It was hard fought game the past Thursday between the Power and the visiting Tradesmen.
Cole Shane made his 5th start in a row in net for the Power. He would give a strong performance stopping 21 of 23 of the Oregon shots in the first two periods keeping Milwaukee in the contest.
Down by two early in the 2nd period the Power would get their first goal in three games from newly acquired forward Michael Dalaly. He was sprung by a pair of passes by Trey Bess and Max Erstad from the Power end and was able to slip around the lone defensemen. Milwaukee wasn’t done on offense in the frame as Mason Proskin teed up a rebound from a tough angle getting just inside the post for his first point in the NA3. The play started with a shot by Tyler Nelson that went off the backside of Jackson Terpstra and came off to end boards right to Proskin lurking low in the zone.
The teams were tied at 2-2 entering the 3rd frame and the momentum appeared to be in favor of Milwaukee as they were generating chances and applying pressure in the Oregon end. The Tradesmen would score on a controversial goal call thought to be played with a high-stick to take the lead halfway through the period. They would increase that lead to two just three and a half minutes later. With time ticking down Shane would be pulled for the extra attacker with under two minutes to play. The Power would score to get back within one after Mason Ausmus fired a quick shot from the point that would be redirected by Erstad and Zach Wilson to slip inside the post. The Power would give up an empty net goal with just over a minute to play after losing possession in the Oregon end. The final score was 5-3 as Milwaukee’s losing streak stretched to seven games and all coming at home.
It has been a tough stretch since Thanksgiving for the Power with a lot of ups and downs in all phases of the roster. A few positives as the Power head into their winter break: the emergence of Cole Shane in net to keep the Power close in this tough stretch, new acquisitions settling in and putting points on the board. Milwaukee needs to find a way to give more help in their defensive zone and get more out of the offense as they only scored four goals in their last five games being shutout three times.
The Power will be back in early January in a two game series rematch against the Tradesmen.
