This weekend, the Power headed to Rochester, Minnesota for a two-game series against the Grizzlies. Prior to this trip, Milwaukee had a 0-3 record against the Grizzlies this season. The Power were also coming off a rough weekend against the Oregon Tradesmen, getting swept after three games. Rochester was on a six-game home stand which continued this weekend against Milwaukee; the Grizzlies had only lost one out of six of these games.
On Friday, the Power would start Spencer Northway in goal. Milwaukee intended to start their powerhouse goalie against the nearly undefeated Grizzlies, as Northway has recently been called up by the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. The first period was a slow start, with the first goal of the game almost 15 minutes into the period. Rochester had broken through Northway’s wall and took the 1-0 lead. The Grizzlies had outshot the Power 14-8, but Milwaukee had some outstanding scoring opportunities this period.
About halfway through the second period, Rochester extended their lead 2-0. Not long after that, Milwaukee had their second power play of the night. It was a strong start, but the Grizzlies were able to control the puck better. The Power got a third opportunity to score with a five-on-four advantage and were able to reduce the Grizzlies’ lead by one. Milwaukee would score on the power play after Kondrad Clements shot rebounded to Michael Dalaly and then carried to the top of the slot to fire a wrister top shelf.
Milwaukee went into the last period with a one goal deficit. Just over three minutes into the third, the Power had some great scoring chances during a four-on-four and Northway was a star between the pipes. Milwaukee had another power play with only a few minutes left in the game but weren’t able to capitalize on it. Northway was pulled to give the Power an extra attacker, but Rochester was able to score on the empty net and won the game 3-1.
Both teams met for the last match of the series on Saturday night. Milwaukee kept Northway in goal and Rochester started Lucas Henderson, who also played Friday’s game. The Grizzlies were quick to make some shots but Milwaukee defended in return. The period was scoreless until the end; Rochester took a 1-0 lead with 3:36 to go in the period. While the Power only let one goal in, they were outshot by a whopping 28-6.
The second period began with another Rochester goal just over a minute in. Unfortunately, they didn’t stop there and extended their lead to three with 15:17 left in the period. At this point, Milwaukee was being outshot 33-10. Despite being down 3-0, they continued to battle. Halfway through the period, Noah Hope scored his first NA3HL goal with an assist from Nate Stone and Riley Planey. The rest of the period was scoreless, meaning Milwaukee needed to shift the momentum in the third. However, neither team was able to record another goal and the Grizzlies took a 3-1 win.
On Friday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 27, the Power will be in Peoria, Illinois for a two-game series against the Mustangs. The two teams played each other at the beginning of this month; Milwaukee split the series on Nov. 6th, which was their latest victory. The Power will be eager for another win against Peoria, so make sure to catch the games live on Hockey TV!
