DARTMOUTH, NS — Under the bright lights at the RBC Centre, the Wings and Dartmouth Whalers put on an absolute grinder of a Thursday night matchup — the kind of game where every shift felt like a playoff battle and every shot could’ve swung the momentum. When the dust settled, the scoreboard read 1–1, but the heart, grit, and chaos packed into those final minutes felt like a full highlight reel.

The first period? Pure fire.

Fast-paced, coast-to-coast, no-room-to-breathe hockey. Both squads were trading chances, finishing checks, and pushing the tempo, but neither could solve the opposing tendy. It was scoreless, but not even close to boring — more like the calm before the storm.

The breakthrough finally came midway through the second. At 6:22, #2 Cooper Norris jumped on a beauty setup from #6 Holden Campbell and #8 Lucas Van Dusen, wiring home the first goal of the night. The Wings bench erupted, and suddenly the momentum was red and white. From there, it looked like the Wings might lock this thing down with a classic one-goal grinder.

And then… the final minute happened.

With 41 seconds left, the Wings were whistled for a penalty, putting them on the kill at the worst possible time. Dartmouth pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, creating a 6-on-4 chaos zone with the draw deep in the Wings’ end. The puck dropped — instant mayhem. A scramble. Sticks everywhere. Bodies everywhere. Somehow the Whalers kicked the puck loose, pushed it back to the point, and their D stepped into a missile.

Through a hard screen, he ripped an absolute bar downsky sniper, the kind that nobody sees until it’s already rattling the mesh. Wings goalie Joey Chidiac tracked the shot by instinct alone, flashing leather and missing the puck by literal millimetres. Unreal effort — just a perfect shot through traffic.

With 36 seconds left on the clock, the Whalers tied it 1–1.

The Wings pushed for a late miracle but time ran out, leaving both teams with a hard-earned point in a game that felt like a war from start to finish.

Tonight’s Player of the Game, sponsored by Integrated Staffing and MacKinnon & Olding Ltd., went to #5 Carson Ellis — a D-man who has become the guy for blue-line bombs and bar-down beauties. Ellis played with heart, hustle, and a whole lot of swagger, eating minutes, shutting lanes, and battling every shift. If the game had gone to overtime, he might’ve ended it himself.

A tie on paper, but one of those gritty, character-building nights that shows exactly what this Wings team is made of.

COLE HARBOUR, NS — Monday night in the Wings’ home barn had that playoff-ish intensity from puck drop to final horn. The Chebucto Atlantics came ready, and the Wings answered every bit of the challenge — but in a game decided in the closing minute, Chebucto walked out with a 3–2 victory.

The Wings struck first and set the tone early. #13 Lucas Kelly ripped the opener minutes into the first after a clean transition, finishing off a slick sequence created by #7 Blake Matthews and #8 Lucas Van Dusen. The barn erupted and the Wings held that 1–0 edge for most of the contest, grinding down chances and playing hard-checking hockey.

Just when it looked like the Wings might carry that lead into the third, Chebucto found an answer late in the second period, knotting the game and forcing a tense final frame. The top-half of the third saw Chebucto cash in on the power play to take a 2–1 lead — a punch the Wings felt but didn’t let define them.

They rallied. With the clock winding down and the crowd on its feet, Blake Matthews delivered a gorgeous goal in the final moments to tie it 2–2 — the kind of finish that makes the home barn lose its voice. But hockey’s a game of inches and timing: with just 43 seconds left, Chebucto snatched the go-ahead marker. The Wings scrambled desperately after the puck, but the clock sealed the result.

Final: Chebucto 3 — Wings 2.

Even in defeat, there were standouts. The Player of the Game, sponsored by Trim Landscaping Ltd., was #13 Lucas Kelly — relentless on the forecheck, disciplined on the backcheck, and the spark that lit the Wings’ best moments. His compete-level set the tone all night.

Tough result, but the effort was unmistakable. This squad is playing with heart and will be right in the hunt come crunch time.