Leaving Alaska does not necessarily mean the schedule gets easier for the Minnesota Wilderness. One week after closing out its first trip to the 49th state with three games in Anchorage, the Wilderness head to Eagle River, WI, for the first two of what will be five consecutive games against the Midwest Division’s first place team.
The Wisconsin Windigo lead the division with 29 points (13-2-3) over 18 games, two points ahead of second place Anchorage. The Windigo have at least one point in their last five games (3-0-2).
Last weekend, Wisconsin earned three points in a 2-game series in Janesville, WI, vs. the Janesville Jets. Wisconsin won Friday’s contest, 4-1 before falling Saturday to the Jets in a shootout, 5-4.
Meanwhile, the Wilderness (8-8-3) have points in five of their last six outings. Minnesota finished 1-1-1 last weekend in a Friday to Sunday series vs. the Anchorage Wolverines. The Wilderness won the Friday opener, 4-2, dropped Saturday’s game, 6-3 and then fell in overtime Sunday, 5-4.
The Wilderness and Windigo feature two of the NAHL’s top scorers. Minnesota’s Frantisek (Ferry) Netusil holds the league lead in goals with 17 over 19 games, while Wisconsin’s Elliott Gulley is tied for 2nd in the league in points with 25 in 18 games.
Minnesota and Wisconsin will play two games this weekend in Eagle River. Both games in the Friday-Saturday series are set for 7:00 p.m. at the Eagle River Sports Arena. The remaining three games will be played in Cloquet on Nov. 22, 23 and 27.
Media: All games can be seen on nahltv.com
Midwest Division standings:
| Place | Team | Games Played | Points | This weekend’s opponent |
| 1 | Wisconsin | 18 | 29 | 2 games vs. Wilderness |
| 2 | Anchorage | 18 | 27 | 3 games vs. Springfield (Fri., Sat., Sun.) |
| 3 | Chippewa | 20 | 23 | 2 games vs. Janesville |
| 4 | Fairbanks | 15 | 21 | 2 games @ Kenai River |
| 5 | Springfield | 15 | 20 | 3 games @ Anchorage (Fri., Sat., Sun.) |
| 6 | Wilderness | 19 | 19 | 2 games @ Wisconsin |
| 7 | Kenai River | 21 | 18 | 2 games vs. Fairbanks |
| 8 | Janesville | 18 | 11 | 2 games @ Chippewa |
Tale of the Tape
| Team | GF | GA | PP | PK |
| Anchorage | 73 | 50 | 16 for 60 (26.7%) | 7 for 78 (91%) |
| Wilderness | 66 | 68 | 20 for 93 (21.5%) | 14 for 73 (80.8%) |