The Virden Oil Capitals’ road sweep of the Portage Terriers has put them on top of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Interior Division after two weekends of play.
Last Friday, Virden dominated Portage, 7-3. On Sunday, the Oil Caps prevailed 4-3 in a shootout. After four games, Virden was 3-0-1-0 on the season. Their lone loss was 2-1 in overtime to Portage in the second game of the season after prevailing 4-2 in the opener.
“There were certainly a lot of good things about our group over the first two weekends,” Virden head coach Tyson Ramsey said. “I liked our compete level. I thought at times we played a very fast game and I liked our goaltending.
“There were also a number of things that we have recognized as areas in which we need to be better, which is something we obviously expected, and we will begin to work on those things here in practice this week.”
After battling Portage in six straight games, including the preseason, the Oil Capitals host Winkler this weekend for games on Friday and Saturday nights. The Flyers are 3-1-0-0 on the season. It will be the first time that Virden’s own Tanner Andrew, a 2020 MJHL Second Team All-Star, will compete against his hometown team since being swapped to Winkler. He had two goals and four points through four games.
“We will need to be better in our own zone against a more skilled Winkler team,” Ramsey said. “We will need to be more efficient with our sticks and turning pucks over so that we don't spend so much time defending. We will also need to be more disciplined as we spent too much time in the penalty box against Portage.”
Oil Caps 7, Terriers 3
On Oct. 16 on the road, the Oil Caps took control of the game early. Goals by Owen Blocker, Hunter Cloutier, and co-captain Brett Paddock staked the team to a 3-0 first period lead. That lead grew in the second session. Defenceman Trevor Hunt and Josh Belcher each scored on powerplays to give Virden a 5-0 advantage.
“We did a good job taking away time and space in our end of the rink,” Ramsey said. “I thought we really focused on getting pucks and traffic to the net and we were rewarded with a couple early goals.”
In the third period, the Terriers were able to score three times, including once on the powerplay. Their goals came from Peyton Gorski, Rhys Raeside, and Jacob Piller.
However, Oil Caps co-captain Jack Einarson lit the lamp twice shorthanded to help keep the dogs at bay. Einarson, who said he could not recall scoring twice shorthanded in a contest before, attributed his success to “a good penalty kill structure by us, which led to a couple turnovers and I was able to capitalize both times.”
Virden goalie Kyle Kozma made 37 saves on 40 shots. Cole Johnston stopped 31 shots for Portage.
Kozma, Einarson and Belcher – the latter two each had three points on the night – were named the stars of the game. Belcher, Dylan Halliday and Logan Rands each recorded two assists.
Oil Caps 4, Terriers 3 SO
Halliday scored the winning goal in a shootout on Oct. 18 as the Oil Caps came from behind on the road.
“I came in slow, did a wave over the puck with my stick to try and freeze the goalie, and then went backhand, forehand and snuck it in along the post,” Halliday said.
The 19-year-old, third-year Oil Caps forward’s goal came on a day when some of his rookie teammates achieved several firsts. Goaltender Ryley Gross earned his first MJHL win in his first start. He made 35 saves. In the shootout, he prevented two of Portage’s four shooters from scoring.
After Virden fell behind 2-0 in the first period due to goals by Colby Lubachowski and Jacob Piller, the latter on a powerplay, in the second frame Oil Caps newcomer Roux Bazin lit the lamp for the first time in the MJHL. Later in that period, Kian Calder scored with the man advantage give Portage a 3-1 lead.
In the third period, Virden rallied on goals by hometown product Braeden Lewis and Belcher. It was Lewis’ first goal as an Oil Cap.
“I think Sunday we were not very good for the first two periods and we talked after the second about just getting back to working hard and sticking to our structure and making simple plays,” Ramsey said. “You have to give our group credit. They came out and did a good job in the third and in overtime. Ryley Gross made some big saves to keep us in it as well.”
Neither team scored in the overtime session, so the contest went to a shootout. In that round, two Terriers (Ryan Botterill and Ryan Hofer) scored while Cloutier got one in for Virden. Rookie Conor Geekie’s backhand goal kept Virden alive and Halliday won it for the Oil Caps. Neither of Portage’s last two shooters could score on Gross.
Terriers goalie Chris Fines made 31 saves on the night. Elkhorn product Layne Toder recorded an assist on a Portage powerplay goal. Bazin, Calder and Gross were named the three stars of the game.
