*Photo contributed by Juan Carlos Wood – @shotsbyjcw on Instagram
The Wisconsin Windigo continue their three-week road trip with their second stop slated for Cloquet, MN. They are slated to play two games against the Minnesota Wilderness, who currently have the league’s best record at 12-1-1 overall. Puck Drop for both games, set for Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25, will be at 7:15 PM Central Time.
The Windigo are coming off their best offensive series of the year after posting 12 goals against their I-94 rival, the Janesville Jets, last weekend. After losing the first game of the series in a close 5-4 battle, the Windigo fought back and burst out for an 8-2 win on Saturday, Oct. 18. Wisconsin got contributions from many key skaters, but second-year forward Teddy Richardson stole the show with five points, including a hat trick on two power-play goals and one shorthanded score.
The Wilderness enter Friday and Saturday’s games on an eight-game winning streak and most recently took down the Chippewa Steel last weekend. They won both games by a margin of six goals or more.
For the Windigo, the team is led in points by three returning players, including Richardson alongside center Alexios Georgaklis and defenseman Michael Ryan. Each skater has 10 points, with Ryan leading the team with nine assists. Both Georgaklis and Richardson have four goals, which is tied for the team lead with second-year winger Ronnie Hill and rookie forward Brendan Finley.
In the NAHL Midwest Division standings, the Windigo are 5-7-1 through 13 appearances and are closing in on the fourth-place Kenai River Brown Bears, who are 6-6-0. The Wilderness sit atop the division and 10 points clear of second place.
When these teams have faced off in the past, history has favored the Windigo. Wisconsin leads the all-time series 21-11 and even took last year’s season series in dominant fashion with eight wins opposed to Minnesota’s four.
Puck Drop for both meetings between the Windigo and Wilderness this weekend is set for 7:15 PM Central Time. If you can’t make it in person, all Windigo road games can be streamed on NATV. Visit nahltv.com for more details.
