After winning 2 of 3 last weekend to kick off its Midwest Division Semi-final series, the Minnesota Wilderness have made it to Alaska, seeking to advance in the Robertson Cup playoffs.
After dropping game 1 to the Anchorage Wolverines, 3-2, last Friday, the Wilderness bounced back with two dominant wins, 5-0 and 4-0, in games 2 and 3. Minnesota now leads the best 3-out-of-5 series 2-games-to-1. Game 4 and, if necessary, game 5, will be played in Anchorage this weekend.
Not only did the Wilderness blank the Wolverines on the scoreboard, a “Blanck” led the team offensively.
Ryan Gerlich was Minnesota’s starting goaltender in all three contests and became the first Wilderness netminder to post back-to-back playoff shutouts in franchise history. The veteran from Nisswa, MN, made 23 saves in game 2 and 26 in game 3 for the first two post-season shutouts of his junior career.
Meanwhile, forward Talan Blanck was firing anything but blanks at the Anchorage net, registering four goals and four assists. His four goals and eight points equal a franchise record for most points in the first three games of a playoff series.
The NAHL’s top two goal-scorers from the regular season are also tied for the lead in goals in this postseason series. Luc Bydal leads the Wolverines with three goals, with all three tallies coming in game 1. Zachary Homer tops the Wilderness with three, as he put up one goal in game 2 and two more in game 3.
Game 4 is slated for Friday, April 24, at 7:30 AKDT at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage. If there is a game 5, it will be Saturday night same time and location.
Media: Watch all games on NAHLTV.com.
Playoff series game-by-game
| Game # | Date | Score | Location | MNW PP | ANC PP | SOG |
| 1 | April 17 | ANC 3, MNW 2 | Proctor, MN | 0 for 2 | 0 for 2 | M30, A29 |
| 2 | April 18 | MNW 5, ANC 0 | Proctor, MN | 2 for 5 | 0 for 3 | M32, A23 |
| 3 | April 19 | MNW 4, ANC 0 | Proctor, MN | 1 for 3 | 0 for 3 | M29, A26 |
| 4 | April 24 | TBD | Anchorage, AK | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 5 | April 25 (if necessary) | TBD | Anchorage, AK | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Regular Season Tale of the Tape
| Team | GF | GA | PP | PK |
| Anchorage | 221 (3.75 GFPG) | 212 (3.59 GAPG) | 39 for 228 (20.1%) | 56 for 260 (78.5%) |
| Wilderness | 249 (4.22 GFPG) | 148 (2.5 GAPG) | 48 for 237 (22.6%) | 37 for 224 (83.5%) |
Playoff Goalie Comparison
| Name | Team | Games | Won/Loss | GAA | Save % |
| Ryan Gerlich | MNW | 3 | 2-1 | 1.02 | .962 |
| Drake Owens | ANC | 1 (5 mins) | 0-0 | 0.00 | 1.000 |
| Kai Weigel | ANC | 3 | 1-2 | 3.79 | .878 |
Top Series Scorers
| Name | Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Talan Blanck | MNW | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Logan Nagle | MNW | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Noah Dziver | MNW | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Luc Bydal | ANC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Zachary Homer | MNW | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Theo Kiss | MNW | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Avery Anderson | MNW | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Rylan Bydal | ANC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ryan DeAngelis | MNW | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sam Evert | ANC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Matt Hauser | MNW | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Other Midwest Division Semi-Final Series:
Wisconsin leads Fairbanks 2 games to 1
| Game # | Date | Score | Location |
| 1 | April 17 | WIS 3, FBK 0 | Fairbanks, AK |
| 2 | April 18 | WIS 1, FBK 0 | Fairbanks, AK |
| 3 | April 19 | FBK 3, WIS 0 | Fairbanks, AK |
| 4 | April 24 | TBD | Brookfield, WI |
| 5 | April 25 (if necessary) | TBD | Brookfield, WI |