Wild Dig Deep To Extinguish Flames
- by Alex Dodds
- Jan 31, 2016
- 3 min read
The Hanover Wild (17-6-0, 13-1-0 NHAHA) defeated the Manchester Flames (8-4-1 NHAHA) 7-3 in a battle for 1st Place at Turner Arena.
Playing their second game in as many days with only eight skaters, the Wild knew they would have to give it everything they had to win against a strong Flames team. The Flames came into the game sitting just two points behind the Wild. With a win the Flames would leap frog the Wild into 1st Place in the league, a spot the Wild have been sitting comfortably for a majority of the season.
The Wild answered the call, putting together a solid effort. Nathan St. Pierre picked up where he left off yesterday, scoring on a backhand high to the glove side after picking up a loose puck on the forecheck that was deflected away by Will Fichman. St. Pierre earned himself his second goal of the game on a shot through a screen that the goalie never saw to give the Wild a 2-0 lead. For the second time in as many days St. Pierre scored a hat-trick in the 1st period after he broke free on a breakaway and made a nice forehand backhand move before sliding it into the waning net.
The 2nd period saw two Flames goals within fifteen seconds of each other, making the score 3-2. Will Brannen gave the Wild a two goal lead on a unbelievable tip in the high slot on the powerplay after Carter Auch worked hard to win a draw to Gregor Vogel who fired the original shot.
With temporary lapses, Jackson Kapuscinski had to stand strong to keep the Wild ahead. Archer Judd played another solid game, getting robbed on a hard wrist shot that coaches aren't sure if the goalie even saw. Teddy Lyons was one of the best defensive players for the Wild, making sure every puck got out of the zone and into a safe area. Ben Ives made an appearance on the bench and made several great adjustments to the Wild play.
The Wild carried the 4-2 lead into the 3rd period when Jake Reznek scored after a fantastic passing play from Vogel and Auch. The Flames answered back quick with a goal of their own to pull back within two. After a timeout from the home bench, the Wild reenergized and put home two more goals. The first from St. Pierre after Brannen dangled a Flame defender and barely got stopped by the goaltender before St. Pierre put home the rebound. The second saw Auch fire home a wrist shot from the blue line with an assist going to Brannen.
The Wild walked away with a 7-3 victory and a hard-earned two points. "We asked them to control the only thing they could control, and that was their effort." Dodds said. "We had to get dressed in the hallway, we had eight skaters, it was an early game, the list goes on-and-on. Those are all things that are out of our control. They didn't get distracted and focused on the job at hand: Proving to the league that we deserve to be in first. They did just that."
The Wild look ahead to what could be the final game in a long series against the Cardigan Cougars (2-4-0) on Wednesday night at Turner Arena.
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