Sabers Split Weekend Series Against Oilers

Carlsbad Icetown played host to an exciting weekend of hockey as the San Diego Sabers faced off against the Vernal Oilers in a two-game series. The Sabers and Oilers gave fans plenty to cheer about with high-scoring affairs, and when the dust settled, the teams had each won one game, making for an entertaining weekend of hockey.

Game 1: Vernal Oilers 8, San Diego Sabers 3

In the first game of the series on Saturday, October 28, 2023, the Vernal Oilers came out swinging and put on an offensive display that the Sabers couldn't match. Vernal dominated from the start, securing an 8-3 victory.

The first period saw the Oilers take a commanding 3-0 lead with goals from Christian and Toth. San Diego struggled to keep up and had to kill off several penalties. However, the Sabers found a glimmer of hope when Frizado netted one on the power play at 8:32 in the second period. Unfortunately, Vernal continued to pour on the goals, ultimately sealing the win with a final score of 8-3.

The third period saw the Sabers manage to score two more goals, thanks to Heskett, but it was too little too late. In the end, the Sabers couldn't overcome the Oilers' early lead.

The game ended with the Vernal Oilers outshooting the Sabers 38 to 27. Both teams had power play opportunities, with the Oilers converting one out of two and the Sabers capitalizing on two out of seven. Goalies Stringer and Vedernikov put up admirable performances, but the Oilers' offensive power was simply too much for the Sabers to handle.

Game 2: San Diego Sabers 5, Vernal Oilers 4

The second game of the series on Sunday, October 29, 2023, had a dramatically different story as the San Diego Sabers managed to secure a thrilling 5-4 victory.

Litzinger opened the scoring for the Sabers early in the first period, but the Oilers quickly responded with three goals from McClanahan, Paganini (on the power play), and Parry. The first period ended with Vernal leading 3-1.

However, the second period belonged to the Sabers. San Diego roared back with three goals to take the lead, including goals from Zagorodniy, Heskett (on the power play), and Frizado. The Sabers had a one-goal advantage heading into the final period.

In the third period, the Sabers extended their lead with a power-play goal from Ouellet. The Oilers managed to get one more goal from Toth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Sabers' lead. The game ended 5-4 in favor of the Sabers.

Nicholas Perry, the Sabers' goalie, is undoubtedly the unsung hero of the game making 67 saves on 71 shots to secure the win.