Cyclones finish regular season 20-2 at Marathon Park and win I-39 Cup
(Wausau, WI) –The Wausau Cyclones concluded the final weekend of the regular season with a pair of wins over West Bend and Oregon. Wausau won 4-2 Friday and won 3-2 on Saturday to finish the regular season with a to 36-10-0-1. The victory on Saturday night also clinched the I-39 Cup over Oregon, which is awarded annually to the team that wins the season series.
Friday night Wausau got on the board first at 12:29 of the 1st period when forward John Kriz netted his 22nd goal of the season. Wausau took a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. The second period saw Wausau extend their lead with goals from forward Kalob Paquin and another from Kriz. West Bend would find the back of the net at 16:33 of the 2nd on a goal from Bryce Garber to make it a 3-1 after two. That would be as close as the Power would come. Anderson Brien added his 21st goal of the season in the 3rd period to close out a 4-2 win. Tanner Bonjernoor picked up the win after stopping 41 of 43 shots.
Saturday night Wausau would play from behind most of the game as the Cyclones were looking to clinch the I-39 Cup. Bowen Lopez got Oregon a 1-0 lead at 9:19 of the 1st period on a goal that was assisted by Sebastian Schuehle and Will Falconer. Wausau would tie things up at one almost 20 minutes later thanks to a goal from Antonio Gomez. Oregon recaptured the lead at 14:35 of the 2nd after Reid Watson scored his 17th on the man advantage. Anderson Brien and the Cyclones wouldn’t be denied in the final 20 minutes. Brien netted the game tying goal just 43 seconds into the 3rd and scored the game winning goal at 9:32 to give Wausau a had fought 3-2 win. The win capped off an impressive 20-2 regular season at Marathon Park. Brady Faille earned the win by stopping 28 of 30 shots.
The Wausau Cyclones quest for a championship begins this weekend! Wausau will host Game 1 of the best of three playoff series on Friday, March 8th at 7:10pm and game 3 if necessary on Sunday, March 10th at 6:10pm. The first 500 fans Friday receive a Cyclones Playoff rally towel presented by Budweiser! Visit wausaucyclones.com for tickets today!
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]
