Losing Skid Snapped After OT Win in Kenai
February 3, 2025 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minnesota Wilderness News Release
The Minnesota Wilderness snapped a 6-game losing streak Saturday night with a 3-2 overtime win over the Kenai River Brown Bears. It was the second and final game of the weekend series in Soldotna, AK. The Brown Bears won the opener Friday night, also by a 3-2 score.
The victory also allowed the Wilderness to prevent Kenai from surpassing them in the Midwest Division standings. Minnesota (18-19-4) had a one-point lead over the Brown Bears (17-20-4) before the game began and was able to extend that lead to two points and remain in sixth place.
The series capped off the Wilderness' final trip to Alaska for the 2024-25 regular season. Minnesota will now be home for the remainder of February, beginning with a 2-game series February 14 and 15 vs. the Anchorage Wolverines.
Friday: Kenai River 3, Wilderness 2
Despite outshooting the Brown Bears 45-31, the Wilderness had difficulty solving goaltender Mitchell McCusker, who made 43 saves to secure the victory for Kenai River.
Ben Roulette gave Minnesota the game's first lead 9:01 into the first period with his ninth tally of the season. Nate Murray and Ryan DeAngelis assisted on the goal.
The Brown Bears then followed with three straight red-lighters-beginning with Andrew Larson scoring in the second period, and then two more in the third from Gavin Jensen and Brady Engelkes. The goals from Jensen and Engelkes were only 1:25 apart, and they gave the Brown Bears a 3-1 lead.
Minnesota got one back when Jakeb Lynch scored a power play goal with an extra attacker with 12 seconds remaining. Frantisek Netusil and Avery Anderson aided on Lynch's 14 th marker of the season.
Nick Erickson took the loss for Minnesota, stopping 28 Brown Bear shots.
Minnesota scored the game's only power play goal on five chances with the man-advantage. Kenai was scoreless on three power play opportunities.
Saturday: Wilderness 3, Kenai River 2 (OT)
After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Minnesota scored goals late in the 2nd and 3 rd periods before winning the game in overtime.
Frantisek Netusil was the hero as he notched his first career overtime game-winner just 56 seconds into the extra session.
All Wilderness goals were scored on special teams as they scored once short-handed and twice on the power play.
Nick Erickson was the winning goaltender, making 23 saves.
Both teams finished with 25 shots on goal.
Logan Nagle scored the short-handed marker when he lit the lamp with 2:58 left in the middle frame. Nagle took advantage of a giveaway by Kenai goaltender Mitchell McCusker and roofed a shot for his fifth tally of the season. Nate Murray and Owen Smith earned assists on the goal.
Avery Anderson then scored a power play goal with 4:01 left in the third period. Nagle and Netusil assisted Anderson's third goal of the season which came on a shot from directly in front of the Kenai net.
A Kenai penalty with 23 seconds remaining in regulation then led to a Wilderness power play that extended into the overtime. Angel Lovecchio helped set up the game-winner when he fed Netusil the puck when he was at the top of the left circle. The rookie from Czechia then skated to the high slot and beat McCusker with a wrist shot for his 21st goal of the season. Noah Dziver also earned an assist on the clincher.
Luke Hause and Brady Engelkes posted Kenai's goals.
McCusker suffered the loss in net making 22 saves.
Along with going 2-for-5 on the power play, the Wilderness also marked an achievement by going 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. That along with Friday's effort and going 18-for-18 the previous weekend series at Fairbanks, the Wilderness were perfect on this Alaska trip killing penalties. The Brown Bears and Ice Dogs combined to go 0-for-26 while on the power play vs. the Wilderness.
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