Eagle River, WI, October 7, 2024.
Weekend Recap: The Windigo returned home to host the Anchorage Wolverines in a single game on Friday, October 4. The defending Midwest Division champion, Anchorage Wolverines, visited the Dome to take on this year’s Midwest Division leader, the Wisconsin Windigo. The two teams have established a heated rivalry over the past three seasons. The Windigo earned their seventh win in eight games played this season with a 4-1 victory. The game featured youth hockey night and a skate with the Windigo after the game.
Goaltender Lucas Szyszka (#33) makes a save during action earlier in the season. Youth hockey player of the game, Axel Magnuson, joins the Windigo during the National Anthem.
Friday, October 4: Anchorage 1 at Windigo 4: After a scoreless first period, in which Anchorage outshot the Windigo 10 to 8, Logan Nickolaus put the home team on the scoreboard 8:33 into the middle frame. Nickolaus scored his third goal of the season when Jordan Brothers passed the puck to Lucas Busch in the low slot. Busch redirected the puck off his skate to Nickolaus, who was crossing right to left thru the slot. Nickolaus demonstrated great patience with the puck as he moved to the far side of the net and released a forehand shot past the sprawling Wolverine netminder, Vaughn Makar. Toby Carlson tied it up for the Wolverines at 14:49 of the second period. On the very next shift, Alexios Georgaklis scored the eventual game winner. Braydon Beahm gained the offensive zone and slid the puck cross ice to Daniil Dolzhenko. Dolzhenko released a shot from the top of the circle. Georgaklis positioned himself on top of the goal crease and redirected Dolzhenko’s shot into the net. The second period ended with the Windigo leading 2-1, despite being outshot 8 to 5 in the period. The Windigo took charge in the final frame, outshooting Anchorage 9 to 2. With 5 minutes remaining and offsetting minors creating a 4-on-4 situation, Anchorage took a chance and pulled their goalie. Elliot Gulley took advantage of the opportunity and scored an empty netter off his backhand with 3:51 remaining. Zach Cline and Daniil Dolzhenko were credited with the assists on Gulley’s goal. Jackson Ernst concluded the scoring with a 5-on-3 power play goal with just over a minute remaining. An Anchorage player was assessed a 5 minute major and game misconduct for a dangerous hit on Windigo defender Martin Klicka. With 2:15 remaining, they were penalized again for too many men on the ice. Controlling the puck in the offensive zone, Gulley passed the puck to Michael Ryan. Ryan held the puck while maneuvering in the high slot, looking for an open teammate. He found Ernst parked all alone in the mid-slot. Ernst’s forehander cleanly beat Makar. Windigo netminder Lucas Szyszka earned is seventh win of the season, recording 19 saves of 20 shots he faced in the game.
Coach’s Comments: Head coach John Mitchell offered the following after Friday’s game: “Tonight’s game was a bit of a struggle for long stretches, especially in the first two periods. We seemed to be a little out of sync. We passed up a number of shots that I would have liked to see us take. When there’s little flow to the game, sometimes it is best to simply put the puck on net and pressure them to make mistakes. Ultimately Dolzhenko did just that in the second period, and the tip in by Georgaklis was a great way to finish the play. Szyszka was solid for us in net, once again. He made a few big saves that kept them off the scoreboard. He certainly deserved the win tonight. I was happier with our effort in the third period. We kept our composure and stayed out of the penalty box. I’m pleased to see our guys continue to exercise discipline out there. It is great to see guys like Nickolaus, Gulley and Ernst, be rewarded for their efforts. Windigo assistant coach, Bryce Reddick, is primarily responsible for coaching the defensemen. He was pleased with the defensive effort on display. “We limited their scoring chances and held them to only 20 shots on net, While that is a tribute to our defensemen, it is a team effort. The guys are starting to buy into their responsibilities in our zone. Our defensemen stepped it up tonight. With DiMaggio out with an injury, our depth along the blue line showed.”
Up Next: The Windigo hit the road for three consecutive weekend series. First up is Chippewa Falls on October 11-12. They head to Alaska for two weeks to take on the Kenai River Brown Bears on October 18-19, then head further north to face the Anchorage Wolverines on October 25-26. You can follow the Windigo while they are on the road on NATV. Subscribe at https://nahltv.com. The Windigo return home on November 1 and 2, to face the Janesville Jets. Game time is 7pm both nights. Tickets are available at www.wisconsinjuniorhockey.com/tickets, or at the door.
