Wild Takes 2-0 Series Lead
Published on April 18, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
WENATCHEE, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild took a commanding 2-game lead in its best-of-5 West Division final series against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs with a 6-2 win in Game 2 Saturday night at the Town Toyota Center. The win was the Wild's fifth straight in the 2010 playoffs.
Fairbanks opened scoring at the 7:17 mark of the first period when Zach Tolkinen, who had just stepped onto the ice after a 2-minute stay in the sin bin, took advantage of a stray Wenatchee pass that led to a breakaway goal. After the Wild had two goals disallowed, Armand de Swardt (Dallas, Texas) knotted the game, 1-1, when he wristed a power-play goal from the top of the near circle with 5:24 remaining before the first intermission. Alex McLean (Duluth, Minn.) and Jeff Jubinville (Edmonton, AB) assisted.
Wenatchee dominated the second period, scoring three unanswered even-strength goals to take a 4-1 lead. Mark Miller (Massena, N.Y.) gave the Wild its first lead of the game 2:23 into the second frame when he backhanded a rebound off a Jordan Young (Cave Creek, Ariz.) wrister past Fairbanks netminder Mike Taffe. Miller, 17, rejoined the Wild for this series after his AAA Midget team, Russell Stover, finished in third place in the 2010 USA Hockey Tier 1 18U National Tournament.
De Swardt lit the lamp for the second time in the contest with 9:08 left in the second frame to extend his team's lead to 3-1. After receiving a lob pass from Dajon Mingo (Canton, Mich.) at the Fairbanks blue line, de Swardt angled in on Taffe from the right wing and scored 5-hole on his forehand. McLean sent the Wild to a 4-1 when he scored on a slap shot from the point with 44 seconds remaining in the period. Ryan Timar (Novi, Mich.) earned the lone assist.
Wenatchee wasted little time - nine seconds, to be exact - before scoring its first goal in the third period. Off the opening faceoff, Jubinville skated down the left wing and took a shot from the top of the far circle that found the far side of the cage. It was the fastest goal scored by a Wild player to open a period.
James Saintey cut Wenatchee's lead to 5-2 when he scored on wrist shot at the 4:19 mark of the third period. McLean got that goal back, however, when he scored on a shorthanded empty-netter from approximately 190-feet away from the goalie-less Fairbanks net. It was McLean's second goal and third point of the game.
Brandon Jaeger (Champlin, Minn.), who stopped 12-of-14 shots, improved his playoff record to 4-0 with the win. Taffe turned aside 31 of the 36 shots he faced. The Wild went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Ice Dogs went 0-for-6.
Game 3 of the series will be played at the Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Friday, April 23 at 7:30 pm. (AKST). Game 4, if necessary, will also be played in Fairbanks, on Saturday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. (AKST).
North American Hockey League Stories from April 18, 2010
- Wild Takes 2-0 Series Lead - Wenatchee Wild
- Stars take 2-0 lead with 5-1 win - Traverse City North Stars
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