Weekend Recap: Concluding a 4-game road trip, the Windigo traveled to Chippewa Falls, WI, to take on in-state rival Chippewa Steel. The Windigo entered the weekend with an 11-8-3-1 (wins-losses-overtime losses-shootout loses) record, good for second place in the Midwest Division. The Steel carried an 11-11-0-1 record going into the series, good for 5th place in the division standings.
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Friday, November 24: Windigo 4 at Steel 3 (Shootout): First period action saw the Steel carry the play to the visiting Windigo, outshooting them 15 to 8. Windigo netminder Max Beckford was up to the task and the opening frame remained scoreless. Windigo forward Jacob Jastrzebski opened the scoring just 42 seconds into the second period when he released a shot from behind the goal line that bounced off the back of the Steel goalie and into the net. Max Martin and Braydon Beahm assisted on the goal. The Steel answered with 2 goals of their own over the next 5 minutes of play. NAHL point leader Max Martin scored his 17th goal of the season to tie it up for the Windigo with 30 seconds remaining in the middle period. Martin pounced on a bouncing rebound off a shot from Jastrzebski. Windigo defenseman Cashen Naeve put the Windigo up 3-2 just 5 minutes into the third period. Naeve won a battle for a loose puck in the neutral zone then tapped the puck over to Tyler Grahme who drove into the offensive zone. Grahme found Naeve crashing towards the net on the far side and put the puck on Naeve’s stick. Naeve fired a wrist shot to the near side for his 3rd goal of the season. Chippewa tied the game with a power play goal with just 2:18 remaining. After five minutes of scoreless 3-on-3 overtime play, the game would be decided by shootout. Grahme kept the Windigo alive with a goal in the 3rd round of the shootout. In the 4th round of the shootout, Jastrzebski scored and Beckford stopped the Steel on their attempt, to earn the victory for the Windigo. Beckford had 37 saves on the 40 shots faced in regulation and overtime. The Windigo placed a total of 29 shots on net during regulation and overtime play.
Saturday, November 25: Windigo 2 at Steel 8: Game two of the weekend series saw the Steel come out of the gate flying while the Windigo seemed to be stuck in first gear. The game was decided early as the Steel scored just 23 seconds into the game and jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the 1st period, with two goals from Peyton Platter and others from Jacob Ligi, Matt Grannan, and Aidan Willis. The 4th goal chased starting goalie Max Beckford from the net, in exchange for Logan Rose. Beckford made 7 saves on 11 shots before departing. Rose stopped 29 of the 33 shots fired his way. Windigo defenseman Erick Comstock put the Windigo on the board 6:47 into the second period, with a slapshot from the point while on a power play. Everett Pietila and Tyler Grahme assisted on Comstock’s 5th goal of the season. The Steel responded with a goal of their own midway thru the second, to close the period with a 6-1 lead over the Windigo. The Steel added 2 more goals late in the third period. Grahme scored his 10th of the season with 2 minutes left in the game. Grahme’s goal came on a power play, as he played give and go with Pietila and tucked Pietila’s return pass into the net off his backhand. Steel goalie Ajay White made 28 saves for the win in net for the Steel.
Coach’s Comments: Windigo head coach Blake Hietala had the following thoughts after the weekend series: “I like the way we battled back after a slow start in the first period on Friday. It was nice to finally win a game that went to overtime or a shootout. This was our first win in either overtime or a shootout this season. Beckford was clutch in net for us all night, and especially during the shootout. Saturday’s game was a completely different story. It was apparent to me early on that we did not come out ready to play. I don’t know why. We have a tightly scripted schedule while on the road with the objective of being ready to play when the puck drops. For some reason, we came out extremely flat. Our best players have to be our best players, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday. Every team in this division is capable of winning on any given night. Teams continue to get better as the season evolves. We have to be prepared to do the same.”
(Photos courtesy Cathy Iverson)