Wilderness Snap 10-Year Opening Night Losing Skid with Shootout Win

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NAHL Minnesota Wilderness

Wilderness Snap 10-Year Opening Night Losing Skid with Shootout Win

September 14, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minnesota Wilderness News Release


In 2014, the song "Happy" by Pharrell Williams topped the Billboard charts as the biggest song of the year. It was also a happy time for the Minnesota Wilderness, who climbed to the top of the NAHL by winning the Robertson Cup championship for the 2014-15 season-a season which started with an opening day victory on September 17, 2014. And while the Wilderness have continued to have success throughout their history since, that would be the last time the team would celebrate a win in its first game of a regular season, until Friday night.

Minnesota dumped a 10-game season-opener losing streak Friday night with a 3-2 shootout win over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. Logan Nagle and Frantisek Netusil scored single goals during regulation, while in the shootout, Netusil added another goal and Drew Beasley notched the game-winner in a thrilling finish.

Goaltender Nick Erickson was sharp all night with 41 saves through overtime, and stopping two of Fairbanks' three shootout attempts to earn the victory in net.

It was a game where the Wilderness failed to hold the lead during 60 minutes of regulation, needing to come back from single-goal deficits twice.

The Ice Dogs scored first 4:28 in the opening period with a goal from rookie Thomas Corneillie.

That lead was erased when Nagle caught a slick pass from Ben Roulette and tucked in the puck between Ice Dog netminder Kevin Jones' right leg and the right post with 2:21 left in the 2nd period.

After Caden Pendo registered a breakaway goal 5:35 into the third, the Wilderness responded with a power play tally with 5:24 remaining in the final stanza. Netusil recorded his first junior A goal when he intercepted a clearing attempt, skated into the slot and flicked the puck into the top left corner.

The shootout saw Fairbanks strike first when former Wilderness forward Luca Ricciardi lit the lamp in the top of the first round, but It would be all Wilderness from then on. Netusil deposited a goal at the bottom of the first, and, after Aidan Bergner was stopped by Erickson in the top of the 2nd, Beasley performed his heroics in the bottom to put the Wilderness ahead.

Erickson then secured the win when he held off Adam Timm's chance to tie in the top of the third round.

Wilderness head coach Colten St. Clair called it a total team win.

"It wasn't pretty at times, but we stuck with it and had each other's back and we found a way to win against a good team", said the 2nd year bench boss. "There's a lot of good to build on."

Fairbanks outshot Minnesota, 43-30 but was held without a shot on goal in the 5-minute overtime.

On special teams, the Wilderness (1-0-0) finished 1-for-5 on the power play, and its penalty kill kept Fairbanks (0-0-1) from scoring in two chances.

The Wilderness will look to be happy again Saturday night when it hosts a rematch versus the Ice Dogs. Puck drop will be 7:15.

Check out the Minnesota Wilderness Statistics

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