ESTERHAZY — The Esterhazy Flyers gained two at-home wins during the first weekend in December, the first one marring the Langenburg Warriors’ pristine season in a raucous overtime decision on Dec. 6. First-period action looked like the Warriors were going to walk away with a shutout, firing off three unanswered goals, but Esterhazy came alive in the middle frame to take a 4-3 lead.
Third-period action saw fans on the edge of their seat with Esterhazy building on their lead to 6-4 at one point, only to have the Warriors tidy things up 6-6 as time ran out. Langenburg fired off the two goals to tie the contest thanks in part to a match penalty that saw Esterhazy’s Eli Halcrow suspended for five games (eligible to return Dec. 21) for checking to the head.
The Flyers would recover, tossing a black biscuit in the basket 26 seconds into the extra frame, courtesy a solo power-play goal from Jayden Isaac for the 7-6 win.
Dec. 7 was a busy night with the Rocanville Tigers edging out the visiting Theodore Buffalos 11-9. The Warriors played host to the Wapella Blackhawks, shaking off the OT loss in Esterhazy with a 9-5 at-home win.
Esterhazy hosted a second at-home contest with the Churchbridge Imperials coming to town, which saw five unanswered goals after 40 minutes. Late in the third period, Churchbridge Imperial captain Cole Cusitar took a blade to his neck, causing a deep cut. He was rushed to hospital, receiving 80 stitches as a result of the injury.
Initially, Churchbridge players wanted to complete the game, but after hearing STARS air ambulance had been called, it was decided to end the game with 6:55 left on the clock. Ultimately, STARS was not needed, but the cut on Cusitar’s neck was just over half an inch from his jugular vein. He continues to make a strong recovery, and many in the SEHL community have sent wishes for a speedy return.
Completing the weekend, Rocanville roared with a second win on home turf, dropping the visiting Blackhawks 9-1.
Standings across the south at press time, Langenburg still top of the SEHL with a 5-0-1 record followed by the 5-0 Tigers. The Flyers sit at the halfway mark with a 3-2 record, while Wapella is 1-4 and Churchbridge continues to find their first win with a 0-4 record.
