*Photo Contributed by Juan Carlos Wood – @photosbyjcw on Instagram
The Wisconsin Windigo made noise in the NAHL Midwest Division over the weekend with a clean two-game sweep over the Kenai River Brown Bears. The Windigo won the series opener 6-3 followed by a 5-4 overtime thriller Saturday to end the team’s trip to Alaska with three wins in four tries.
Friday, Nov. 21
Final Score: Windigo 6; Brown Bears 3
In the opening game of the series, the Windigo compiled six goals in a convincing win across all three zones. The team opened scoring quickly as defenseman Devin Berg tallied a power-play goal just 100 seconds into regulation. His goal was his second of the year and was assisted by winger Ryan Mottau and center Peyton Mithmuangneua.
Speaking of Mottau, he netted the first of four goals that the Windigo would score in the second period. The twine finder was his eighth of the season and he currently is averaging more than half a goal per game through his first 15 appearances with the Windigo. Less than two minutes after Mottau’s score, team captain Alexios Georgaklis scored his sixth goal of the season to extend Wisconsin’s lead to three goals. Later in the period, the Windigo offense struck twice within one minute. Winger Will Doherty continued his productive trip to Alaska with his third goal before team captain Michael Ryan found the back of the net himself to give Wisconsin a 5-0 lead by the end of the second period.
After two power-play goals from the Brown Bears, the Windigo stopped the home team’s momentum minutes later when Georgaklis grabbed his second goal of the game and seventh of the season. His tally was assisted by Mottau and winger Teddy Richardson, who registered his third assist of the game on the score. Despite a late goal from Kenai River, the Windigo would move on to win the game 6-3 for the team’s 12th win of the year.
In the crease, the Windigo received another strong performance from Casimir Weckstrom. The rookie netminder saved 38 shots on 41 attempts on goal on his way to earning his sixth win of the year. He’s won his last five starts and is tied for third in the entire NAHL among qualified goaltenders with a .927 save percentage.
Saturday, Nov. 22
Final Score: Windigo 5; Brown Bears 4 (OT)
The Windigo won a close battle Saturday that would need an extra period to be decided. In the first period, the Brown Bears used some of the late momentum they had in Friday’s contest to score the first two goals of the game. However, the Windigo responded exactly one minute after the second goal as Georgaklis found the back of the net for his third goal of the road trip. His tally was assisted by center Josh Sardo, who tallied his first point since returning from injured reserve earlier in the series. With four seconds to go in the period, rookie winger Brendan Finley leveled the score at two goals apiece with his sixth goal of the season.
In the second period, the Windigo took a 3-2 lead when forward Aidan Hickok found the back of the net for the first time in Windigo colors. He received some help from rookie defenseman Henry Steele, who picked up his second assist of the game on the score.
The third period would present a challenge for Wisconsin as the Brown Bears scored twice to take a 4-3 lead with less than seven minutes to play. However, the team showed its resilience as Finley scored his second goal of the game to knot the score at four goals apiece with two and a half minutes to go.
Not only did the Windigo put together a game-winning sequence in overtime, but the goal was scored by Sardo, who waited over 50 days to take the ice after picking up a lower-body injury at the NAHL Showcase. The center received a feed from Ryan before sniping a shot past the right post and into the back of the net. The goal was Sardo’s second of the season through 10 games and sent the Windigo home with a 5-4 win.
In goal, Easton Cody put together a solid outing to help the Windigo take Saturday’s contest. He stopped 21 shots on 25 total attempts en route to his fourth win of the season.
Windigo Stats
After the weekend slate, the Windigo have three players north of the 20-point mark. Richardson leads the team with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and is followed by the team’s assist leader in Ryan, who has 21 points (five goals, 16 assists). The joint-goal leader in Georgaklis has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) and is tied with Mottau, who also has eight scores. In goal, the team is led by Weckstrom, who has a 6-3-1 record with a 2.60 GAA and a .927 save percentage through 10 appearances.
Standings
With nine wins in their last 11 games, the Windigo are gaining ground in the NAHL Midwest Division standings and are currently in third place with a 13-9-1 record. Wisconsin sits just three points away from the top spot in the Midwest, which is currently being held by the 14-6-2 Minnesota Wilderness. With two losses this weekend, the Brown Bears still occupy seventh place at 8-11-1.
Up Next
After two weeks on the road in the 49th state, the Windigo will take a pit stop in Janesville for a singular game before the team’s next home series. The I-94 rivals will face off Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 7:05 PM Central Time.
Once the plates from Thanksgiving have been cleared off the table, the Windigo will jump back into action with a two-game series with the Chippewa Steel, marking the first meeting between the two squads since the preseason. Both games, slated for Friday, Nov. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 29, have a puck drop at 7:35 PM Central Time.
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.
