Wenatchee Wild Series Preview Notes V. Alaska Avalanche
Published on November 15, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
SERIES NOTES
Wenatchee Wild at Alaska Avalanche (Palmer Ice Arena)
Tuesday, Nov. 16 - 8:30 p.m. (PST)
Wednesday, Nov. 17 - 8:30 p.m. (PST)
Wild Last Series
The Wild split a 2-game series against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs over the weekend. Wenatchee won the first game, 2-1, but Fairbanks won the second game, 3-1.
Game 1 - Shawn Pauly (Bellingham, Wash.) staked the Wild to a 1-0 lead early in the second period. Michael Di Puma (Chicago, Ill.) extended the lead to 2-0 when he scored on a rebound during a 5-on-3 power play, and the Wild held on to defeat the Ice Dogs, 2-1. Goaltender Brandon Jaeger (Champlin, Minn.) was exceptional in net. He turned aside 21-of-22 shots to earn his 10th win of the season.
Game 2 - D.J. Vandercook (Farmington Hills, Mich.) set up a goal by Eliot Grauer (Mukioteo, Wash.) 38 seconds into the game, but the Ice Dogs scored three unanswered markers for a 3-1 victory.
Avalanche Last Series
Alaska won two games in 3-game series against the Kenai River Brown Bears last week. Alaska won the first two games, 6-3 and 4-3, respectively. The Brown Bears shut out the Avalanche in the third game, 5-0.
Game 1 - Kenai River held a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, but Alaska exploded for five unanswered third-period goals for a 6-3 victory. Brandon Brossoit, Jacob Barber and Zach Smith each scored two goals apiece for the Avalanche.
Game 2 - Tyler Briola's goal late in the third period proved to be the game-winner for the Avalanche over the Brown Bears, 4-3.
Game 3 - Four different Brown Bears scored second-period goals in a 5-0 win over the Avalanche.
Alaskan Road Trip Continues After Strong Start
The Wild got off to the type of start it hoped for in its first of six games in Alaska on Friday night.
Pauly and Di Puma put their club up by two goals, the team was playing solid team defense and Jaeger was making big saves at key times.
The total effort resulted in a 2-1 victory over the Ice Dogs and temporary sole possession of first place in the West Division.
"We were very good in the second and third period and controlled the play," Wild third-year head coach Paul Baxter said of his team's performance Friday night.
On Saturday night the Wild picked up right where it left off from the night before when Vandercook set up a goal by Grauer 38 seconds into the game.
But Ice Dog Taylor Munson tied up the score three minutes later. Then, at the 5:49 mark of the first period, Gabe Levin gave Fairbanks its first lead in the series during a 2-man advantage.
Fairbanks went on to add an insurance goal in the second period for a 3-1 victory.
"We had a lot of good scoring opportunities in the second game that we failed to capitalize on," Baxter said. "We came out with good energy the 5-on-3 opportunity and subsequent second goal for Fairbanks hurt."
The Wild will look to come out with the same energy it displayed against Fairbanks in its next series against the Alaska Avalanche on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Avs are 2-3 in its last five games, all of which have been against the Kenai River Brown Bears, the Wild's opponent this weekend.
"We need to generate more on the attack while continuing to be good defensively," Baxter said when asked what the key for his team was against Alaska. "They are a strong team that will provide an excellent challenge for us."
Wild v. Avalanche
This is the first series of the 2010-11 season between these two West Division foes.
The Wild went 8-3-1 against the Avalanche during the 2009-10 regular season. The Wild outscored the Avalanche 41-29 last season.
Of those that returned to the team this season, Di Puma led the Wild with seven points (5G, 2A) against the Avalanche last season. Chris Rumble (Chesapeake, Va.) recorded six points (2G, 4A). Jaeger went 4-2 with a goals-against average of 2.17 and a save percentage of .912.
Defenseman Jake Williams notched six points (1G, 5A) against the Wild in 2009-10. Goaltender Landon Peterson went 3-4 against the Wild with one shutout. He posted a goals-against average of 3.01 and a save percentage of .920.
Coming up Next
The Wild will conclude its road trip in Alaska this weekend with a 2-game series against Kenai River on Friday and Saturday. Both games will begin at 8:30 p.m. (PST)
Wenatchee will close out its November schedule with a 2-game home series against the Chicago Hitmen on Nov. 26-27. Both games will begin at 7:05 p.m.
Fans can purchase tickets at the Town Toyota Center box office, by calling 1-888-7825 or by logging on to www.wenatcheewild.com.
Records
Wild: 13-7-0 - 26 points, .650 WPCT, T-1st place in West
Avalanche: 11-10-0 - 22 points, .524 WPCT, 5th place in West
Johnson Traveling
Wild team captain Eric Johnson (Madison, Wis.) missed the last two games with an illness. However, he is traveling with the team during its long road trip in Alaska and could return to the lineup sometime this week.
When Leading & Outshooting
The Wild is 11-0-0 when holding a lead after the first period this season and 13-1-0 when leading after the second period. The Wild is 9-1-0 when outshooting its opponent.
Rumble's Streak Ends at Six Games
Rumble's assist Friday night on Di Puma's game-winning goal against the Ice Dogs extended his points streak to six games. However, his streak was snapped the following night in a 3-1 loss. Rumble notched seven points (2G, 5A) over the 6-game stretch. On the season he has 16 points (5G, 11A), which puts him in a fifth place tie among all defensemen in the league.
Jaeger up to #3 in Goals-Against Average
Jaeger's 10 wins tie him for third most in the league, and he is now No. 3 overall in goals-against average (2.23).
Top Scoring Threats
Wild: Frye leads the Wild with 17 points (5G, 12A). Grauer (9G, 7A) and Rumble (5G, 11A) each have 16 points apiece on the season.
Avalanche: Barber leads the Avs with 22 points (14G, 8A). Brossoit, a former member of the Wild, is second on the team in points with 20 (9G, 11A).
Special Teams
Wild: PP - 30/125 (24%), No. 1 in the NAHL; PK - 21/127 (83.5%), 15th in the league.
Avs: PP - 20/140 (14.3%); 19th in the league; PK - 24/134 (82.1%), 18th in the NAHL.
Goals For/Against
Wild: For - 3.60 GPG, 8th best in the NAHL. Against - 2.60 GPG, fifth best in the league.
Avs: For - 2.90 GPG, T-20th in the NAHL. Against - 3.05 GPG, 13th in the NAHL.
Shots For/Against
Wild: For - 32.70 SPG, eighth best in the NAHL. Against - 25.40 SPG, sixth best in the league.
Avs: For - 33.95 SPG, fourth best in the NAHL. Against - 29.90 SPG, 11th in the NAHL.
All statistics and standings are through Nov. 14, 2010
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