Wilderness Drop 2 to Steel
January 23, 2025 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minnesota Wilderness News Release
The Chippewa Steel continue to give the Minnesota Wilderness fits.
The Wilderness fell in both games to the Steel this weekend in a home-and-home series. Chippewa took a 6-3 victory Friday night in Chippewa Falls and followed with a 5-2 win Saturday in Cloquet.
Those results led to Chippewa and the Wilderness swapping places in the Midwest Division - the Steel (17-17-4) moved into fifth place with 38 points, while the Wilderness (17-16-3) fell to sixth with 37 points.
Chippewa has now won five of the six meetings between the two squads this season.
Minnesota next heads to Alaska for its next five games. The Wilderness visit Fairbanks to meet the Ice Dogs in a 3-game series beginning Thursday, then heads to Kenai River for games on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
Friday: Chippewa 6, Wilderness 3
Minnesota could not contain the Steel who saw Jackson Lackas put up four goals and Cam Davis score twice.
The Wilderness had production from Brady Zugec, Logan Nagle and Jakeb Lynch.
Zugec's goal came as a result of a terrific effort from defenseman Angel Lovecchio. Lovecchio denied an attempt by Chippewa to clear its zone by retrieving the puck just as it approached the blue line. The veteran from Switzerland then found Zugec all alone between the crease and the bottom of the right circle, who was able to slip the puck past Steel goaltender Devin Shakar for his sixth tally of the season.
That goal tied the game at 1-1, which was the score through the end of the first period.
The Steel then scored twice to begin the 2nd period, one at the 10-second mark and another at 4:10. Nagle then responded when he deposited a rebound for his third of the campaign, with assists from Jameson O'Flynn and Lucas Jendek with 10:08 remaining.
The Steel would get one more in the middle frame on the power play before Jakeb Lynch scored his 13th of 2024-25 on a breakaway with 1:42 left.
Chippewa added two more in the third period to complete the scoring, including an empty-net tally with 38 seconds remaining.
The Steel outshot Minnesota, 31-24. Valdemar Andersen suffered the loss in goal for the Wilderness, making 25 saves on 30 shots.
Shakar made 21 saves for the Steel.
The Steel managed the game's only power play goal on three chances, while the Wilderness were scoreless on two opportunities.
Saturday: Steel 5, Wilderness 2
Just like Friday's contest, the first period Saturday ended with a 1-1 tie.
The Wilderness opened with a power play goal from Nate Murray at the 7:03 mark. Ben Roulette and Owen Smith assisted on Murray's 12th of the season, which came off a one-timer from the left face-off circle.
The Steel responded with a goal with 3:21 left in the opening frame and followed with another 6:46 into the 2nd. Logan Nagle then fired in his second of the weekend and fourth of the season at 10:49 of the middle frame for Minnesota's second power play marker of the game. Payton Struck and Ben Roulette assisted on Nagle's goal.
Chippewa then closed out the scoring with one more in the 2nd period and two in the third.
The Steel finished with five different goal scorers: Tomas Trunda, Cam Davis, Connor Jalbert, Matic Percic and Ryder McIntosh.
Devin Shakar won for the second time during the weekend, making 26 saves on 28 Wilderness shots. Niklas Erickson made 20 saves for the Wilderness on 25 shots. Minnesota outshot Chippewa, 28-25.
Both teams had solid nights on the power play, with the Wilderness finishing 2-for-4 and Chippewa going 1-for-4.
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