Wenatchee Wild Series Preview V. Fresno Monsters
Published on October 22, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
Wenatchee Wild at Fresno Monsters (Selland Arena)
Friday, Oct. 22 - 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 23 - 7:35 p.m.
Last Series Review
Wenatchee swept a 2-game series from Fresno last weekend at the Town Toyota Center. The Wild won the first game, 4-2, and the second game, 8-1.
Game 1 - Eliot Grauer (Mukioteo, Wash.) gave the Wild a 1-0 lead 98 seconds into the contest. Anthony Martinez (Schawmburg, Ill.) and D.J. Vandercook (Farmington Hills, Mich.) also scored in the first period as the Wild took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. Ben Carey's (Centennial, Colo.) wraparound goal with 8:03 left in the second frame extended Wenatchee's lead to 4-1. Jordan Lovick got the Monsters on the scoreboard early in the third period to cut back the Wild's lead to 4-2, but the goal was just a reprieve as the Wild held on to win, 4-2. Wenatchee goaltender Brandon Jaeger (Champlin, Minn.) made 30 saves on 32 shots for his fifth win of the season.
Game 2 - Fourteen different Wild players recorded at least one point in a dominating 8-1 win over the Monsters. Chris Rumble (Chesapeake, Va.) and Carey led the Wild with two goals and one assist apiece while Shawn Pauly (Bellingham, Wash.) scored a goal and two assists. The Wild scored six power-play goals on nine chances, and Jaeger stopped 14-of-15 shots to improve his record to 6-1.
Pink at the Rink
The Wild and its sponsors (Wenatchee Valley Medical Center, Safeway and Ag Supply) raised over $21,000 for Wellness Place in Wenatchee during last weekend's annual Pink at the Rink Weekend at the Town Toyota Center.
Fresno's Opening Weekend
The Red carpet will be out. A big crowd is anticipated, as is all the hoopla that goes along with a team's inaugural home opener.
After 12 games on the road, the Fresno Monsters will finally get to enjoy their home opener this weekend at Selland Arena against the Wild, the team they lost a pair of games to last weekend.
It could be a tough crowd and a very determined team that the Wild will be facing.
"We have zero degree of control regarding their emotional and mental mindset heading into the weekend," said Wild third-year head coach Paul Baxter. "Ergo, it is not a concern.
"How we prepare to play is an immense focus for each of us. We have the remote control and decide which channel we will be on. Obviously, we believe we need to be better than last weekend. If we believe we will be the same guaranteed it will not happen."
Of course, Wenatchee was pretty good last weekend. The Wild defeated the Monsters in both games of the series, outscoring them, 12-3.
Perhaps most impressive was the total team effort the Wild put forth. In the second game of the series alone, 14 different players recorded at least one point in an 8-1 victory.
"Everybody is important," Baxter said, "whether you play eight, 18 or 28 minutes. Nobody knows when a big moment is coming during the game.
"When we play a good game, the vast majority of our players have played well. Not great, not average and not poorly. That is simplistic but it's absolutely the mandated recipe for success, as well as for building trust amongst each other."
Coming up Next
The Wild will travel to Frisco, Texas, next weekend (Oct. 29-30) for a 2-game series against the Texas Tornado. Both games will begin at 5:30 p.m. (PST).
Wenatchee returns to the Town Toyota Center for a 3-game series against the Dawson Creek Rage on Nov. 4-6. The first game of the series will begin at 6:35 p.m. while Games 2 & 3 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
Wenatchee: 8-3-0 - 16 points, .727 WPCT, T-2nd place in West
Fresno: 5-6-1 - 11 points, .458 WPCT, 6th place in West
When Leading
A strong start can go a long way. This is especially true for the Wild so far in 2010-11. The Wild is 7-0 when leading after the first period and 8-0 when taking a lead into the third period. Additionally, the Wild is 6-0 when outshooting its opponents.
Frye Still Among Best
He did not record a point last series and only has one point in his last five games, yet Zach Frye (Spokane, Wash.) is still among the top points-getters among all NAHL defensemen. Frye's nine points (2G, 7A) tie him for sixth best in the league and second best among his teammates.
Carey Commits to Air Force, Named POW
Carey is coming off a memorable week. First he committed to play hockey and continue his education at Air Force in 2012-13. He followed that up with a 3-goal, 1-assist effort against Fresno, which was good enough to earn the SBK Hockey West Player of the Week. He was also plus-3 in the series.
Carey's eight points (4G, 4A) tie him for the third most on the team.
"Ben is fast and skilled but, as important, he is a very imaginative and character player," said Baxter. "He had 12 shots on goal over the weekend and, along with his linemates, was a consistent threat as well as very reliable defensively."
Jaeger Mentioned
Jaeger was in net for both wins last weekend against the Monsters. He made 44 saves on 47 shots in the series with a goals-against average of 1.50 and a save percentage of .936. For his efforts, he was an honorable mention selection for the SBK Hockey Goaltender of the Week award on Monday.
"Brandon faced far fewer second and third scoring chances [last weekend] as a result of much stronger team commitment to defense," Baxter said. "During [Game 1 of the series] Brandon came up with some timely and quality saves. Saturday was a very light night for him but, again, he was sharp when needed."
On the season, Jaeger's record stands at 6-1. He owns a 2.48 goals-against average and a save percentage of .907.
Keenan Sent to Kenai River
The Wild traded forward Kyle Keenan (Colorado Springs, Colo.) this week to the Kenai River Brown Bears for future considerations. Keenan scored a goal and three assists (4 points) in eight games with the Wild.
Top Scoring Threats
Wild: Grauer leads the Wild with 10 points (5G, 5A). Michael Di Puma (Chicago, Ill.) (6G, 3A), Pauly (4G, 5A) and Zach Frye (2G, 7A) each have nine points.
Monsters: Forward John Siemer leads the Monsters with 10 points (4G, 6A). Forward Johan Bjorklund (4G, 4A) and defenseman Walker Hyland (2G, 6A) each have eight points.
Wild v. Monsters
Last weekend's series was the very first between the two West Division teams. The Wild, who won both games of the series, outscored the Monsters, 12-3.
Pauly recorded a 5-point series (1G, 4A) against the Monsters last weekend. Carey (3G, 1A), Vandercook (2G, 2A) and Grauer (1G, 3A) each registered four points.
Wenatchee was 6-of-15 on power-play chances (40%). Fresno failed to record a power-play goal on 10 opportunities.
None of the Monsters recorded more than one point against the Wild.
Goals For/Against
Wild: For - 4.09 GPG, fourth best in NAHL. Against - 2.82 GPG, 10th best in NAHL.
Monsters: For - 3.08 GPG, tied for 15th in NAHL. Against - 4.50 GPG, 24th in NAHL.
Special Teams
Wild: PP - 20/69 (29%), No. 1 in the NAHL; PK - 12/71 (83.1%), 18th in NAHL.
Monsters: PP - 6/60 (10%), tied for 22nd in NAHL; PK - 14/95 (85.3%), 11th best in NAHL.
All statistics and standings are through Oct. 20, 2010
North American Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2010
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- Wenatchee Wild Series Preview V. Fresno Monsters - Wenatchee Wild
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
