The Minnesota Wilderness and Kenai River Brown Bears will complete their 2024-25 regular season series this weekend with two games in Cloquet. The series comes at a pivotal moment for both squads as they are deadlocked in sixth place in the NAHL’s Midwest Division with 42 points and both teams hope to begin a late season surge to qualify for the Robertson Cup playoffs.
This will mark the middle weekend of a 6-game home stand for Minnesota. Last week, the Wilderness split a 2-game series vs. the Anchorage Wolverines. Minnesota won Friday, 6-2, before dropping Saturday’s game, 6-4.
The Brown Bears managed just one point in its 2-game set at the Janesville Jets. Janesville won in a shootout Friday, 3-2 before completing a 4-2 regulation victory Saturday.
Minnesota (19-20-4) and Kenai River (18-21-3) have met six times this season, with the Wilderness winning five. Their last two games were in Soldotna, AK, where the Brown Bears posted a 3-2 win on Jan. 31, before the Wilderness countered to win in overtime Saturday, also by a 3-2 score.
Both games this weekend (Feb. 21-22) are scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. puck drop at Northwoods Credit Union Arena.
Recent and upcoming Wilderness birthdays:
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- Logan Nagle (20) Feb. 18
- Ville Schoenborg (18) Feb 20
- Owen Smith (19) Feb. 24
Media: NAHLTV.com
Midwest Division standings:
| Place | Team | Games Played | Points | This weekend’s opponent |
| 1 | Wisconsin | 43 | 63 | 2 games vs. Springfield |
| 2 | Anchorage | 42 | 58 | 2 games @ Chippewa |
| 2 | Fairbanks | 42 | 58 | 2 games @ Janesville |
| 4 | Chippewa | 44 | 48 | 2 games vs. Anchorage |
| 5 | Springfield | 42 | 44 | 2 games @ Wisconsin |
| 6 | Wilderness | 43 | 42 | 2 games vs. Kenai River |
| 6 | Kenai River | 45 | 42 | 2 games @ Wilderness |
| 8 | Janesville | 43 | 30 | 2 games vs. Fairbanks |
Tale of the Tape:
| Team | GF | GA | PP | PK |
| Kenai River | 117 | 150 | 17 for 167 (10.2%) | 41 for 205 (80%) |
| Wilderness | 152 | 156 | 41 for 200 (20.5%) | 26 for 160 (83.8%) |