Wild Returns Favor
Published on October 3, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
WENATCHEE, Wash. - On Friday night the Fairbanks Ice Dogs dealt the Wenatchee Wild a 5-1 loss. The Wild returned the favor Saturday night. Michael Di Puma (Chicago, Ill.) scored a pair of goals and added an assist, recently re-acquired D.J. Vandercook (Farmington Hills, Mich.) scored a goal and set up two second-period power-play markers, and the Wild handed the Ice Dogs a 7-4 loss.
The Wild improved its record to 6-2 with the win and evened its 3-game series against the Ice Dogs in the process. The rubber match will be played at 5:05 p.m. tomorrow at the Town Toyota Center.
The Wild got off to a good start Saturday night, taking an early lead when Carl-Johan Sjogren (Sodertalje, Sweden) tapped in his first goal with the Wild less than three minutes into the first period. Evan Schmidbauer (Surrey, BC) assisted. The Ice Dogs tied up the game, 1-1, at the 12:54 mark of the first frame on Gabe Levin's power-play marker.
The Wild took a 2-1 lead into the locker room when Di Puma scored his fifth goal of the season less than five minutes before the first intermission. On the man-advantage, Sjogren skated through the slot and slid the puck to Di Puma, who was streaking toward the left side of the cage. Chris Rumble (Chesapeake, Va.) also assisted.
Wenatchee claimed a 2-goal lead a little less than eight minutes into the second frame during a 5-minute power play when Eliot Grauer (Mukioteo, Wash.) took a Vandercook backhanded pass in the slot and scored on a shot along the ice. Rumble earned the second assist. Di Puma's second goal of the game was scored 58 seconds prior to the midpoint of the second period during another power-play opportunity. After wheeling-and-dealing in the near circle, Vandercook sent a crisp pass toward the net to Di Puma, who jammed in his sixth goal of the season. Rumble picked up his third assist of the game on the goal.
Ice Dog Charlie Thauwald's power-play goal at the 17:40 mark momentarily cut the Wild's lead back to two goals. Vandercook got the Wild's 3-goal lead back with less than two minutes to play before the second intermission on a tremendous short-handed effort. Vandercook stickhandled around a defender in Fairbanks' zone and launched a cookie shelf backhander for his first goal in his return to the team. Kyle Huson (Parker, Colo.) earned the lone assist.
Fairbanks stormed back in the third period on goals from Thauwald and Zach Vierling to reduce Wenatchee's lead to one goal. However, Wenatchee answered with goals from Huson and Schmidbauer down the stretch for the 7-4 final.
Di Puma (2G, 1A), Vandercook (1G, 2A) and Rumble (3A) led the Wild with three points apiece. Thauwald scored two goals for the Ice Dogs while Vierling scored a goal and added two assists.
Wenatchee goalie Brandon Jaeger (Champlin, Minn.) made 32 saves on 36 shots and improved his record to 4-1. Steve Perry and Joe Phillippi combined to make 20 saves on 26 shots for Fairbanks. The Wild scored three power-play goals on five chances. The Ice Dogs also scored three power-play goals, but had 11 opportunities.
North American Hockey League Stories from October 3, 2010
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- Wild Returns Favor - Wenatchee Wild
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