West Bend, WI – The West Bend Power match up against the Oregon Tradesmen in a home-and-away series, their first meeting since Oct. 7.
Both the Dec. 8 home game, and road contest in Oregon on Dec. 9 start at 7:30pm CST. Friday, December 8 is Gingerbread House/Toy Drive Night sponsored by The Bend Theater. Fans will receive $5 admission with a donation to the Youth and Family Project Gingerbread House.
The Kundinger Fluid Power Player of the Weekend is awarded Brooks Barofsky for his shutout win over St. Louis on Dec. 3.
Holiday Season Stretch
The West Bend Power split the weekend in St. Louis, falling 3-2 on Dec. 2, and emerging victorious 5-0 the following day. Head Coach Jason Woods underscored the need to finish strong before the Holiday break. The quantity of games also was not lost on Coach Woods, with the NA3HL Showcase in Blaine, MN taking place Dec. 17-19. “We have a big two weeks ahead of us,” said Woods. “We play 7 games in 2.5 weeks heading into holiday break.”
Woods also reminded his players to tune out distractions while being mindful of their current objectives. “We need to keep our focus and keep pushing forward. Need to really focus on the task at hand. Lots of distractions this time of year.”
Across the Aisle
The Oregon Tradesmen are in the 3rd of six spots in the NA3HL’s Central Division. While currently on a three game skid, the Tradesmen have a 13-7-0 record with 26 points. Jordan Larkee and Tyler Steuck continue to produce offensively for Oregon. Between the two forwards, they are first in nearly every statistic on the scoresheet. Second year forward Larkee leads with 21 assists and 27 points in 20 games played. Steuck is in his first full season with the Tradesmen, having a 10 game stint during the 2021-22 season. Upon his return this year, Steuck leads his squad with 13 goals in 24 games played and has 24 points during that same span, second to Larkee.
Oregon scores about around as much as they concede, having a +7 goal differential in 20 games this season. Defenseman Will Falconer looks continue his leadership role in his second season with the Tradesmen. Falconer signed a tender with the NAHL’s Rochester Jr. Americans where he played four games this year before coming home to Oregon. In his rookie year, Falconer led Tradesmen defensemen in all three offensive categories with 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists) in 46 games played.
Goaltending may be a concern for Oregon this weekend, as their starting netminder, Samuel Pollard was called up to the NAHL’s Janesville Jets on Dec. 6, making his status versus the Power uncertain. Through 9 games, Pollard has a 5-2 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.44 goals allowed average. If Pollard is still in Janesville, Tyler Fromolz and rookie Dylan Posch will jockey for the starter’s crease.
Broadcast Information
Frank Zawrazky returns to the headset for Friday, Dec. 8’s home game at 7:30pm CST. The road game on Dec. 9 in Oregon, and all games this season, are streaming on www.nahltv.com. https://nahltv.com/
