Up Next: Windigo Host the Anchorage Wolverines on December 6-7
Photos: Zach Cline (#4) shoots the puck; Lucas Szyszka (#33) tracks the play with Harper Frey (#2) defending; Josh Sardo (#14) heads up ice; Riley Joslin (#28) celebrates his empty net goal.
Weekend Recap: The Windigo hosted in-state rival Chippewa Steel in a two-game series. In previous meetings this season, the Windigo swept the Steel at home on September 13-14 and split a series in Chippewas Falls on October 11-12. The Windigo extended their lead in the Midwest Division standings by earning all 4 points available on the weekend. The Windigo are ranked second overall in the league with 41 points on the strength of a 19-3-1-2 (wins, losses, OT losses and shootout losses) record. The Windigo trail Central Division leader Bismark Bobcats by only 2 points in the overall league standings.
Friday, November 29: Steel 1 at Windigo 4: An evenly played first period saw the Steel outshoot the Windigo 13 to 11, but both goalies were up to the challenge and the first period ended scoreless. The Windigo turned up the heat in the middle frame, outshooting the Steel 17 to 10. Windigo forward Jordan Brothers who put his team into the lead just over 5 minutes into the second period. Windigo defenseman Mario DiMaggio’s outlet pass sprung newcomer Josh Sardo on a 2-on-1 with Brothers. Sardo carried the puck deep into the zone and sauced the puck to Brothers. His one-timer beat the Steel netminder high to the catching glove side. The Steel took advantage of a turnover behind the Windigo net and Zach Sondreal tied the game at 12:17 of the first period. With 20 seconds remaining in the middle frame, Zach Cline scored the eventual game winner by pouncing on a rebound of a shot off the stick of Riley Joslin and stuffing the puck to the short side of the net. The Windigo continued to apply pressure in the third period. With just over 4 minutes remaining the Windigo found themselves on the penalty kill for the fifth time during the game, Cline and Elliot Gulley worked a give and go to perfection to score their team’s 4th shorthanded goal of the season. Cline’s 9th goal of the season, and second of the game, put the Windigo up 3 to 1. The Steel pulled their goalie in favor of an extra attacker with nearly 3 minutes remaining. Riley Joslin gathered a loose puck deep in his zone and fired a shot into the empty net 180 feet away to close out the scoring. Lucas Szyszka made 30 saves to earn his league leading 15th win of the season. Alexander Sabev made 27 saves and suffered the loss in net for the Steel.
Saturday, November 30: Steel 1 at Windigo 3 After an evenly played and scoreless first period, the large crowd of Windigo fans would have to wait until nearly the end of the second period to see their team take the lead. Newcomer and recent Windigo tender, Josh Sardo tapped in a rebound of a Jordan Brothers’ shot to score his first NAHL goal. The ice seemed to tilt in favor of the Steel throughout the second period during which they outshot the Windigo 12 to 6. The Steel tied the game 5 minutes into the final frame, taking advantage of a 5-on-3 power play. Sardo scored his second goal of the night to put the Windigo in the lead with 3 minutes remaining in the third period. Windigo defenseman Declan Burns carried the puck up ice and created a 3-on-1 opportunity with Jordan Brothers to his left and Sardo to his right. Burns faked a shot and passed the puck to Brothers. Brothers in turn found Sardo heading towards the net to the far side. Brothers then dished the puck to Sardo who fired the puck top-shelf form the mid-slot to put the Windigo in the lead for good. Ronnie Hill sealed the victory with an empty net goal with 1:12 remaining, after Braydon Beahm selflessly passed the puck to Hill while on a 2-on-1. The Windigo turned the tide on the Steel in the shots on goal category in the third period, outshooting the visitors 10 to 5 in the final 20 minutes of play. The Windigo and Steel each placed 21 shots on net in the contest. Wesley Jefferson-Swint II recorded 20 saves to earn his second win of the season in three games started.
Coach’s Comments: “We seem to be developing into a team that relies on strong third period efforts to generate wins for us. That has been the case in 4 of our last 5 wins. I was happy to see both goalies play well this weekend. We need depth in net to sustain us during the long regular season. Once again, our organizational depth contributed to our success this weekend. With all of the injuries and immigration issues we’ve dealt with recently, we’ve had to juggle the lineup and call up various players to supplement our roster. It was great to see Josh Sardo score twice and pick up an assist in his first two NAHL games. We signed him to a tender earlier this Fall and were looking forward to him battling for a roster spot next season. Having him contribute to our wins this weekend is a huge bonus, “ offered head coach John Mitchell following the weekend series. Assistant coach Bryce Reddick was pleased with the defensive effort versus the Steel, saying “Anytime we can limit a team to just one goal is a big accomplishment in this league. For the most part, we maintained our structure, won puck battles in our defensive zone, and limited their scoring opportunities. Due to injury and misconduct penalties, our veteran defensemen missed a large number of minutes this weekend. Our younger defensemen rose to the occasion and played well in situations they don’t often face on a regular basis. Our penalty kill continues to perform at over a 90 per cent success rate, which is third best in the league. They’ve kept us in games that could have easily gotten away from us.”
Up Next: The Anchorage Wolverine’s will make the long trek to the Dome to take on the Windigo on December 6 and 7. This weekend’s matchup will be important in the Midwest Division standings. Anchorage is second in the Midwest with 33 points and has 2 games in hand over the Windigo. Tickets for the December 6-7 homestand vs the Wolverines are available online at www.wisconsinjuniorhockey.com/tickets or at the door commencing 1 hour prior to the opening faceoff.
