The OCN Blizzard finally has their man.

The Blizzard announced this morning that they have hired Matt Summers as their new head coach for the 2018-2019 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season.

Summers, who played for the Blizzard from 2003-2006, spent last season as a head coach in the USPHL Premier division with the Tri City Ice Hawks. The team finished with a record of 5-37-2.

The Savage, Minnesota native tallied 285 points in 195 games while in OCN, before spending 11 seasons playing in the Central Hockey League and the Southern Professional Hockey League. He hung up his skates and started coaching following the 2016-2017 season.

The Blizzard will open up the season at home against Swan Valley September 21^st, though Summers will make his debut September 5^th in an exhibition game against the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes continued their climb up the American Association North Division standings with a 5-4 win over Texas.

The AirHogs, who came into the game with a record of 17-45, put two runs past Goldeyes starter Kevin McGovern in both the third and fifth innings to build a 4-0 lead.

The Winnipeg comeback started in the bottom of the seventh inning with a double from Jordan Ebert who made his way to third following a pair of walks before shortstop Matt McCann reached base on a fielder’s choice, which brought him home.

The real magic happened in the bottom of the ninth after Ebert, McCann and Josh McAdams all drove in runs to tie the game at four. With one out and runners on second and third, veteran slugger Reggie Abercrombie scored his 46^th RBI of the season driving home McAdams on a sacrifice fly to end the game.

Despite giving up four earned runs, McGovern had a solid start for the Goldeyes, striking out nine over 6.2 innings in his 14^th start of the season. He currently holds a record of 3-7, and seems to have taken a big step back from last year, where he finished the season 13-3 with an ERA of 2.55.

The Winnipeg bullpen managed to hold off the Texas bats during the last two innings of the game, with Farmington, New Mexico native Edwin Carl only allowing one hit in the eighth, before Victor Capellan picked up his third win of the season in the ninth.

The Goldeyes are back in action again tonight as they open a three-game set at Shaw Park against the visiting Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

Winnipeg currently sits seven games back of the division lead, which is currently shared by the Gary SouthShore RailCats and the St. Paul Saints.

Photo courtesy of Goldeyes.com