Cloquet, Minnesota | 12/17/21 | Isaac Smoldon
Three unanswered goals in the 3rd gave Anchorage a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wilderness in the two teams first-ever meeting. Despite Anchorage trailing for the better part of the first two periods, a strong performance from Raythan Robbins kept Anchorage within striking distance, and allowed the team to take control early in the 3rd. Both teams play each other twice more this weekend, with this series kicking off the Wolverines eight-game road trip in the Lower-48.
Charlie Erickson got the first goal of the contest just four minutes into the opening frame off a shot from the right circle that found its way over Robbins left shoulder. Both teams would go back-and-forth for the remainder of the 1st and the entirety of the 2nd with no goals scored, as both goaltenders combined for 40 saves through 40 minutes.
The first half of the 3rd would be where the Wolverines’ fortune shifted, as they scored 3 goals in under nine minutes. It started with a point-blank shot from Hunter Bischoff that tied the game at 1 goal apiece just a minute and a-half into the frame. Then at the 6:12 mark, Aiden Westin scored on a breakaway to give Anchorage its first lead of the game. Skylar Guiterrez’s second of the season gave the Wolverines’ lead some insurance and they carried the two-goal advantage all the way through the final buzzer winning the contest by a score of 3-1.
Anchorage’s win and Chippewa’s loss gives the Wolverines a 3-point cushion in the standings, as they hold onto 3rd in the Midwest division. The Wolverines play the Wilderness twice more before the NAHL breaks for the holidays, with Saturday’s contest starting at 5:15 PM AKST and Sunday’s beginning at 1:15 PM AKST.
