Alaska swing begins with pair of wins
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The Minnesota Wilderness built a three-game winning streak last weekend, winning twice in Alaska to go with the team’s record-setting performance to end October at St. Cloud.
The Wilderness beat Anchorage, 3-1, on Sunday, and Kenai River, 2-1, on Saturday, to kick off their four-game road trip to the 49th state.
Duluth native Konrad Kausch and Isak Posch, of Umea, Sweden, starred in goal for the team, combining to stop 65 shots in the two games in Alaska. The two goalies have been swapping turns in net throughout the campaign to date.
Oliver Stümpel scored to break a 1-1 tie against Kenai River, then left the game after he was knocked down by a defenseman, hitting the ice hard. He laid motionless for an extended period of time, sending Kenai River back to its locker room. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The 19-year-old from Torrance, California, was examined and released back to the team, a Wilderness news release said. Stümpel will be re-evaluated upon the team’s return to Cloquet. Stümpel was acquired in a trade last month.
“The Wilderness would like to thank team athletic trainer Jarret Byrnes, Kenai Fire Department and EMS, as well as the staff at Central Peninsula Hospital for their great work with Oliver,” the team said.
Late last month, Minnesota finished an eight-game home set by losing 4-1 to St. Cloud on Friday, Oct. 28. The Wilderness responded by taking their offense to a record-setting level on Oct. 29. The team set a team road-scoring record, winning 9-0 at Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud. The margin of victory over the Norsemen also set a team record.
Seven players scored for Minnesota, led by Gunnar Thoreson and Michael Quinn with two goals each. Kausch denied all 16 shots in the shutout.
The only other time the franchise scored nine goals in a game was Oct. 3, 2015, at home against the Kenai River Brown Bears.
The Wilderness entered the big night having put up only five goals in their previous four games. The outburst included goals from Eddie Shepler, Cole Gordon, Hunter Bulger, Oliver Stumpel, and Luke Jech. The Wilderness scored three times on the power play. The chippy game also featured a pair of game misconducts, one player per side, including Minnesota’s Marx Noren for checking from behind.
The Wilderness (10-5-2) go to Fairbanks, Alaska, for a two-game set Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12.
