By Western Hockey League

RED DEER, Alta. – Thanks to a third-period goal from Luca Pura, Hockey Manitoba scored a much-needed victory to close out the round-robin, edging Team Saskatchewan by a 4-3 margin Friday afternoon at the 2023 WHL Cup presented by FPS Payment.

• GAME SUMMARY
• TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
• PLAYER STATISTICS

Pura (Vancouver Giants / Winnipeg, Man.) snapped a 3-3 deadlock midway through the third period, helping Manitoba to its first victory of the tournament. Pura’s goal broke the hearts of Team Saskatchewan a mere 1:16 after Cohen Harris (Spokane Chiefs / Humboldt, Sask.) had tallied to draw the score even. Pura, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound centre, finished the day with two points (1G-1A).

A back-and-forth affair Friday at the Peavey Mart Centrium, Cohen Klassen (Regina Pats / Martensville, Sask.) opened the scoring for Team Saskatchewan, striking 3:38 into the second period.

Team Manitoba responded with two goals late in the middle period, thanks to Carter Haney (Regina Pats / Winnipeg, Man.) and Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / Cypress River, Man.). Carels finished the game with two points (1G-1A) to his credit.

Captain Dayne Beuker (Lethbridge Hurricanes / Humboldt, Sask.) registered his third goal of the tournament with 1:04 to go in the second period, pulling Saskatchewan even and sending the game into the third period tied 2-2.

Brek Liske (Everett Silvertips / Beausejour, Man.) gave Manitoba momentum early in the third period, finding the back of the net 1:02 into the final period before Harris and Pura traded goals to round out the scoring.

Goaltender Dylan McFadyen (Brandon Wheat Kings / Winnipeg, Man.) did his part to backstop Manitoba, making 32 saves.

With the victory, Manitoba improved to 1-2-0-0, while Team Saskatchewan fell to 1-2-0-0. With Manitoba’s win coming in regulation and Saskatchewan a result of overtime, Manitoba will finish in third place following the round robin, while Saskatchewan slips to fourth.

Manitoba will face the second-place team (Alberta or B.C.) in the first semifinal game Saturday at 10:15 a.m. MT while Saskatchewan will take on the first-place team (Alberta or B.C.) in the second semifinal game Saturday at 1 p.m. MT. First- and second-place results will be determined by Friday’s contest between Alberta and B.C. to close out the round robin.

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The 2023 WHL Cup presented by FPS Payment is supported by Tourism Red Deer.

About FPS Payment
FPS Payment is a company specializing in the sale of payment terminals, focusing mainly on the restaurant and retail industry. Thanks to their simple and secure payment solutions, FPS greatly simplifies the lives of businesses and their transactions. Their payment terminals offer exceptional ease of use, allowing merchants to accept payments smoothly and efficiently. Additionally, security is a top priority for FPS, ensuring that their customers’ sensitive financial information is protected. With FPS Payment, businesses can focus on their core business with confidence knowing that their transactions are being processed reliably and securely.

About Tourism Red Deer
Tourism Red Deer serves as the destination development corporation for Red Deer and the region. The primary role of Tourism Red Deer is to be the leading organization for all things tourism, driving the development of Red Deer and the region into a compelling tourism destination animated by attractive experiences, engaged visitors, exciting events, and welcoming hosts. The vision of Tourism Red Deer is to position Red Deer as the top major event destination among mid-sized cities in Canada by 2030. The mission of Tourism Red Deer is to grow the visitor economy in the Red Deer region through impactful tourism marketing, destination development, and the facilitation of tourism attraction and support.