A pair of early deficits proved lethal both Friday and Saturday night for the Minnesota Wilderness. The squad fell behind 2-0 in both contests and could not recover, as the Kenai River Brown Bears won both nights – 4-1, Friday, and 5-2, Saturday.
Peteris Purmalis led the Wilderness with two points on the weekend. Goaltender Nick Erickson took the loss in net in both contests.
Saturday’s loss took Minnesota out of Robertson Cup playoff position as it now sits in fifth place in the Midwest Division, one point behind the fourth place Chippewa Steel. The Wilderness has the benefit of having two more games than the Steel remaining on the regular season schedule.
Minnesota will seek to bounce back as it returns to the lower 48 this weekend for the first two of its final six games of the campaign. The Wilderness hosts Wisconsin for a pair of home contests this Friday and Saturday. Puck drop will be 7:15 p.m. both nights at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet.
Friday night: Kenai River 4, Wilderness 1
Four different players lit the lamp for Kenai River in the series opener. Peteris Purmalis notched Minnesota’s lone goal in the second period, which cut the Brown Bear lead to 3-1.
Gavin Duckworth and Carter McCormick scored in the first period for Kenai, while Luke Hause gave the home squad a 3-goal lead early in the middle frame.
Purmalis’ tally was his 17th of the season and came at the 3:08 mark of the second period. Ben Doll earned his first point as a Jr. A player by assisting on the goal along with Gustavs Ozolins.
The Brown Bears rounded out the scoring with a goal from Ryan Hipsag with 2:43 left in the middle frame.
Nick Erickson suffered the loss in goal for the Wilderness, making 22 saves on 26 shots.
Kenai River outshot Minnesota, 26-21. The Brown Bears’ Conor Sullivan earned the win stopping 20 of 21 Wilderness shots.
The series opening game featured only six minutes in penalties with neither scoring on the man-advantage. The Wilderness went 0-for-2 on the power play; Kenai River finished 0-for-1.
Saturday night: Brown Bears 5, Wilderness 2
A goal by Harper Searles early in the second period gave the Wilderness some hope after Kenai ended the opening frame with a 2-0 advantage. Kole Altergott and Nate Murray assisted on Searles’ 5th of the season at the 3:48 mark.
After Andy Larson scored to restore Kenai’s 2-goal lead later in the middle frame, Peyton Nelson pulled the Wilderness back within one with his sixth of the season. Beau Janzig and Purmalis received helpers on the goal, which came on the power play 27 seconds before the middle period ended.
The Brown Bears closed out the scoring in the third with tallies from Landon MacDonald and Brady Engelkes. Engelkes’ goal came on an empty net with 1:17 left in regulation.
Engelkes was also involved in Kenai’s first period scoring. He and Roope Tuomioksa recorded red lighters to help the Brown Bears go in front 2-0. Engelkes notched the game’s first goal on the man-advantage 8:38 left in the first.
Erickson made 19 saves on 23 shots for his second straight defeat as the Wilderness again had the advantage in shots on goal, 31-24. Proctor-native A.J. Reyelts stopped 29 of 31 to earn the win for the Brown Bears.
Both teams recorded single power play goals, with the Wilderness going 1-for-3, and Kenai finishing 1-for-2.