Game 1 Goes To Wild
Published on April 17, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
WENATCHEE, Wash. - A fast start can go a long way. For the Wenatchee Wild, a fast start in Game 1 of the West Division finals led to a 6-2 win over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. It was the Wild's fourth straight postseason win at the Town Toyota Center in 2010.
The Wild sprinted out of the gate en route to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. Brandon Burrell (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) scored the first goal of the series less than five minutes into the first frame when he stole an Ice Dogs' attempted break out pass and launched a wrist shot from the near faceoff dot that sailed over goaltender Joe Phillippi's right shoulder.
Wenatchee increased its lead to 3-0 on a pair of power-play goals later in the first period. Ryan Timar (Novi, Mich.) scored the first power-play marker from the slot on a sharp pass from Adam McKenzie (Petaluma, Calif.) in the far corner. Kyle Brodie (Northglenn, Col.) earned the second assist on Timar's marker, which was his fourth of the playoffs. Alex McLean (Duluth, Minn.) scored the Wild's second power-play marker of the frame on a shot from the near point with 1:58 left before the first intermission. Michael Di Puma (Chicago, Ill.) and Shawn Pauly (Bellingham, Wash.) assisted. The Wild went 2-for-2 on the power play in the first period while Fairbanks went 0-for-3.
Timar's fifth goal of the playoffs and second of the game, also scored on the power play, gave the Wild a 4-goal cushion with just over two minutes left in the second period. McLean and Di Puma assisted on the lone goal of the second frame.
Armand de Swardt's (Dallas, Texas) wrist shot from the slot four minutes into the final period gave the Wild a 5-0 lead. Jordan Young (Cave Creek, Ariz.) and Dajon Mingo (Canton, Mich.) assisted. Fairbanks cut Wenatchee's lead back to 5-2 thanks to power-play goals by Mark Pustin and Matt Millis at the 7:49 and 11:12 marks, respectively. But it was too little, too late for the Ice Dogs. Wenatchee's Christian Hilbrich (Clarendon Hills, Ill.) added an empty-netter down the stretch on a Nathan Sliwinski (Castle Rock, Col.) pass.
Wild netminder Brandon Jaeger (Champlin, Minn.) stopped 17-of-19 shots, improving his playoff record to 3-0. Phillippi, who made five saves on eight shots in the first period, took the loss. Mike Taffe stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced over the final two periods.
Wenatchee finished the game 3-of-8 on the power play while Fairbanks was 2-for-8. The Wild doubled up the Ice Dogs in shots, 40-19.
Timar scored two power-play goals while McLean had a goal and an assist. Di Puma finished with two helpers. Michael Juola assisted on both of Fairbanks' goals.
Game 2 of the divisional finals will be played on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at the Town Toyota Center.
North American Hockey League Stories from April 17, 2010
- Late Surge Delivers Bobcats 2-0 Series Lead - Bismarck Bobcats
- NAPHL Announces Teams for 2010-11 Season - NAHL
- Game 1 Goes To Wild - Wenatchee Wild
- North Stars take series opener, 4-1 - Traverse City North Stars
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