Wilderness/Wolverines Split First Two of Weekend Trio; Game 3 Set for Sunday
October 11, 2026
Anchorage, AK
For immediate release
After being limited to just one goal in a Friday night loss, the Minnesota Wilderness offense busted loose
Saturday and pounded the Anchorage Wolverines, 9-5 to even the 3-game weekend series.
Forward Frantisek Netusil completed a hat trick Saturday and has put up five points (four goals, one assist) in
the series thus far. Jakeb Lynch has also registered a five point weekend with five assists, while Kash Crawford
has four points thanks to one goal and three helpers.
The Wolverines won the opener, 3-1, and snapped a 4-game home losing streak to the Wilderness, which
included game 4 of the 2026 Robertson Cup Semi-finals.
Game 3 of the series will be tonight at Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 4 p.m. AKDT.
Friday: Anchorage 3, Wilderness 1
The Wilderness power play struggled in the opener, going 0-for-5.
Meanwhile, Anchorage benefited from a first period goal from Loic Nasreddine followed by Balint
Lobenwein’s second period power play tally to take a 2-0 lead into the third frame.
The Wilderness finally got on the board late in regulation. Netusil cut the Wolverines lead to one with 2:36
left. Netusil was set up by Crawford and Lynch for his first goal of the weekend.
Anchorage completed the scoring thanks to an empty-net goal from Caleb Mahar with 39 seconds on the
clock, which clinched the Wolverines first victory at home over the Wilderness since Nov. 10, 2024.
The Wolverines went 1-for-3 on the man-advantage and outshot Minnesota, 33-31.
Ryan Gerlich suffered the loss in net for the Wilderness, stopping 30 of 32 shots. Maverick Avent was the
winning goaltender making 30 saves on 31 shots for Anchorage.
Saturday: Wilderness 9, Anchorage 5
Friday’s drought of power play goals for Minnesota transitioned to Saturday’s harvest, as the squad struck
three times on the man-advantage to even the weekend set. On top of its power play success, the Wilderness
added two goals in 4-on-4 situations and scored twice short-handed.
After Anchorage took the game’s first lead 5:49 after the opening puck drop with a goal from Michael Kotora,
Jackson Knight evened things up when he converted on a short-handed 2-on-1 with Carson McGinley gaining
the assist. That marker, with 6:16 left in the opening frame, gave Knight his first career shorty in his junior
hockey career.
Netusil put the Wilderness in front less than three minutes later with Minnesota’s first power play tally of the
night, with helpers going to Kash Crawford and Jakeb Lynch.
That would be followed by an early second period lamplighter from Jackson Lackas. Lackas’ second goal of
the season at 1:57 of the middle frame was assisted by Landon Cottingham and McGinley and was
Minnesota’s first 4-on-4 tally of the night. That gave the Wilderness its first 2-goal lead of the game and
sparked a combined total of 9-goals that ended up being scored in the middle frame.
It marked the first of the three occasions where Minnesota built a 2-goal lead – Anchorage fought back to tie
in the first two occasions.
After Lackas’ goal, Aiden Lawson and John Scott scored just 1:44 apart to even the game at 3-3 – with Scott’s
goal coming on the power play.
Moments later, while on a 2-man advantage, Netusil put Minnesota back in front with assists again going to
Crawford and Lynch at the 6:32 mark of the 2 nd period.
19 seconds later, Netusil assisted on Knight’s second of the game, as the team worked on a standard 5-on-4
power play. Knight’s third of the season was also assisted by Cayden Neice.
The Wolverines would respond with two more power play goals in quick succession to bring the score even at
5-5.
Mahar cut the deficit at 5-4 with his second of the weekend coming with 11:18 left, and he was followed
Landon Greenough scoring with 9:44 remaining.
The rest of the night belonged to the Wilderness.
Kash Crawford and Kevin Lysohir restored Minnesota’s 2-goal lead before the second period was over with
two 5-on-5 markers.
Crawford’s tally game with 8:28 left. His fourth of the season came with assists from Owen Smith and
Robinson Djian. Lackas assisted on Lysohir’s fourth of the campaign with 4:38 left.
Cottingham expanded the Wilderness lead to three with a 4-on-4 goal 4:21 into the final period. Lynch and
Vilmer Hagelin combined to assist on Cottingham’s first of the season.
Netusil rounded out the scoring with 5:54 remaining in the contest. The veteran from Czechia scored on an
empty net as the team was short-handed. Hagelin and Lynch combined to assist on Netusil’s team-leading
eighth of the season.
Minnesota outshot the Wolverines 32-27. Oliver Kanat earned his second win of the season between the
Wilderness pipes, stopping 27 shots.
The Wolverines used two goaltenders. Avent started the game and stopped 15 of 22 shots. Filip Hornacek
replaced Avent at the beginning of the third period and turned aside eight of nine Wilderness shots.
The two squads combined for 99 minutes of penalties, which resulted in eight power plays for Minnesota and
six for Anchorage, with both teams converting three times.