The last time the Minnesota Wilderness won a game beyond the division final round in the NAHL Robertson Cup Playoffs, it was when they beat the Austin Bruins in the finals in 2015.
If they wish to reach the finals again, they will have to beat the Bruins again.
Minnesota meets Austin in the Robertson Cup Semifinals set to begin Friday night in Blaine, MN. It marks only the second time in the history of the North American Hockey League that two Minnesota-based teams have met in the semifinals or finals.
The Wilderness enter the tournament as the Midwest Division champion, which they claimed after defeating the Wisconsin Windigo in Proctor, MN, Monday night in game 5 of the division final series.
Austin also needed a fifth game to claim the Central Division crown. The Bruins advanced by defeating the Aberdeen Wings Monday night at home in the deciding contest of the Central final.
This marks the first semi-final appearance for both squads since the 2023 post-season. That year, Minnesota was swept by the Oklahoma Warriors in the best 2-of-3 series 2-games to none. The Bruins went on to win their semifinal vs. the Maryland Black Bears but then fell to Oklahoma in the single-game final.
The Wilderness and Bruins met once in the 2025-26 regular season. Minnesota defeated Austin, 3-2, in a shootout on Sept. 27, 2025, at the NAHL Showcase tournament in Blaine.
The two squads also met in the 2018 post-season. As members of the Central Division, the Wilderness were upended by the Bruins in the Central Division semi-final, 3-games-to-1.
But the most famous contests in the history of Minnesota and Austin were played on May 15-16, 2015. That was the weekend for the 2015 Robertson Cup finals, when the championship was a best 2-of-3 series. In Austin, MN, the Wilderness beat the Bruins two-games to-none to claim Minnesota’s only national title thus far, winning game 1 in a 4-overtime thriller, 2-1, and following with a 4-0 triumph in game 2.
This weekend’s series will be at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, with game 1 set for Friday and game 2 on Saturday. Puck drop both nights is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT. If necessary, game 3 will be on Sunday night at 6:30 p.m.
The other semi-final features the winners of the East Division – the Maryland Black Bears – against the winners of the South Division – the Lone Star Brahmas. That series is also being played at Fogerty Arena.
The teams that prevail in the semi-finals will meet in a championship game scheduled for Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. at Fogerty Arena.
Media availability: Thursday May 14, 1:00 p.m. CDT, Fogerty Arena, 9250 Lincoln St. NE, Blaine, MN
Wilderness Birthdays: Noah Dziver (21) and Ryan Gerlich (20) – May 15
Internet stream: Watch all games on NAHLtv.com.
Wilderness vs. Austin Bruins Series Schedule
| Game # | Date | Time |
| 1 | May 15 | 7:30 p.m. CDT |
| 2 | May 16 | 7:30 p.m. CDT |
| 3* | Mau 17 | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
All games at Fogerty Arena, Blaine, MN
*If necessary
Austin Playoff Game-by-Game
| Round | Game | Location | Result |
| 1 | 1 | Austin, MN | Austin 5, Watertown 2 |
| 1 | 2 | Austin, MN | Austin 4, Watertown 3 (OT) |
| 1 | 3 | Watertown, SD | Austin 4, Watertown 3 (OT) |
| 2 | 1 | Austin, MN | Austin 3, Aberdeen 2 |
| 2 | 2 | Austin, MN | Aberdeen 2, Austin 0 |
| 2 | 3 | Aberdeen, SD | Aberdeen 4, Austin 0 |
| 2 | 4 | Aberdeen, SD | Austin 4, Aberdeen 2 |
| 2 | 5 | Austin, MN | Austin 2, Aberdeen 1 |
Wilderness Playoff Game-by-Game
| Round | Game | Location | Result |
| 1 | 1 | Proctor, MN | Anchorage 3, Wilderness 1 |
| 1 | 2 | Proctor, MN | Wilderness 5, Anchorage 0 |
