Big week ahead, big weekend behind them.
The torrid schedule that awaited the Fredericton Red Wings is smack dab in the middle right now for the Maritime Hockey League junior A franchise.
So far, so good for the Red Wings.
Fredericton won two out of three last weekend and now pushes for more points in the standings with three games unfolding this week at the Grant*Harvey Centre.
The Red Wings and head coach Brian Casey entertain the South Shore Lumberjacks on Thursday.
Game time is 7 p.m.
That sets the stage for a double dip weekend when Fredericton plays the Grand Falls Rapids on Saturday at 7 p.m. and tangles with the Amherst Ramblers in a Sunday matinee.
That tilt unfolds at 2 p.m.
Fredericton is alone in third spot in the EastLink North Division with a 14-win, 10 loss and one overtime loss record for 29 points, two points ahead of the Campbellton Tigers.
Both teams have played 25 games.
South Shore comes to town as one of the MHL’s upper echelon teams, boasting a 15-11-1-1 record for 32 points, second in the EastLink South Division.
The Red Wings won their last time out, taming the Rapids in Grand Falls, 4-2 on Dec. 8, a big win on the heels of a 7-3 setback the night before to the powerhouse Summerside Western Capitals.
In Grand Falls, the Red Wings were in a battle, trailing 1-0 after a period before grabbing a 2-1 lead in the second frame when Adam Zimmerman scored his fifth of the season and Nathan Kelly tucked home an unassisted marker for his eighth goal of the season.
Grand Falls tied it again, but only 68 seconds later, the Red Wings would go ahead with 3:33 left in the second when Liam Smith pumped home his 12th of the season on the powerplay.
Aiden MacIntosh eliminated any hopes of a Rapids’ comeback when he potted his second of the season late in the third period.
Jack Grant earned the win between the pipes, making 28 stops.
Fredericton gave up five powerplay goals to the Capitals in a 7-3 setback at home on Dec. 7.
Brady Patterson, who opened the game’s scoring, Ethan Stuckless and Evan White all scored for Fredericton which faced period deficits of 3-1 and 5-3.
White’s goal was his first of the season, but he leads the Red Wings in points with 28 assists.
Fredericton started its busy stretch with a 6-1 win over the Miramichi Timberwolves Dec. 6 with Kelly and Eliot Bergbauer both scoring two goals. Noah Cauchi and Jared Cosman also scored in the win. White had three assists.
