Up Next: The Windigo Head South to Face Jets
Military Appreciation Weekend Featured at Next Home Series (Nov 15-16)
Photos(courtesy Cathy Iverson): Braydon Beahm (#11) celebrates one of his 3 goals scored over the weekend. Wyatt Herres (#2) prepares to shoot. Lucas Busch (#9). Logan Nickolaus (#23) heads up ice.
Weekend Recap: The NAHL Midwest Division leading Wisconsin Windigo hosted last place Janesville in a two game weekend series. The Windigo maintained their points lead in the standings over second place Anchorage (26 to 23) as both teams swept their opponents during the weekend.
Friday, November 1: Jets 4 at Windigo 7: Janesville jumped out to a quick start and scored twice in the first 15 minutes of play. Michael Ryan’s one-timer power play goal 17:28 into the opening frame cut the Windigo deficit in half. Ryan’s goal was set up by Braydon Beahm and Elliot Gulley cycling the puck high in the offensive zone. Beahm scored a goal of his own after a shot from the high slot by Gulley resulted in a goal mouth scramble. Beahm jammed the puck into the net at 12:51 of the second period to tie the game. Janesville scored a few minutes later to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. The Windigo caught fire in the third, scoring 4 consecutive goals. Logan Nickolaus scored his fifth of the season, tipping in a pass from Lucas Busch. Midway through the final frame, Beahm scored his second of the game to put the Windigo in the lead for good. Mario DiMaggio found Beahm on the goal line and Beahm went forehand to backhand as he skated across the crease to score his team leading tenth goal of the year. Ronnie Hill’s second goal of the season (from Ryan and Gulley) put the Windigo up 5-2. The onslaught continued as Nickolaus found Busch all alone in the low slot and Busch unleased a wrist shot that found the far side of the net. Janesville scored a power play goal with just over a minute remaining to close the gap to 6-4. Jackson Ernst closed out the scoring with an empty netter with 18 seconds remaining. Lucas Szyszka registered 19 saves for his league leading tenth win of the season. The Windigo outshot Janesville 33 to 23 in the contest.
Saturday, November 2: Jets 1 at Windigo 4: Saturday’s rematch found Janesville once again jumping out to a first period lead, after the Windigo lost a puck battle in the neutral zone and Janesville scored on a 2-on-1 rush. A Windigo power play goal tied the game 5:25 into the second period. Elliot Gulley carried the puck into the offensive zone and attempted a pass to Zach Cline, who was bearing down on the net. A Janesville defender deflected the puck past his own netminder. Janesville applied significant pressure throughout the third period, outshooting the Windigo 11-7; however, the Windigo made their shots count scoring 3 goals in the final frame. Braydon Beahm put the Windigo in the lead with 7:05 remaining. Elliot Gulley picked up a loose puck in the faceoff circle and slid the puck over to Beahm, who was wide open at the far side of the net. Janesville pulled their goalie with just over a minute remaining and were buzzing the Windigo net. Goaltender Beau Altman made a save and tipped the puck up to Teddy Richardson. Richardson headed up ice and deposited the puck into an empty Janesville net. Zach Cline scored an empty netter of his own after Logan Nickolaus unselfishly passed him the puck while on a 3-on-1 rush towards the empty Janesville net. Altman earned the win in net for the Windigo with 24 saves and one assist. It was Altman’s second win in three appearances for the Windigo, during which time he’s registered a 0.944 saves % and 1.598 GAA. The Windigo outshot the Jets 31-25 in the game.
Coach’s Comments: On Friday, Windigo head coach John Micthell was sidelined with an illness and assistant coach Bryce Reddick took over as bench boss. “After playing the last 4 games on Olympic sized ice, it took us a little bit of time to get used to playing on a smaller sheet again. Lucas Szyszka made some key saves to keep us within striking distance. Over the last few weeks we have had really strong third periods, credit to the guys for realizing how important it is to have strong finishes. Our powerplay has been a great asset for us this season and they got us started tonight. I was very pleased with our overall team effort in the third, not just on the scoreboard but in the way we were hard on pucks and played the body a little more aggressively. Our forward group is starting to create an identity amongst themselves, which is exciting to see,” commented Reddick after the game. Head coach John Mitchell returned to the bench on Saturday and offered the following after the game: “It was great to earn the sweep this weekend. I like our guys’ resilience and drive to comeback. Our veterans are leading the way, as we expect them to. Gulley and Beahm got things going for us again. It was great to see Cline and Richardson be rewarded for their effort. Our defensive core led by Naeve, Dolzhenko and DiMaggio played a solid game. They are helping our younger guys like Frey, Herres, Burns and Joslin, learn to play in this league. Overall, I like the team unity and culture we are developing. It’s a long season and we are focusing on building a solid foundation of accountability and team effort.”
Up Next: The Windigo hit the road to take on the Janesville Jets on November 8 and 9. Follow the Windigo on the road on NATV. Subscribe at https://nahltv.com. The Windigo return home to host Military Appreciation Weekend on November 15 and 16. Active duty and military veterans will be admitted free. Military themed jerseys will be sold to benefit local veterans. Opening faceoff is 7pm both nights. Tickets are available online at www.wisconsinjuniorhockey.com/tickets or at the door commencing 1 hour prior to the opening faceoff.