Wausau Cyclones begin playoffs at Marathon Park Friday Night
(Wausau, WI)- The Cyclones begin their quest for the Fraser Cup by hosting the Wisconsin Woodsmen on Friday at 7:10pm in the Division Semifinals round of playoffs and then head to Tomah for game two of the series on Saturday at 7:30pm. If necessary, game three will be back in Wausau on Sunday at 6:10pm. Wausau finished the regular season as Central Division champions with a 36-10-0-1 record. The Wisconsin Woodsmen finished the regular season with a 24-20-1-1 record, finishing in fourth place in the Central Division. Head-to-head Wausau was 8-0 versus Wisconsin during the regular season and outscored them 36 to 18.
Wausau forward Connor Dvorak is on a 3-game point streak with two goals and four assists over the past three games. Dvorak finished the regular season with 27 goals and 44 assists, putting him 1st on the team and 6th in the league for points. Anderson Brien, Ricky Nelson and John Kriz also closed out the regular season strong for the teams balanced attack. Brien scored six huge goals in the final six games of the regular season including three this past weekend. Nelson closed his last six games with six goals and eight assists. Kriz netted three goals and contributed five assists during that same span.
Wisconsin’s top two scorers are Hugh Deinema and Hunter Nelson. Deinema had 29 goals and 20 assists in 44 games. Nelson netted 23 and contributed 23 assists in 45 games.
Wausau is expected to start Collin Lemanski in net Friday. Lemanski has a 3.76 GAA and .935 save percentage in 28 games. His record was 20-7-0-1 during the regular season and the 20 wins has him at 4th in the league. Tanner Bonjernoor is expected to start Saturday. Bonjernoor has a save percentage of .918 and 2.52 GAA. The Woodsmen are expected to start Ryan Hacker in net Friday night. Hacker has a 5.84 GAA and .890 save percentage. His record is currently 7-7-0-0 this season.
If Wausau wins two games versus Wisconsin they will then host either the West Bend Power or Oregon Tradesmen. Game 1 of the Division Finals playoff series would take place at Marathon Park on Friday, March 15th. Wausau would then head to West Bend or Oregon for game 2 of the series on March 16th. If game three is needed, Wausau will host West Bend or Oregon March 17th for the deciding game. Puck drops would be at 7:10pm Friday night, 7:30pm Saturday night and 6:10pm Sunday if game 3 is needed. You can catch the games live on NAHLTV and buy tickets via wausaucyclones.com. The first 500 fans Friday receive a Cyclones Playoff rally towel presented by Budweiser.
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]
