The Waywayseecappo Wolverines (31-21-5-2) will cap off their regular season schedule on Saturday when they welcome the visiting Virden Oil Capitals to Waywayseecappo.
Skating to their 31st win of the season against Neepawa on Friday night, the Wolverines are now 6-1-1-0 in their last ten and continue to add to the organization’s second most successful regular-season record.
After a scoreless first period in Neepawa, the Wolverines scored twice in the second and twice more in the third to come away with a 4-1 win to keep up with their fifth-place position.
It should be another spirited affair on Saturday night when the Wolverines close out their regular season schedule against the Oil Capitals.
Head to Head
In five games against the Oil Caps’ this season, the Wolverines have put together an impressive 4-1-0-0 record against the club from Virden.
After kicking off the season series with four straight wins, the Wolverines fell 5-2 to the Oil Caps’ earlier this month in Waywayseecappo.
It’s always a heated battle when these two clubs meet and it will be no different if not more intense on Saturday night with serious playoff implications on the line.
Conrad Phillips has found success against Virden in the season series with one goal and five assists in four games while Kolten Kanaski has done some damage against the Wolverines scoring twice and adding five assists in five games.
Oil Capitals Outlook
Just like the Wolverines, the Oil Caps’ have gone 6-3-1-0 in their last ten games which includes their most recent win over the Swan Valley Stampeders on Thursday night.
Swan Valley tied the game at 5-5 late in the third despite being heavily outshot, 53-23. The game would require overtime and a shootout where Virden would score on all three shootout attempts to take the 6-5 win and keep up the pace with the Wolverines.
Hunter Cloutier and Kolten Kanaski continue to lead the way offensively for the Oil Caps’ with 65 and 64 points respectively.
Goaltender Ethan Peterson was a big part of the Oil Caps’ win over the Wolverines in early February, stopping 27 of 29 shots in the 5-2 win. Expect the 20-year-old import to get the call on Saturday in Waywayseecappo.
News and Notes
16-year-old Wyatt Tweet of Russell, MB is expected to be in the lineup for the second straight game after he slotted in with Jacob Charko and Logan Wotton on Friday night.
Rayman Bassi will be out of the lineup on Saturday night as he serves the second of a two-game suspension as a result of the major boarding penalty he took earlier in the week against OCN.
The Wolverines enter Saturday night with a two-point lead in fifth place over both Virden and Dauphin. The Wolverines also hold the season series lead over both clubs.
Dauphin and Virden will meet on Sunday in the final game of the MJHL season which will determine who the Wolverines will take on in the first round of the postseason.
Where To Watch
Watch tonight’s game between the Wolverines and Oil Capitals live on HockeyTV.com or follow the Wolverines on Twitter @mjhlWolverines for live game updates.