The Minnesota Wilderness gained three more points this weekend in its final Alaska series of 2025-26. Against the Kenai River Brown Bears, the Wilderness dropped Friday’s series opener, 3-2, in overtime, and prevailed in game 2 Saturday, 6-2.
Minnesota has now gone 13 straight games without a regulation loss which is a new franchise record. The Wilderness also finished last month with its best January mark ever at 10-0-2.
The Wilderness (29-7-4) now lead the NAHL’s Midwest Division by 11 points over the second place Fairbanks Ice Dogs.
Minnesota will begin its February schedule with six consecutive home games. The home stand at Northwoods Credit Union Arena begins with a series vs. the Wisconsin Windigo, this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 6-7) with puck drop set for 7:15 p.m.
Friday: Kenai River 3, Wilderness 2 (OT)
The Brown Bears handed Minnesota its second consecutive overtime defeat, thanks to Parker Newman’s goal just 33 seconds into the extra frame. Newman jammed the puck between Wilderness netminder Ryan Gerlich and the left post to spoil Gerlich’s bid for his eighth straight victory.
Minnesota was the first to score when Theo Kiss struck on the power play for his second marker of the season. Kiss caught a pass from Noah Dziver and skated past the defense, toward Kenai goaltender Devin Rustlie and snuck the puck between his pads and into the net with 11:34 left in the first period.
Kenai scored two in quick succession to take a 2-1 lead into the 1 st intermission. Kallen Ray and Holden Gallagher lit the lamp just 1:04 apart with 6:06 and 5:22 left respectively.
Late in the second frame, the Wilderness re-tied the game. Cayden Neice notched his first goal at the junior level with a shot from the left circle. Robinson Djian and Andrei Gudin assisted on the tally with 5:46 left in the middle session.
A scoreless third period allowed the game to remain tied 2-2 through the end of regulation.
Kenai outshot Minnesota, 26-22. Rustlie earned the win making 20 saves, while Gerlich stopped 23 Brown Bear shots.
On the power play, Minnesota went 1-for-3 and Kenai finished 0-for-5.
Saturday: Wilderness 6, Kenai River 2
Minnesota took a stranglehold on Saturday night’s game thanks to three goals scored over 1:42 in the third period to extend a 3-1 lead to 6-1.
Andrei Gudin, Talan Blanck and River Freeman stretched twine in the third period scoring spree, beginning with Gudin’s goal with 12:24 left to give him 10 on the campaign. He was followed by Blanck with his 19th 43 seconds later, and Freeman with his 14th another 59 seconds later.
The goal for Blanck was his second of the final period as he also scored just 34 seconds after the stanza began on the power play.
Minnesota also scored in the opening minute of the second period. Olle Karlsson broke a 0-0 tie when he notched his fifth of the season on a blast from the blue line at the 38 second mark.
After Gavin Jensen tied the game at 1 at 4:40 into the period, the Wilderness did not wait long to regain the lead.
36 seconds later, Theo Kiss picked up his second goal of the weekend when he caught Kenai goaltender Andrew McLouth out of position. After Noah Dziver fired the puck into the Kenai end after crossing the center line, McLouth exited his cage to retrieve only to see the puck deflect away from him and toward Kiss as he approached the front of the net. Kiss then had a wide-open cage as a target, and he followed through to put the Wilderness ahead to stay with his third tally of 2025-26.
Kenai (14-25-1) deposited one more goal with 1:33 left in the third from Anthony McIntosh on the power play, to complete the scoring.
Offensively, Robinson Djian led Minnesota with three assists.
The two squads finished even in shots at 22. Wilderness goaltender Valdemar Andersen secured the victory making 20 saves. McLouth stopped 16 Wilderness shots in the loss.
On the power play, Minnesota finished 1-for-3, while keeping Kenai scoreless on six chances.