Wausau, WI – The Wausau Cyclones took on the Willmar WarHawks over the weekend as the Cyclones looked to extend their 4-game winning streak and extend their points lead over Milwaukee for a playoff spot. Wausau picked up a big 4-2 win on Friday and fell 2-1 in overtime Saturday, which moved their season record to (15-17-1-1). After earning 3 of 4 points possible on the weekend combined with a pair of Milwaukee losses Wausau now has an eight-point lead for the final playoff spot with just 13 games remaining.
Friday night Wausau was held scoreless until 11:35 of the first period when forward Dane Johnson netted his second goal of the season. Willmar tied the game at one a piece with a goal by Mason Hendrickson at 8:38 of the second period. The Cyclones answered right back just 34 seconds later as Gage Vierzba netted his 18th goal of the season.
The third period saw Willmar tie things up at two when Mikhail Kukareka got the puck past tender Mitch Miscevich. Gage Vierzba provided the game winner at 12:25 of the third period as he scored a beautiful wrap around goal past the Willmar tendy. Cyclones goalie Mitch Miscevich provided a rare goalie emply-netter to give Wausau the 4-2 win. Miscevich earned the win by stopping 29 of 31 shots he faced.
Saturday night’s game was a offensive struggle throughout much of the night. Willmar got on the board first at 2:31 of the first period with a goal by forward Will Anderson. The game then remained goal free until the 19-minute mark of the second period when Cullen Moehring scored his sixth of the season. After a scoreless third period the contest went into overtime. In the overtime Max Cohen netted the game winner at 2:46 of the extra frame giving Willmar a weekend series split. Wausau goaltender Zach Dosan took the loss after stopping 31 of 33 shots.
Catch the Cyclones back on the home ice this Saturday at 7:10pm. Stay connected this season by following the Cyclones @wausaucyclones on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and online at wausaucyclones.com. Subscribe to the Cyclones podcast “Inside Cyclones Hockey”, available on your favorite podcast network.
The Cyclones are members of the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL), one of three USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior leagues, serves as one of the top training grounds in the country by providing the best coaching, exposure and developmental vehicles available for student-athletes in its classification. The primary mission of the NA3HL is to provide a structured developmental environment for student-athletes who have aspirations of playing in the NAHL or United States Hockey League and eventually the NCAA or American College Hockey Association. For more information, visit wausaucyclones.com.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
