Weekend Recap: The first round of the Robertson Cup playoffs kicked off at the historic Dome in Eagle River last weekend. Having beaten Janesville in 7 or 10 contests during the regular season, hopes we high for the Windigo faithful and the home team did not disappoint large crowds that turned out for fast and furious playoff hockey. The best of 5 games series now moves to Janesville for games on April 26 and 27. If necessary, the final game of the series will be played in Eagle River on Sunday, April 28 at 6pm. The other matchup in the Midwest Division semi-finals featured the Minnesota Wilderness visiting the Anchorage Wolverines. Anchorage took game one by the score of 4 to 0 and game two in overtime by the score of 2-1.
(Photos courtesy of Cathy Iverson)
Friday, April 19: Janesville 2 at Wisconsin 4: Early action saw tight checking and stingy defensive play, resulting in a scoreless first period. The Jets broke the ice 4 minutes into the second period on a power play goal by Ryan Williams off a wrist shot from just inside the blueline. Just 22 seconds later, Braydon Beahm tied the game. Elliot Gulley found Quinn Disher in the slot and fed him the puck. Disher’s shot was blocked by a Jets’ defender, but Beahm pounced on the loose puck and went forehand to backhand around Jets’ netminder Matthew Alberti to deposit the puck into the net. Mario DiMaggio put the Windigo up 2-1 with a snipe from the low slot. Luke Baker and Zach Cline set up DiMaggio’s goal. Tyler Grahme closed out the scoring in the middle frame with a goal assisted by Max Martin and Cashen Naeve. Grahme won a puck battle along the hash mark and carried the puck towards the net, releasing a shot from close range. Midway thru the third period, a goal by Therien Thiesing brought the Jets to within one. Two minutes later, Max Martin cycled the puck in the corner and fed the puck to Sam Groebner at the point. Groebner released a shot that generated a rebound to Alberti’s right. Ethan DeKay collected the puck and closed out the scoring with a wrist shot from the faceoff dot. Max Beckford earned the win in net for the Windigo with 25 saves. Alberti suffered the loss in goal for the Jets making 22 stops.
Saturday, April 20: Janesville at Wisconsin 2: Tight checking playoff hockey continued in game 2 of the series, with neither team finding the advantage in the first 2 periods of play. Wisconsin held a slight advantage in shots on goal with 21 to the Jets’ 20 during the first 40 minutes of action. Windigo rookie sensation Jacob Jastrzebski opened the scoring just 37 seconds into the final frame. The play started deep in the Windigo zone with Cashen Naeve feeding Logan Nickolaus an outlet pass. Nickolaus bounced an indirect pass of the boards to Jastrzebski, as he entered the offensive zone. Jastrzebski barreled towards the net and went forehand to backhand as he crossed thru the crease. His backhand shot found its mark high to the far side of the net. Three minutes later, Jastrzebski struck again. Zach Cline and Everett Pietila prevailed in a battle for the puck in the corner. Pietila headed towards the net along the goal line. He found Jastrzebski dropping into the low slot. Jastrzebski’s one-timer closed out the scoring. For his 2 goal effort in the game, Jastrzebski was named 3rd star by the NAHL for all 8 games played league-wide on Saturday. Max Beckford registered the shutout win in net with 29 saves. Jets’ netminder Mattew Alberti made 30 saves on the 32 shots he faced.
Coach’s Comments: Windigo head coach Blake Hietala shared the following after the game on Saturday, “For the most part, I was pleased with the structure we maintained and discipline we displayed throughout the weekend. We limited our mistakes and played a solid game defensively as an entire team effort. Beckford was solid in net for us all weekend. We stayed out of the penalty box, as did the Jets. Power play opportunities were hard to come by this weekend. It was great to see our balanced scoring on Friday. Our team depth was on display this weekend. We feel like we can roll all four lines against any team we face. I think that wore them down on both nights. Jastrzebski was phenomenal on Saturday. He gets better every game, and his determination was rewarded. We’re looking forward to going to Janesville next weekend. We expect more tight checking and fast hockey. Janesville has a strong team. We need to keep working hard, and smart, to close out the series.”
Game Worn Jersey Auction: The Windigo have launched an online auction of game worn jerseys of Max Martin, Will Schumacher, Tyler Grahme and Everett Pietila. Click on the following link to place your bid: https://fans.winwithdash.com/auction/662355d1cfeac70007cfaa04.
Up Next: The series moves to Janesville, WI, for games 3 and 4 on April 26 and 27. If necessary, the final game of the best of 5 series will be held at the historic Dome in Eagle River, WI, on Sunday, April 28 at 6pm. Playoff tickets are $20 for reserved section access, $15 for general admission adults, $10 for youth tickets (ages 6 to 18). Children ages 5 and under will be admitted free with an adult. Tickets will be available at the door 1 hour prior to game time and are available online at www.wisconsinjuniorhockey.com/tickets.