*Photo contributed by Juan Carlos Wood – @shotsbyjcw on Instagram
This past weekend, the Wisconsin Windigo traveled to Alaska to begin their two-week trip out west. In their first slate of games, the Windigo had an up-and-down weekend, but kicked it off on a high note with a victory over the Kenai River Brown Bears on Friday, March 27.
During the trip, the Windigo clinched a spot in the 2025-26 Robertson Cup Playoffs following the Springfield Jr. Blues’ 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Wilderness. The loss also paved a way for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs and Anchorage Wolverines to qualify for the playoffs, solidifying the four postseason representatives from the Midwest Division with just two weekends remaining in the regular season.
Friday, March 27
Final Score: Windigo 3, Brown Bears 2
Game one of the weekend’s fixtures saw the Windigo extend their win streak to four games with a late win over the Kenai River Brown Bears. Friday’s game was the last of the season series between the two sides and ultimately gave the Windigo a 4-1 series victory.
To open Friday’s scoring, the Windigo got on the board early when winger Brendan Finley took the puck past multiple defenders before tucking a shot into the back of the net. The goal was Finley’s 14th of the season and his second in a four-game span. He was assisted by defenseman Cal Grilz and winger Sutton Verot.
Near the end of the opening period, the Windigo doubled their lead to cap off their clinical start to the contest. Seconds after Wisconsin won a faceoff, the puck ended up with Jackson Ernst, who fired the puck from distance inside the right post while skating towards his left for the goal. The tally was his 16th of the season and the 30th of his Windigo career across two seasons with the team. He was assisted by blueliners Thomas Quast and Henry Steele.
In the second period, the Brown Bears clawed back into the contest with a pair of goals. One of the two goals came on a power play midway through the period. The two goals were the only knock on the night for Windigo netminder Easton Cody, who stopped 32 shots on 34 attempts en route to the win. His performance in net earned him third star of the week honors for the NAHL Midwest Division.
After a competitive third period, the score remained unchanged with two minutes remaining in regulation. Before the extra period could arrive, however, a hero emerged late for the Windigo. After Steele drove the puck up the ice and Verot fired a shot on net, Windigo forward AJ Bongiorno followed up on the attempt to score on the rebound. The goal was Bongiorno’s fourth game-winning goal of the season, which leads the team. He is up to six goals and 17 points overall.
Saturday, March 28
Final Score: Windigo 1, Wolverines 3
Within 24 hours, Wisconsin traveled to Anchorage, Alaska for the regular-season series finale between the Windigo and Wolverines. With just under 4,000 fans in attendance, the Windigo would ultimately fall to the home team after a hard-fought, physical game.
The Windigo wouldn’t get on the scoresheet until the third period. Before then, the Wolverines found the back of the net twice in the opening stanza. One of Anchorage’s two goals was from Oliver Morris, who pulled off a Michigan goal to score his second goal of the season. The third goal of the evening was also scored by the Wolverines, who executed on a power play.
Late in the third period, the Windigo ended their dry spell with a power-play goal. After Quast fired a shot near the blue line, Windigo center Brayden Severin followed up on a rebound and tallied a five-hole goal through contact, scoring while being high-sticked. The twine finder was Severin’s second of the season and his first power-play goal of the campaign. His tally was assisted by Quast and winger Peyton Mithmuangneua.
In net, Windigo netminder Max Larsson would be handed the loss. He posted a solid outing with 26 saves on 29 attempts.
Standings
Following the weekend slate, the Windigo have a 33-20-2 record across 55 games this season and occupy second place in the Midwest Division. They are tied with the third-place Wolverines in points, but have a game in hand on Anchorage. The Windigo sit one point ahead of the fourth-place Fairbanks Ice Dogs, who have a 32-30-3 record through 55 games.
The Windigo’s steady success over the past few weekends was taken into account in the NAHL Power Rankings. The Windigo moved up one position from 10th to 9th, which is tied for their highest placement of the calendar year. They currently rank third in the Midwest Division behind the Minnesota Wilderness (5) and Anchorage Wolverines (7).
Up Next
The Windigo will stay in the nation’s 49th state for one of their most pivotal series of the season. They’ll face off against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4 with high stakes for seeding in the Midwest Division. The winner of the series will have an avenue to the No. 2 seed in the division, which would come with hosting a series in the first round of the Robertson Cup Playoffs.
Puck drop for both games is slated for 7:30 PM AKDT. 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.
