The 2020-21 Big 6 Hockey League season opened on Friday night with three games.
The Redvers Rockets defeated the Carlyle Cougars 9-1, the Midale Mustangs defeated the Arcola-Kisbey Combines 5-2 and the Bienfait Coalers trounced the Yellow Grass Wheat Kings 8-2.
All three road teams won Friday’s games.
The game between Redvers and Carlyle was tied 1-1 after the first period, and Redvers’ lead was just 3-1 late in the second. But then the Rockets tallied once in the final minute of the second, and five times in the third.
Kenton Miller and Daylin Smallchild each scored twice for Redvers. Jordon Miller, Koltyn Miller, John Potapinski, Travis Poirier and Kevin Mann had the other Redvers goals.
Brett Turgeon scored for Carlyle.
In the game between Midale and Arcola-Kisbey, the Mustangs scored four times in the third to rally from a 2-1 deficit. Steven Lindenbach, Tyler Kopacz, Dustin Graham, Brad Tomiski and Matt Anderson scored for Midale.
Derek Fleck and Duane Hislop had the Combines’ goals.
Wyatt Garagan and Keegan Malaryk each scored twice for the Coalers against the Wheat Kings. Kaelan Holt, Preston Erickson, Dylan Lay and Blaine Herzberg had the other goals.
Mike Onstad and Jarrett Metheral scored for Yellow Grass.
Bienfait and Yellow Grass were tied at 1-1 for much of the first period, but then the Coalers tallied twice late in the opening frame, and pulled away with two in the second and three in the third.
The games on Saturday will be Carlyle at Redvers and Yellow Grass at Bienfait. Both games start at 8 p.m.
The nine teams have been split into two mini leagues to start the season, with four teams in the west – Yellow Grass, Midale, Bienfait and Arcola-Kisbey – and five teams in the east: Redvers, Carlyle, the Carnduff Red Devils, the Wawota Flyers and the Kipling-Windthorst Oil Capitals.
Games are scheduled on the league’s website until the Christmas break.
Up to 150 fans per game are allowed per game, with social distancing guidelines being followed.
