*Photo Contributed by Juan Carlos Wood – @photosbyjcw on Instagram
In the team’s last series of the calendar year, the Wisconsin Windigo split a two-game set with the Minnesota Wilderness, who currently lead the NAHL Midwest Division. With the 3-2 win in Friday’s contest before losing 6-2 in Saturday’s game, the Windigo clinched the regular-season series against Minnesota and currently hold a 5-1-0 record against them.
Friday, Dec. 19
Final Score: Windigo 3, Wilderness 2
The Windigo won a close battle that saw just five goals, which is the lowest number of goals scored between both teams this season. Both sides came out of the gate strong and defended well, which led to a scoreless first period. The Wilderness tallied the only goal through 40 minutes when defenseman Olle Karlsson scored a shot from distance to put Minnesota in the lead.
Near the start of the final period, Windigo defenseman Declan Burns sparked the offense with a shot near the blue line that leveled the score at one apiece. The goal was his fourth of the season and 15th overall point, which has him just shy of a point-per-game pace this season. Following a goal from the Wilderness with eight minutes remaining, the offense prepared for a comeback effort that was made possible by forward Jackson Ernst, who scored just over a minute after the Wilderness tallied their second goal. Ernst is up to
With less than four minutes to go, the first true mistake of the game occurred when Minnesota winger Jackson Reeves committed the game’s only penalty, a two-minute minor for slashing. The man advantage was all the Windigo would need to take the win. Right before time expired on the power play, Windigo forward Aidan Hickok lifted the puck into the back of the net to score the go-ahead goal. The game-winning twine finder was Hickok’s fourth goal with the Windigo and fifth overall this season. His goal was assisted by Ernst, who raised his season total for points against Minnesota this season to seven.
In net, Windigo goalie Easton Cody tended one of his best games of the season as he turned aside 29 of 31 shots on goal and made multiple key saves down the stretch.
Saturday, Dec. 20
Final Score: Windigo 2, Wilderness 6
In the second game of the weekend, the Windigo lost their first game of the season to Minnesota. The Wilderness took a commanding four-goal lead in the first period, which would be the difference with the two sides tying 2-2 down the stretch.
After the Wilderness went up 5-0 early in the second period, the Windigo ended the shutout bid when newly-acquired affiliate forward Jackson Schroeder scored in his team debut. Before his Windigo debut, Schroeder had played exceptionally well with the NA3HL Wausau Cyclones, tallying 15 goals and 34 points through just 21 games this season. Near the end of the second period, Wisconsin center Josh Sardo continued his strong run of play with a power-play goal. Since his return from a lower-body injury in late November, he has six goals and 10 points in his last eight games.
Unfortunately for the Windigo, their surge in the second period wouldn’t be enough and the Wilderness would score one more goal en route to the 6-2 win. In goal, Cody finished the contest with a 17-save effort, which included 13 across the final two periods.
Standings
With the split results, the Windigo now have a 17-12-1 overall record and maintained their fourth-place spot in the Midwest Division standings. They sit five points behind the Wilderness, who lead the division at 19-7-2. Through the first half of the season, the Windigo rank 14th among the 34 NAHL teams.
Windigo Stats
Through the first 30 games of the season, Windigo team captain Alexios Georgaklis leads the active roster in points with 29 (nine goals, 20 assists). He raised his season total by one over the weekend with an assist on Sardo’s power-play goal in Saturday’s second period. Both Burns and Ernst rank inside the team’s top five point scorers alongside winger Brendan Finley and center Peyton Mithmuangneua. In goal, Cody now holds an 8-7-0 record with a 3.54 GAA and an .896 save percentage across 16 games this season.
Up Next
Following the holiday break, the Windigo will jump back into action against their I-94 rival, the Janesville Jets. The Windigo will host the Jets at The Ponds of Brookfield Friday, Jan. 2 at 7:35 PM CST before traveling to Janesville for the second game of the series Saturday, Jan. 3 at 7:05 PM CST.
Tickets for each game can be purchased from the team’s website and can also be accessed using this link. 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.
On behalf of the entire Wisconsin Windigo organization, Happy Holidays! Thank you for your support during the first half of the season and we’ll see you in the new year.