| 1 | 3 | Proctor, MN | Wilderness 4, Anchorage 0 |
| 1 | 4 | Anchorage, AK | Wilderness 3, Anchorage 2 (OT) |
| 2 | 1 | Proctor, MN | Wisconsin 4, Wilderness 3 (OT) |
| 2 | 2 | Proctor, MN | Wisconsin 3, Wilderness 2 |
| 2 | 3 | Brookfield. WI | Wilderness 6, Wisconsin 4 |
| 2 | 4 | Brookfield. WI | Wilderness 5, Wisconsin 1 |
| 2 | 5 | Proctor, MN | Wilderness 3, Wisconsin 0 |
Post Season Tale of the Tape
| Team | Games played | GF | GA | PP | PK | PIMs |
| MNW | 9 | 33 (3.7 PG) | 17 (1.9 PG) | 10 for 40 (25%) | 27 for 32 (84.4%) | 145 |
| AUS | 8 | 20 (2.5 PG) | 19 (2.4 PG) | 8 for 29 (27.6%) | 28 for 33 (84.9%) | 99 |
Regular Season Tale of the Tape
| Team | Record | Points | GF | GA | PP | PK | PIMs |
| MNW | 42-12-5 | 89 | 249 (4.22 GFPG) | 148 (2.5 GAPG) | 48 for 237 (20.3%) | 37 for 224 (83.5%) | 882 |
| AUS | 43-12-4 | 90 | 241 (4.08PG) | 131 (2.22PG) | 82 for 283 (28.9%) | 51 for 285 (82.1%) | 1140 |
Wilderness vs. Austin 25-26 Regular Season Matchup
| Date | Score | Location |
| Sept. 27, 2025 | MNW 3, AUS 2 (SO) | NSC Super Rink 1, Blaine, MN |
| Game Box Score | ||
Playoff Goalie Comparison
| Name | Team | Games | Won/Loss | Min | GAA | Save % | SO |
| Valdemar Andersen |
MNW |
2 | 2-0 | 120 | 0.50 | .983 | 1 |
| Cody Butikis | AUS | 2 | 2-0 | 120 | 1.50 | .946 | 0 |
| Ryan Gerlich | MNW | 7 | 4-3 | 435 | 2.21 | .921 | 2 |
| Jack Solomon | AUS | 6 | 4-2 | 366 | 2.30 | .914 | 0 |
Wilderness Top Playoff Scorers (min 3 pts)
| Name | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Talan Blanck (F) | 9 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| Zachary Homer (F) | 9 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Avery Anderson (F) | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Noah Dziver (F) | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| River Freeman (F) | 9 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Logan Nagle (F) | 9 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Matt Hauser (D) | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Theo Kiss (F) | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Owen Smith (D) | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Caleb Kim (F) | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Ryan DeAngelis (D) | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Olle Karlsson (D) | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Austin Top Playoff Scorers (min. 3 pts)
| Name | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
| EJ Paddington (F) | 8 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Siamion Marschanok (F) | 8 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Gavin Hruza (F) | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Zander Lipsett (F) | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Matsvei Marschanok (F) | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Michael Coleman (F) | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Nathan Williams (D) | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Gus Elbert (D) | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Ryan Lund (D) | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Minnesotans on rosters
| Name | Team | Hometown | High School |
| Avery Anderson (F) | MNW | Long Lake | Orono |
| Landon Cottingham (D) | MNW | Woodbury | Hill-Murray |
| River Freeman (F) | MNW | Hermantown | Hermantown |
| Ryan Gerlich (G) | MNW | Nisswa | Brainerd |
| Matt Hauser (D) | MNW | Rogers | Rogers |
| Deegan Hoffbauer (D) | MNW | Duluth | Northstar Christian Academy |
| Tucker Lovejoy (F) | AUS | East Grand Forks | EGF |
| Joe Luger (D) | MNW | Woodbury | Hill-Murray |
| Ryan Lund (D) | AUS | Warroad | Warroad |
| Jackson Reeves (F) | MNW | Cottage Grove | Hill-Murray |