Who: Minnesota Wilderness vs. Chippewa Steel
When: Dec. 15, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Chippewa Area Ice Arena, Chippewa Falls, WI
The lead: The Wilderness visits the Chippewa Steel for the final game before Christmas break and first game of the season’s second half.
Media: All of the action can be seen on nahltv.com.
Records: Chippewa: 29 games, 15-12-2; Minnesota: 30 games: 18-9-3, 39 points
Midwest Division Standings:
| Place | Team | Points | Games Played | This weekend’s opponent |
| 1 | Wilderness | 39 | 30 | 1 game @ Chippewa |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 34 | 29 | 2 games vs. Fairbanks |
| 3 | Janesville | 33 | 28 | 2 games vs. Kenai River |
| 4 | Chippewa | 32 | 29 | 1 game vs. Wilderness |
| 5 | Fairbanks | 29 | 30 | 2 games @ Wisconsin |
| 6 | Anchorage | 28 | 23 | 3 games @ Springfield |
| 7 | Kenai River | 26 | 30 | 2 games @ Janesvilles |
| 8 | Springfield | 21 | 27 | 3 games vs. Anchorage |
Last weekend:
- Chippewa split a home/home series vs. Wisconsin, falling Dec. 8 in Eagle River, WI, 6-1 before rebounding Dec 9 with a 4-3 victory.
- Wilderness beat Fairbanks in two of three contests at home, with wins of 5-0 Dec. 8 and 1-0 in a shootout Dec. 9, followed by a 2-0 defeat on Dec. 10.
Season Series: This will mark the seventh game of the 2023-24 season between the Steel and Wilderness and fourth to be played in Chippewa Falls. Chippewa claimed the first game in overtime, 4-3, while the Wilderness has won the last five meetings. The final three contests of the season series are scheduled for January.
Tale of the tape:
| Team | GF | GA | PP | PK |
| Wilderness | 83 | 73 | 23% | 87% |
| Chippewa | 86 | 94 | 14% | 77% |
Source: nahl.com
Team Shutouts: With its sixth and seventh shutouts posted last weekend, the Wilderness has claimed the league’s top spot in # of games it has blanked an opponent this season. Nick Erickson recorded his team-leading third and fourth shutouts in the Friday and Saturday night victories, and is now tied for the league lead for goaltenders in the shutout category.
Lurati to WJC: The Wilderness played without Alessandro Lurati Sunday and will also be without him Friday due to the forward’s departure to Switzerland to try out for his home country’s IIHF World Junior Championship squad. The 19-year-old junior hockey veteran is vying to make Team Switzerland’s final roster for the tournament being held in Gothenburg, Sweden. The tournament kicks off on Dec. 26, with the Swiss slated to play Team Slovakia in its opening game on Dec. 27. Team Switzerland will take on Team USA in its second contest on Dec. 28.
Dahms to Des Moines: Ashton Dahms is also off to play on a bigger stage for the next few weeks. The forward from Lakeville, MN, is on loan to the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. Dahms is second in the NAHL with 19 goals which is a total that leads the Wilderness along with his 30 points. He is expected to return to the Wilderness in January.
First 30 Games in the Books: Last Sunday’s game vs. Fairbanks marked game number 30 on the 2023-24 regular season for Minnesota. The 18-9-3 record equals the mark the squad had at the midway point of 2022-23 and is tied for the fourth best first 30-game record in franchise history.
Lackas on Streak: Chippewa forward Jackson Lackas began the season without a goal over his first 20 games. That changed when the rookie from Las Vegas lit the lamp for the first time in his junior career on Dec. 2. Lackas has followed that by building a goal streak that is now up to three games, which includes the game-winner in last Saturday’s contest vs. Wisconsin. Along with one assist, Lackas now has four points in the 2022-23 season for the Steel.