Wilderness Suffer First Blemish on Record in Loss to Windigo
September 21, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minnesota Wilderness News Release
A seesaw game Friday night resulted in the Minnesota Wilderness coming up short against the Wisconsin Windigo in a 5-4 defeat.
The loss spoiled Frantisek Netusil's first two-goal game in his junior career. Netusil notched the final two Wilderness tallies in the third period, including one on a 6-on-3 power play that came with goaltender Nick Erickson on the bench for an extra attacker. That power play goal came with 39 seconds left in regulation time.
Also with multiple points was defenseman Joey Sylvester who finished with a pair of assists.
Also scoring single goals were Avery Anderson-with his first goal of the season, and Cloquet native Karson Young, who recorded his first marker in his third game at the junior level.
The Windigo were led with 3-point performances from Braydon Beahm and Cashen Naeve, who both posted one goal and two assists.
Elliott Gully, Logan Nickolaus and Theodore Richardson also scored single goals, with Richardson's being the game-winner deposited with 2:40 left in the third.
Goaltender Lucas Szyszka earned his third win of the season for Wisconsin, stopped 30 of 34 Wilderness shots.
Erickson made 34 saves on 39 shots while suffering his first loss of the campaign.
The game started with both teams trading goals in the first 3:11 of period one. Beahm opened the scoring at the 1:00 mark, but Minnesota bounced back quickly thanks to Young's goal just over two minutes later.
The Windigo then recorded the next two goals-the first coming from Nickolaus with 4:18 left in the first, and Gulley getting the second 7:18 into the second frame to give Wisconsin a 3-1 advantage.
Anderson's goal with 3:04 left in the second injected new life into Minnesota, but the Windigo canceled that momentum with Naeve's tally 1:20 into the third.
The 4-2 score remained until Netusil's first marker that came with 7:08 left in the final period. Richardson then posted what ended up as the game-winner with 2:20 left.
The Wilderness would again make it a one-goal deficit after Netusil's second of the game in the final minute.
On the power play, Minnesota finished 1-for-4, while its penalty kill kept Wisconsin scoreless in just one chance.
The Wilderness hits the road for the first time this season in its next game. Minnesota visits the Chippewa Steel Saturday night in Chippewa Falls, WI, with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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