A Harper Searles goal and strong goaltending from Loris Uberti propelled the Minnesota Wilderness to its first victory in the 2023-24 regular season.
Uberti stopped all 23 Maryland shots, while Searles registered the game’s only tally, as Minnesota defeated the Black Bears, 1-0, in day 3 of the NAHL Showcase.
A tremendous defensive maneuver and a swift pass helped set up Searles for the game winning goal – and both were performed by Luca Ricciardi. Behind the Maryland net, Ricciardi stripped the puck from Maryland captain Dmitry Kebreau, and then caught Searles in between the face off circles in the Black Bear zone. The rookie forward responded by whipping the puck past Maryland netminder Colin Ronan with 12:44 left in the 2nd period to give the Wilderness a lead it would not relinquish.
The victory for Uberti is the first for the 19-year-old since coming from his native Switzerland to play in North America.
Head coach Colten St. Clair said he is proud of seeing a good team effort result in a victory.
“It was just a great family win for our guys. They played the right way and competed for each other. I’m very proud of their response and their ability to keep believing in each other even when times get tough. It was just a complete effort from everyone in the lineup and I couldn’t be more proud of them to get their first win of the season.”
The win is also St. Clair’s first since being named head coach last June.
For Maryland (3-2-0), Ronan finished with 27 saves on 28 shots.
On the power play, the Wilderness (1-2-1) went 0-for-2, while the Black Bears were scoreless on one chance.
Minnesota closes out the 2023 Showcase Saturday by taking on the Aberdeen Wings at 2:45 p.m.