*Photo contributed by Juan Carlos Wood – @photosbyjcw on Instagram
This past weekend, the Wisconsin Windigo took a big step forward in their pursuit of the No. 2 seed in the NAHL Midwest Division. They wrapped up their two-week trip to Alaska with a series against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. With a win in the series opener, the Windigo now control their path to the 2-seed and can claim it with two wins in the final weekend of the regular season. The Windigo would also earn the two seed by any combination of results that places them one point above Fairbanks in the standings.
Friday, April 3
Final Score: Windigo 3, Ice Dogs 1
In the opening clash of the weekend, the Windigo scored three late goals to put together a comeback win. The first two periods saw a close battle in terms of offensive opportunities and physical play. It wasn’t until late in the second period that Fairbanks scored their lone goal of the contest. It was a power-play tally put away by defenseman Clarke Nehmens.
In the third period, however, the Windigo flipped the script to take over the contest. Just under four minutes into the period, Windigo forward Jackson Ernst broke away for a rush down the right wing. With a 2-on-1 in favor of the Windigo, he elected to fire the puck towards the far-side bottom corner, which would grab him the game-tying goal. The tally was his 17th of the season, which is tied for the team lead in goals with co-captain Alexios Georgaklis. On the play, Wisconsin’s other co-captain Declan Burns picked up the primary assist to secure his first point since returning to the lineup from an upper-body injury.
Just over halfway into the third, Windigo center Aidan Hickok gave the team its first lead of the night. After he retrieved the puck from the right corner of the offensive zone, he slid a back pass to winger AJ Bongiorno, who tapped a quick pass close by to defenseman Devin Berg. A split second later, Berg played a pass across the offensive one back to Hickok, who sniped the puck into the right side of the net. The goal was Hickok’s eighth of the season and his second go-ahead tally of the year.
To seal Friday’s victory, Windigo center Josh Sardo deposited an empty-net goal. After the Ice Dogs lost possession of the puck in the neutral zone, Windigo blueliner Riley Joslin relayed a pass off the right boards to find Sardo, who used his step-in-hand on the Fairbanks’ defensemen to bury the empty netter. The tally was Sardo’s 16th of the season and helped Joslin notch his 15th assist.
In net, goalie Max Larsson continued his strong stretch of play with 25 saves en route to the win. He was awarded the second star of the game honors and currently has a 10-3-1 record, a 2.01 GAA and a .927 save percentage across 16 outings this season.
Saturday, April 4
Final Score: Windigo 2, Ice Dogs 3
In the final game of the regular season between the two sides, the Windigo got out to an early lead, but ultimately struggled on the penalty kill and allowed three power-play goals in the loss. The win would give Fairbanks the edge in the regular-season series between the two sides, securing three wins in five tries.
The Windigo began Saturday’s contest hot, striking the back of the net twice in the first 10 minutes of the contest. The first goal was a shorthanded gem scored by blueliner Hunter Friedrich. He won the puck in the Windigo defensive zone, played a pass up to Bongiorno, and then got the puck back before slotting a shot away from just past the right face-off circle. The goal was Friedrich’s second of the season and his sixth point across 16 games with the Windigo. Bongiorno grabbed his 13th assist of the season on the play.
A few minutes later, Wisconsin doubled its lead with a rebounded goal. After Joslin and center Jacob Miller placed shots on net that Fairbanks’ netminder Miles Roberts couldn’t catch, Windigo winger Ryan Mottau swooped in from the left wing to tuck a shot into the top-right corner. The goal was his 13th of the season, which ranks fifth on the team. Joslin recorded his second assist of the series on the play, bringing his season total to 16. Miller’s secondary helper was his 25th assist of the season across his time with Amarillo and Wisconsin.
From that point on, however, the Ice Dogs would take control of the game through their effectiveness on the power play. They scored two tallies at a man advantage in the second period before following it up with one in the third. Windigo netminder Easton Cody did well to keep the team in the contest at even strength, stopping 29 shots in the loss.
Standings
With the penultimate series of the regular season in the books, the Windigo now have a 34-21-2 record through 57 games this season. At 80 points, they are tied with the third-place Anchorage Wolverines, who have a 32-21-6 record across 59 games. Since they have played two more games than the Windigo and Ice Dogs, both teams have a path to finish above the Wolverines in the Midwest Division by the end of the regular season. The Ice Dogs have a 33-21-3 record through 57 games and currently sit in fourth place, but are just one point behind the Windigo.
The Windigo’s big step towards the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Division was noted in the NAHL Power Rankings. The Windigo moved up two spots from 9th to 7th, which is tied for their highest placement of the regular season. They currently rank second in the Midwest Division behind the Minnesota Wilderness (4) and ahead of the Anchorage Wolverines (9).
Up Next
In just a few days’ time, the Windigo will embark on their final road trip of the regular season. With playoff seeding at stake, they’ll travel down to Illinois for a two-game series with the Springfield Jr. Blues. The first clash between these two rivals kicks off on Friday, April 10 at 7:05 PM CST before the series finale on Saturday, April 11 at 6:05 PM CST. With a pair of wins or one win with one Ice Dogs loss across their two-game series, the Windigo would clinch the No.2 seed in the Midwest Division and host a playoff series.
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. When you tune into the broadcast, make sure to select “Away Feed” to watch the Windigo livestream with Play-by-Play Broadcaster Ben Buttrick.
