Most goaltenders will admit a shutout win can be a confidence booster.
When that shutout is against one of the top scoring teams in your league, that boost can be like a rocket launching,
Adam Prokop entered Friday’s game vs. the Wisconsin Windigo on a 4-game losing streak, having not won since Nov. 18. He was called upon to stop a Windigo squad that came into the game with 217 goals scored, which leads the Midwest Division and is second in the North American Hockey League.
For Prokop, it was mission accomplished.
The 20-year-old from Wausau, WI, stopped all 36 Windigo shots to lead the Wilderness to a 3-0 victory in the opener of 2-game home series. It’s Prokop’s third shutout of the season.
Offensively, Nick Blood potted two goals and Alessandro Lurati scored once.
Much of Prokop’s performance was aided by a persistent shot-blocking effort by his teammates, yet there were moments Prokop had to be sharp. 13 of Wisconsin’s shots came in the 2nd period, including one from Quinn Disher, who broke through the Wilderness defense for a point blank shot from the slot that Prokop kicked aside with a pad save.
Prokop also held strong in two short-handed situations against the NAHL’s top power play. The Windigo entered the game with a 25.4% conversion rate with the man-advantage.
The Wilderness also managed to snap a four-game streak where it gave up the first two goals of the game. Lurati opened the scoring five minutes in with his seventh of the season. A long outlet pass from Ren Morque set up the goal. From the extended goal line in the defensive end, Morque caught Lurati between the Wilderness blue line and the center ice face-off circle. Lurati then skated into the high-slot in the Windigo zone where he whipped a wrister that sent the puck over the right shoulder of Wisconsin goaltender Max Beckford and into the net.
The 1-0 score stuck until the third period, when Minnesota (28-23-4) applied pressure on its second power play chance of the night. That was when Blood struck for his first goal of the contest. While facing the left face-off circle and with his back to the goaltender, the veteran from Minnetrista, MN, gathered a rebound of a Beau Janzig shot and curled the puck into the net between Beckford’s left leg and the right post. Nate Murray also assisted on the tally which came with 11:56 remaining in the third.
Blood then closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal with 32 seconds left. It’s the first two-goal game of Blood’s career who now has 15 on the campaign.
Wisconsin (37-15-6) outshot the Wilderness 36-31. Beckford suffered the loss, making 28 saves on 30 shots.
The win brings the Wilderness back into a tie for the Midwest Division’s fourth and final playoff spot. Minnesota and Chippewa are now even with 60 points, and the Wilderness own a better win percentage having played two fewer games than Chippewa.
The Wilderness and Windigo will complete the weekend series, along with their 10-game regular season series Saturday night at 7:15 in Cloquet.