Wilderness Host Fairbanks to Commence Season
September 12, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minnesota Wilderness News Release
A brand new season embarks this weekend for the Minnesota Wilderness. The Cloquet-based junior hockey team plays host to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the first two of a 59-game schedule Friday and Saturday nights.
Minnesota is looking to build upon a 2023-24 squad that finished with a 30-25-5 record and qualified for the NAHL's Robertson Cup playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Last season, the Wilderness saw its season end after losing to the Anchorage Wolverines 3-games-to-one in the first round of the post-season.
Fairbanks finished its 23-24 campaign out of the playoffs with a 22-30-8 mark.
Minnesota will display a lot of new faces this weekend. Only four players from the 23-24 team return, with Logan Nagle being that foursome's top scorer. Over 51 games, Nagle, a forward from Post Falls, ID, generated five goals and 10 assists for 15 points. Nate Murray, from Fowlerville, MI, is another forward coming back who put up 12 points (5 goals/7 assists) over 17 games.
Goaltender Nick Erickson is also back with the squad. The Apple Valley, MN, native is going into this 3rd year of junior hockey. Last season, Erickson appeared in 30 games, posting a 14-14 record with a 2.65 GAA, 913 save percentage and five shutouts. His goaltending partner will be Simon Zille, who comes to the team from Slovakia.
Meanwhile, Fairbanks brings nine players from its 23-24 team to its 24-25 opener. That includes Kyle Rohrer as its top returning scorer, with 32 points last season. The team has three new goaltenders on its roster, although one, Kevin Jones, has junior experience after playing in a Canadian-based league last season.
This will mark the third time in team history that the Wilderness will begin a season by hosting Fairbanks. The Ice Dogs won both of those openers which were in 2015 and 2022.
Minnesota will be seeking its first opening day victory since 2014.
Both games this weekend begin at 7:15 p.m.
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