Double Pounding of Steel Stretches Win Streak to 8
Published on January 19, 2026 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minnesota Wilderness News Release
The Minnesota Wilderness erupted both offensively and defensively in a dominating sweep over the Chippewa Steel this weekend.
The Wilderness extended their winning streak to eight games with a combined 13 goals and kept the Steel to just 19 shots in the 2-game home-and-home series.
On Friday, Minnesota outshot Chippewa 40-7 en route to a 4-0 victory in Chippewa Falls. On Saturday in Cloquet, the Wilderness completed the sweep with a 9-1 thrashing.
Noah Dziver, Andrei Gudin and Zach Homer each finished with five points over the weekend pair.
In goal, Ryan Gerlich posted his first junior career shutout with a 7-save performance Friday, while Valdemar Andersen was the victor in net Saturday.
The first place Wilderness (26-7-2) next heads to Alaska for its five games. Their trip begins Thursday with a 3-game series in Fairbanks to take on the 2nd place Fairbanks Ice Dogs.
Friday: Wilderness 4, Chippewa 0
With Chippewa limited to just seven shots on goal, the Wilderness set a new franchise record with the fewest opponent shots on net in a single game.
Minnesota had shot advantages of 11-1 in the first period, 8-3 in the second and 21-3 in the third.
Chippewa, meanwhile, kept the score close through the first two periods, thanks to key saves from goaltender Max Kogler. The Wilderness broke the scoreless tie 8:08 into the first period when Zach Homer set up Noah Dziver for his 19th of the season. Homer connected with Dziver with a pass that went from the bottom of the right circle, and across the crease to a wide open Dziver who beat goaltender Max Kogler between his stick side and the left post with 11:52 left in the session. Andrei Gudin also assisted on the tally.
Minnesota tacked on one more in the 2 nd when a shot from Robinson Djian from the slot got past Kogler 4:38 into the middle frame. Djian's seventh of the campaign was assisted by Logan Nagle.
The Wilderness doubled the lead in the third with goals by Homer at the 3:29 mark and Caleb Kim with 9:55 left.
Minnesota made it 3-0 thanks to a sequence like its first period goal. This time, it was Homer converting, with a pass from Gudin that found him near the left post of the Steel net, which he fired in for his 24 th of 25-26. Dziver also recorded a helper on the goal.
Kim then completed the scoring with a one-timer on the power play. That red-lighter gives him 10 on the season and was assisted by Dziver and Landon Cottingham.
The Wilderness finished 1-for-7 with the man-advantage, while keeping the Steel off the scoreboard on three chances.
In a losing effort, Kogler had 36 saves on 40 shots.
Saturday: Wilderness 9, Chippewa 1
For the third time this campaign, Minnesota hit the 9-goal mark, tying the franchise record for goals in a single game.
The Wilderness had significant contributions from a mix of rookies and veterans with four players each generating three points.
Cayden Neice and Andrei Gudin represented first year players. Neice generated three assists for his first three-point game of his career, while Gudin had his second 3-point outing with two goals and one assist.
Meanwhile, Talan Blanck and Zach Homer represented the team's "old guard." Blanck recorded two goals and one helper, while Homer lit the lamp once and recorded two assists.
Two-point games were credited to Caleb Kim (1 goal, 1 assist), Anthony Capello and Noah Dziver (each with two assists).
Single tallies went to Jackson Reeves, River Freeman, and Robinson Djian; Olle Karlsson, Ryan DeAngelis and Landon Cottingham each had one assist.
Minnesota came out firing in the initial stages of the first period, and it paid off with two twine-stretchers in the first 5:30.
Kim set up the first goal when he skated into the Chippewa end on the right side, juked around one defender, and then caught Blanck in the slot who cashed in at the 1:08 mark.
On a 4-on-4 situation, the Wilderness added to its lead. As he approached the middle of the Steel blue line, Capello fed the puck to Gudin who caught the pass as he streaked in on the right side, and whipped a wrister that hit the back of the net between Steel starting netminder Max Kogler and the left post 5:30 into the frame.
Capello posted his second assist later in the period. The veteran from Ossining, NY, was behind the Chippewa when he dealt the puck to Neice at the top of the left circle. Neice then fired a shot that Kogler denied, but the rebound was batted in by Djian for his eighth of the season with 2:31 left in first session.
The Wilderness added four more in the 2nd, with Homer (his 25th of the season), Reeves (6th) and Freeman (12th) lighting the lamp with even-strength goals, and one more from Blanck (his 16th) on the power play.
During that Minnesota scoring spree, Chippewa registered its lone tally of the weekend, with Carter Seto scoring the first goal of his junior career.
In the third period, the Steel replaced Kogler with Zach Stahl to finish the game as goaltender. Stahl was greeted with Kim scoring his 11 th of the season 2:40 into the stanza. He was followed by Gudin striking for the second time at the 4:29 mark with his eighth of the campaign to make the score 9-1.
The Wilderness outshot the Steel, 28-12.
Minnesota goaltender Valdemar Andersen earned his 16 th win of the season, making 11 saves.
The Steel's Kogler took the loss stopping six of 13 Minnesota shots playing 40 minutes; in relief, Stahl made 13 saves on 15 shots over 20 minutes.
For the second straight night, Minnesota's penalty kill shut out Chippewa (6-27-2) on three chances, including one 5-minute major. The Wilderness power play went 2-for-4.
North American Hockey League Stories from January 19, 2026
- Wings Get Another Sweep on Home Ice vs. Minnesota Mallards - Aberdeen Wings
- Double Pounding of Steel Stretches Win Streak to 8 - Minnesota Wilderness
- Alum Jaks Headed to Second Olympic Games - Minnesota Wilderness
- St. Cloud Sweeps Watertown - St. Cloud Norsemen
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