*Photo Contributed by Juan Carlos Wood – @photosbyjcw on Instagram
Spread the word…the Wisconsin Windigo are moving on in the Robertson Cup Playoffs! This past weekend, the Windigo won a crucial Game 5 against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs to advance to the Midwest Division Finals. They are set to play a best-of-five series against the Minnesota Wilderness, which is set to begin on May 1.
Friday, April 24
Final Score: Windigo 1, Ice Dogs 2
In the first-ever playoff game at the Ponds of Brookfield in NAHL history, the Windigo fell short of winning the series in Game 4 by one goal. The game remained close throughout, with the Windigo being within one goal of Fairbanks across the first 44 minutes of the contest. Friday’s matchup was also the first game of the series to be a non-shutout, breaking the trend of the first three games being dominated by one side.
The major damage on the scoreboard was done by Fairbanks winger Matthew Volkman, who scored both of the Ice Dogs’ goals. His first tally was near the midway point of the opening period before he later found the back of the net four minutes into the third.
Outside of Volkman’s two tallies, Windigo goaltender Max Larsson put together another strong outing. He stopped 25 shots on 27 attempts, securing his fourth-consecutive performance with 25 saves or more.
For Wisconsin’s lone tally of the game, center Josh Sardo beat the buzzer in the third period to end the shutout bid. After winger Peyton Mithmuangneua and co-captain Alexios Georgaklis put shots on net that were blocked, Sardo took possession of the rebound in front of the crease and backhanded the puck past Fairbanks netminder Miles Roberts. The late twine finder was Sardo’s 18th of the season, which led the team until the start of Game 5. Georgaklis recorded his team-leading 32nd assist on the play, and Mithmuangneua continued his recent hot streak with his 31st helper.
Saturday, April 25
Final Score: Windigo 5, Ice Dogs 2
In the rubber match of the series, the Windigo offense came alive late to claim the series victory. Prior to Game 5, neither side had scored more than three goals in a period (the only occurrence was the Windigo in the third period of Game 1). In Saturday’s contest, the Windigo and Ice Dogs combined for six goals in the third period, completely abandoning the defensive nature of the 14 periods prior to that point.
Near the end of a hard-fought first period, the Windigo took the first lead of the contest with less than 90 seconds remaining in the opening frame. After Sardo attempted a wrap-around shot at the left post, the blocked shot quickly rebounded out to winger Jackson Ernst, who buried the puc in the top right corner. Ernst’s goal was his first of the postseason and 18th of the season, which tied him for the team lead. Sardo earned his 17th assist of the season on the play and winger Sutton Verot notched his 11th helper on the year.
Saturday’s second period was the lone 20-minute span of the game without a goal. It also saw the only penalty of the contest, which was called against the Windigo. This period still saw plenty of shots on net from both teams, with the Windigo ultimately winning the shots on goal battle 38-31.
While the Windigo claimed the win in Game 5, they would ultimately lose their early lead across the first half of the third period. The Ice Dogs received goals from winger Mason Knaffla and captain Luca Ricciardi in the first nine minutes of the period to create a 2-1 lead.
With the season on the line, the Windigo answered the call and would flip the game on its head. Less than two minutes after Fairbanks tallied its second goal, Ernst struck the back of the net once again to level the score. He was able to do so by himself, forcing a turnover at center ice and maneuvering past multiple Ice Dogs’ defensemen before firing the puck between the legs of Roberts. Ernst’s second goal of the night was his 19th on the year, which currently leads the team.
Within 60 seconds of the game-tying goal, the Ponds of Brookfield would erupt for the eventual go-ahead goal. Windigo center Aidan Hickok stepped up to a faceoff and won the draw out towards winger Brayden Severin, who immediately played the puck back towards blueliner Thomas Quast. From just a step inside the offensive zone, Quast launched the puck from long range and scored just outside the reach of Roberts’ right leg. Quast’s goal was his first point of the playoffs and his sixth goal between the New Hampshire Mountain Kings and Wisconsin Windigo this season. He leads all Windigo defensemen in total points with 32. On the goal, Hickok picked up his second point of the playoffs and Severin earned his first assist of the postseason.
The Windigo would defend well for the next few minutes and ultimately built on their momentum with another goal down the stretch. After Hickok drove the puck towards the net, he and winger Beau Kralovec would put shots on net before Severin buried the puck away on the third attempt. Severin’s goal was his first of the playoffs and third on the year. Hickok recorded his third assist of the postseason on the play, which is tied for the team lead. Kralovec notched his second assist of the postseason and sixth on the year, tying his career high.
With the game winding down, the Windigo scored their final goal of the Game 5 to punch their ticket to the second round. With an empty net across the ice, Windigo winger AJ Bongiorno would poke the puck free from a Fairbanks skater before sliding a pass forward to winger Ryan Mottau. He saw daylight and delivered the dagger, securing a 5-2 win in Game 5. Mottau’s empty-netter was his first point of the playoffs and 14th goal of the season. Bongiorno picked up the lone assist, tallying his third point of the postseason and 23rd total point of the campaign.
In net, Larsson put together another strong performance with 29 saves on 31 attempts. He would be acknowledged as the game’s second star.
Series Stats
Across the five-game series, the Windigo had four players score three points: Bongiorno, Hickok, Mithmuangneua and Sardo. Four others add two points: Ernst, Georgaklis, Kralovec and Severin. Six other skaters left the series with at least one point, resulting in 74% Windigo players finding the scoresheet in the five-game set.
Between the pipes, Larsson finished the series with a 3-2-0 record, a 1.21 GAA and a .962 save percentage across his five first-round starts. He made 153 saves in total and secured two shutouts, matching his regular-season total.
Up Next
For the second round of the 2026 Robertson Cup Playoffs, the Windigo will travel to the Midwest’s No. 1-seeded Minnesota Wilderness in the division finals. The best-of-five series kicks off on Friday, May 1 at 7:15 PM CDT. Game 2 is set for Saturday, May 2 at the same time.
If you can’t be there in person, all Windigo home and away games can be streamed on NATV. Visit nahltv.com for more details. When you tune into the broadcast, make sure to select “Away Feed” to watch the Windigo livestream with Play-by-Play Broadcaster Ben Buttrick.
