The Waywayseecappo Wolverines return to home ice on Tuesday night to host the Virden Oil Capitals (10-10-1-2) for their first of two games on home ice this week.
For the Wolverines, the club is coming off of a disappointing road trip south.
After the club dropped a 3-2 decision to the Winnipeg Blues on Friday night, the team bounced back in the first period on Saturday night in Portage.
Holding leads of 3-1 in the second period and 5-3 in the third, the Wolverines were unable to come away with the win as the Terriers would go on to score four unanswered
It’s been quite some time since the Wolverines and Oil Capitals squared off. Back on October 11, the Wolverines skated to a 5-2 victory that saw Conrad Phillips notch 3 assists while Thomson Phinney stopped 28 of 30 shots in the win.
Oil Capitals Outlook
After a rough month of October for the Oil Capitals, Virden has quickly got back on track to the .500 mark and continues to hang around in the tight MJHL standings.
The Oil Capitals have now won three in a row and have scored 20 goals over those three games, including their most recent win over the Winnipeg Blues that saw the team score nine times.
Virden has three skaters in the top five of league scoring with Kolten Kanaski leading the way. In 23 games so far, Kanaski has 15 goals and 15 assists to put him second in the league while Hunter Cloutier’s 14 goals and 15 assists are good enough for third.
The Oil Capitals recently made a trade in the crease, sending Dalton Dosch to the Nipawin Hawks in exchange for D Nathan McInnis. The club then acquired 18-year-old Kyle Kozma who played his first game with his new club in a 9-2 win over Winnipeg.
News and Notes
The Wolverines come into Tuesday night just two points ahead of the Oil Capitals with two games in hand.
After special teams played the biggest factor in a 7-5 loss to the Terriers, the Wolverines will need to be better on the kill. Despite having no trouble scoring on the powerplay as of late, the Wolverines have allowed powerplay goals in four straight.
Virden’s 23.6% conversion rate on the powerplay should be an area of concern for the Wolverines with having taken a league-leading 479 penalty minutes in just 21 games.
The Wolverines will host a short Remembrance Day ceremony prior to puck drop.
It will be a short turnaround for the Wolverines as they will take on the OCN Blizzard on home ice Wednesday night.
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.