Tonight was the final home game of 2019 for the Ice Wolves. Their final game of the calendar year will be on New Year’s Eve against the Amarillo Bulls. That game will mark the eighth and final meeting between these two South Division foes. While the Ice Wolves lost last night in overtime 4-3, they showed a lot of grit from start to finish. That tenacity they had carried over into tonight’s game.
In the first 1:37 of the opening period the Ice Wolves were able to beat Max Gutjahr. The goal came from Zach Frisk (3) after he worked relentlessly hard in the crease to poke the frozen rubber into the back of the net. The Ice Wolves certainly controlled the first half of the first period but then the Bulls started to create their own momentum. With less than four minutes left in the period, Devan Tongue (7) scored to tie the game at 1-1. After the first period the Bulls led the Ice Wolves in shots 11-7.
The Bulls came out of the first period intermission hungry for their first lead of the game. Just 3:48 into the middle period, Jordan Venegoni (13) took a wrist shot from the left circle that went far side on Henrik Laursen. The Bulls would continue to pepper Laursen throughout the rest of the second period and managed to score another goal in the final minute. Laursen made the initial save in the crease but putting home the loose puck was Niclas Puikkonen (6). Shots after 40 minutes read 28-13 in favor of Amarillo.
In the final period of regulation and down by one the Ice Wolves were throwing everything they had towards Gutjahr. Not even five minutes into the third period, Logan Martinson snapped a puck from the top of the left point while on the power play, that worked its way through traffic and past Gutjahr. That marked Martinson’s first ever NAHL goal. While the Ice Wolves outshot the Bulls in the final period 11-10, that would be the only goal they would get. Resulting in a 3-2 loss for the Ice Wolves.
The next home games for the Ice Wolves will be on Jan. 10-11 versus the Kenai River Brown Bears. To secure your tickets for that game or any other Ice Wolves home game click here.