Logan Nagle had a goal and an assist and Adam Prokop fought off 30 of 31 shots Friday night to lead the Minnesota Wilderness to a 4-1 win over the Wisconsin Windigo.
The Wilderness were aided by a stingy defense that consistently denied Windigo chances by blocking or redirecting shots and breaking up centering passes.
It was the first game of a 2-game series featuring the top two teams in the Midwest Division. The win allows Minnesota (13-6-2) to extend its lead in the division to three points over the second place Windigo (11-8-3).
After a scoreless first period, the Wilderness broke through with the game’s first goal midway through the middle frame. In the closing seconds of its first power play of the night, newcomer Slava Tugolukov (playing in his first game with the Wilderness after being acquired earlier this week) won a face-off in the circle to the right of the Wisconsin net and directed the puck toward the boards. Oliver Band then fed the puck to Nagle in the high slot at the edge of the right circle, and beat Wisconsin goaltender Max Beckford with a wrist shot
with 9:12 left remaining. The goal, Nagle’s 2nd of the season, just missed being recorded as a power play goal, as it was scored two seconds after the penalty time expired.
The Wilderness added to its lead early in the 3rd when Oliver Stümpel prevailed from almost the same location in the opposite end of the ice for his sixth of the campaign. Ashton Dahms helped set up the play when he won a puck battle from along the right wing boards that sent the puck in Stümpel’s direction as the native of Torrance, CA, skated into Wisconsin territory.
Aiden Shirey then made it 3-0 on shot from the right point, assisted by Nagle and Nash Jacobsma 6:33 into the final period. Wisconsin responded less than a minute with its only goal of the game, scored by Elliott Gulley on a shot that he deflected off the back of goaltender Adam Prokop.
The Wilderness capped off the scoring with an empty netter from Peteris Purmalis with 1:33 remaining in regulation time. Purmalis’ eighth of the season was assisted by Jacobsma and Beau Janzig, who was celebrating his 20th birthday and playing in his 100th junior A game.
The game was not without controversy. Officials waved off two goals that the Windigo believed it had scored. The first goal was denied after it was ruled the puck was directed into the net by a glove. That ruling was confirmed by video review.
In the other, Braydon Beahm fired the puck into the net immediately after officials blew the whistle to call a penalty. A Windigo protest claimed the whistle was blown before the Wilderness gained possession of the puck, although replay shows Peteris Purmalis made contact with the puck moments before it got to Beahm to take a shot.
Wisconsin outshot the Wilderness, 31-29.
The game finished with a total of four penalties called, with both teams earning two power plays. Neither team was able to convert on its man-advantage opportunities.
The 2-game series concludes Saturday night with puck drop scheduled for 7:15 p.m.