanderson scored on the power play with passes from Drew George and Rhys Thomas.
Flin Flon Bomber Ryan Fox put the Bombers on the scoreboard during a power play late in the second period. Then almost thirty seconds later, while still on the power play, Andrew Johnston scored what turned out to be the winning goal at the 17:53 mark of the middle frame.
Weyburn continued to pepper the Bombers' netminder P.J. Musico with 15 more shots in the final period. The visiting goalie stood strong in his crease for the remainder of the game.
Wings bruise Terriers 4-1
The Wings continue to grow steadily in strength, and Tuesday night's road trip to Yorkton proved to be a confidence builder for the young Wings team.
Weyburn's Shawn Cowie opened the scoring before the two minute mark of the first period setting the Terriers fans into the back of their seats. Dylan Coupal and Rodney Cowie were given assists for their role in the opening goal at the 1:31 minute mark.
Weyburn's Appleyard then found the back of the Yorkton net, shorthanded at the 19:41 mark of the first period with an assist going to George to make it a 2-0 contest to this point.
The Terriers' Zak Majkowski would draw the Yorkton team to within one goal of the Wings at the 2:13 mark of the second period on a power play and both clubs would remain scoreless for the remainder of the second period despite throwing everything they could at each other's netminders.
In an almost mirror like situation of the first period, Weyburn's Cole Klippenstein put his team up 3-1 at the 1:22 mark of the final period, with Scott Kirkham and Lucas Ulmer garnering assists on the goal.
It wasn't until the dying seconds of the game when George would add the final dagger to the Terriers hopes of defeating the Wings at home. Tanner McCall and Appleyard would be awarded assists on the fourth and final goal of the game.
The Wings are home to host The Battlefords at 7:30 p.m. at Crescent Point Place, Friday, October 15. Then the Wings will play host to the Melfort Millionaires, October 17th at the special time of 6:00 p.m. sharp on Sunday night.
