Zach Homer led third period rallies both nights this weekend to lead the Minnesota Wilderness to a road sweep of the Springfield Jr. Blues.
Homer registered the game-winner in both contests. On Friday, he broke a 2-2 tie late in the final period to send the Wilderness to a 3-2 victory. On Saturday, the veteran from Birmingham, MI, posted a natural hat trick that snapped a 1-1 deadlock, as Minnesota won, 4-1.
With four goals on the weekend, Homer now has 34 in the regular season, which sets a new Wilderness single-season mark. Homer’s heroics on Saturday give him three hat tricks on the campaign and his career, which also set new franchise records in each category.
Earlier in February, Homer broke the Wilderness records for career goals (where he now has 56) and single-season game-winning tallies (where he now has 11). He also holds Minnesota’s career game-winning goal record, which now sits at 15.
This weekend marked the first time ever a Wilderness team won both games in a weekend series in Springfield, with the two squads having met four times in central Illinois over each of the last five seasons, and the rivalry dating back to the 2015-16 campaign.
The Wilderness (35-9-4) get a break next weekend with no games on the schedule. Its next pair of games will be back in Springfield (24-18-5) as they will again meet the Jr. Blues on March 6-7.
Friday: Wilderness 3, Springfield 2
In the series opener, the Wilderness never led until the tail end of regulation. Twice, Springfield had leads, and twice Minnesota battled back to tie.
A goal from Dennis Emisibe opened the scoring for the Jr. Blues with 4:45 left in the first frame, but Wilderness forward Robinson Djian answered shortly thereafter. Djian notched his 11th of the season with 2:54 remaining with assists going to Kevin Lysohir and Ryan DeAngelis.
Emisibe regained Springfield’s advantage with his second goal of the game seven minutes into the second period. That lead lasted for a bit longer, but was answered, nonetheless.
Bryce Dahl gained the equalizer when he fired in a rebound of a shot from Avery Anderson with 3:09 left in the middle frame. It was the long-awaited first of the campaign for Dahl, who was playing in his 45th contest this season.
The score remained knotted at two until the final moments of the final period. Homer finally came through with the deciding goal with 2:21 remaining. Homer scored on a rush where he split two defensemen after gaining the Springfield zone on the right side and beating goaltender Amir Valiullin with a shot from the bottom of the right circle. Assists on the marker went to netminder Ryan Gerlich, along with DeAngelis who earned his second helper in the contest.
Gerlich finished with 19 saves on 21 shots, as his team outshot the Jr. Blues, 32-21. Gerlich has now gone 12 consecutive games without a regulation loss, which ties a Wilderness record, and holds a mark of 15-3-2 on the season.
For Springfield, Valiullin took the loss making 29 saves.
Both teams failed to convert on three power play chances.
Saturday: Wilderness 4, Springfield 1
If it were not for Zach Homer and his record-setting hat trick performance, the story of Saturday’s game would have been Minnesota netminder Valdemar Andersen.
Andersen was splendid with 31 saves, as his only goal surrendered was on a Springfield power play early in the second period.
After a scoreless opening stanza, the Wilderness posted the game’s first goal while on the man-advantage. Talan Blanck’s wrist shot from the high slot ended up being his 22nd marker on the season 2:42 into the middle frame and was assisted by Anthony Capello and Logan Nagle.
Just 1:31 later, Springfield’s Owen Lowe posted a power play marker to tie the game.
After that, Homer controlled the scoreboard, like a certain television character of the same name controls a nuclear power plant in a fictional Springfield.
Blanck set up his first red-lighter as the team kept the Jr. Blues on their heels through most of a 2-minute 2-man advantage. Blanck delivered a centering pass to Homer who was positioned in the slot at the right hash mark, where he roofed a shot above goaltender Nicolas Rempel to put Minnesota in front, 2-1, with 8:37 left in the third period.
Homer’s second tally came on a breakaway with 4:09 left to play. Kevin Lysohir earned the assist after he intercepted a Springfield centering pass in the Minnesota defensive end. Lysohir then flung the puck off the high glass above the left boards, and the deflection sent it to neutral ice where Homer collected it. The veteran forward then rocketed between two defenders and skated to the front of the net where he beat Rempel on the glove side to make the score 3-1.
Homer completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 20 seconds left in regulation that also was assisted by Blanck.
Minnesota outshot Springfield, 35-32. Andersen earned his 20th win on the season thanks in part to two point-blank saves which came during the 15-minute mark of the final period, shortly before Homer’s second goal.
Rempel took the loss making 31 saves on 34 shots.
Minnesota had eight power play chances and converted twice, while the Jr. Blues went 1-for-7.