The Power went into week-two on their opponents' radars after starting off the season by sweeping the Peoria Mustangs. The Power had two more playoff teams to face in their young history. First came the Coulee Region Chill, formerly the La Crosse Freeze, that knocked the North Iowa Bulls out of the playoffs last season.
The 1st period was fast and physical as both sides failed to grab the first goal. The 2nd period went the way of the Chill as they broke the tie on a goal by Toon De Shepper. The Power weren't done as they came out in the 3rd and scored three unanswered goals. Hunter Larsen tied the game on a breakaway goal he slid past Naidow through the 5-hole. Chuck Bay got the game winner and his first NA3HL goal on a redirect that was thrown in front of the crease by Ivan Bilyy. To add some insurance Maris Graudins scored on the break away after getting sprung by a pass from the Captain Jake Berry. Aaron Dickstein would pick up the win in his best outing so far by making 30 stops on 31 shots to put his win total to three.
The 3 Stars of the Game were:
-Third Star: #12 Hunter Larsen
-Second Star: #21 Chuck Bay
-First Star: #30 Aaron Dickstein
-JS Quality Construction Hard Hat Player of the Game: #7 Dylan Davenport
The weekend was only half over as the Wisconsin Whalers came to town the next day for their season opener. The Whalers would take the lead at the midway point in the 1st period on a goal by Tanner Mros.
The Power responded early in the 2nd as Maris Graudins netted his 5th goal in four games. Ryan Payne, the rookie defenseman, would score his first NA3HL goal from long range in dramatic fashion as it trickled through Cooksy's pads and just barely across the goal line to give the Power the lead.
"I didn't even know it went in till they started celebrating and then I was sure someone had tipped it in front," said Payne. Payne, typically a more defensive skater, had a strong offensive performance with one goal and two assists on the night.
The Power weren't done in the 2nd as fellow rookie Logan Geisness scored his first NA3HL goal on a pass from Jake Berry. Milwaukee added one more in the 3rd after Mason Evans picked up the loose puck below the goal line in the Whalers end and skated to the left circle and sniped the top left corner. Aaron Dickstein picked up his fourth win stopping 25 of 26 shots.
The 3 Stars of the Game were:
-Third Star: #10 Logan Geisness
-Second Star: #30 Aaron Dickstein
-First Star: #6 Ryan Payne
-JS Quality Construction Hard Hat Player of the Game: #7 Dylan Davenport
"We did some things right this weekend and we did some things a little wrong but that's why we are here so we can help these guys work on them," said Head Coach Fred Berry.
"A big part of our success was only taking 5 penalties for the whole weekend and we need to keep doing that especially when Alexandria comes to town this next weekend. We can't rest on 4-0 and we know Alexandria is going to come ready to play," said Assistant Coach Austin Keiser.
The Power now focus on a two game weekend against the Alexandria Blizzard after they won their season opener on the road in Breezy Point this past weekend. Milwaukee has taken on three playoff teams from last year and stayed unbeaten but those wins are in their rear view as they focus on another playoff team now.
"We want to be considered one of the best teams in the league, to do that you have to go toe to toe with the best teams and give yourself a chance to take home the win. Alexandria is a good team that comes from a good division and they will give us a challenge this Friday and Saturday and thats what we want because it will make us better," said Chase Ernst, President of Hockey Operations.
Weekend Awards
Dylan Davenport, in his first weekend in a Power jersey, was named the JS Quality Construction Player of the Game for both contests and is also the JS Quality Construction Player of the Weekend. "He came here after getting traded late in the week and did what was asked of him from blocking shots to laying the body. It wasn't anything to flashy but some of those plays that turned into goals started with him taking the puck away or getting it deep in their zone," said Austin Keiser.
Aaron Dickstein was named the Central Division Second Star of the Week after winning both games and stopping 55 out of the 57 shots he faced.
Ryan Payne with his four point weekend, 1 goal and 3 assists, was a Honorable Mention for the Central Division Star of the Week.
Chuck Bay, Ivan Bilyy, & Jake Berry got the top spot in the NA3HL Plays of the Week on Bay's game winning goal on Friday against the Chill.
The weekend was only half over as the Wisconsin Whalers came to town the next day for their season opener. The Whalers would take the lead at the midway point in the 1st period on a goal by Tanner Mros. The Power responded early in the 2nd as Maris Graudins netted his 5th goal in four games. Ryan Payne, the rookie defenseman, would score his first NA3HL goal from long range in dramatic fashion as it trickled through Cooksy's pads and just barely across the goal line to give the Power the lead. "I didn't even know it went in till they started celebrating and then I was sure someone had tipped it in front," said Payne. Payne, typically a more defensive skater, had a strong offensive performance with one goal and two assists on the night. The Power weren't done in the 2nd as fellow rookie Logan Geisness scored his first NA3HL goal on a pass from Jake Berry. Milwaukee added one more in the 3rd after Mason Evans picked up the loose puck below the goal line in the Whalers end and skated to the left circle and sniped the top left corner. Aaron Dickstein picked up his fourth win stopping 25 of 26 shots. The 3 Stars of the Game were: -Third Star: #10 Logan Geisness -Second Star: #30 Aaron Dickstein -First Star: #6 Ryan Payne -JS Quality Construction Hard Hat Player of the Game: #7 Dylan Davenport
"We did some things right this weekend and we did some things a little wrong but that's why we are here so we can help these guys work on them," said Head Coach Fred Berry. "A big part of our success was only taking 5 penalties for the whole weekend and we need to keep doing that especially when Alexandria comes to town this next weekend. We can't rest on 4-0 and we know Alexandria is going to come ready to play," said Assistant Coach Austin Keiser. The Power now focus on a two game weekend against the Alexandria Blizzard after they won their season opener on the road in Breezy Point this past weekend. Milwaukee has taken on three playoff teams from last year and stayed unbeaten but those wins are in their rear view as they focus on another playoff team now. "We want to be considered one of the best teams in the league, to do that you have to go toe to toe with the best teams and give yourself a chance to take home the win. Alexandria is a good team that comes from a good division and they will give us a challenge this Friday and Saturday and thats what we want because it will make us better," said Chase Ernst, President of Hockey Operations. Weekend Awards Dylan Davenport, in his first weekend in a Power jersey, was named the JS Quality Construction Player of the Game for both contests and is also the JS Quality Construction Player of the Weekend. "He came here after getting traded late in the week and did what was asked of him from blocking shots to laying the body. It wasn't anything to flashy but some of those plays that turned into goals started with him taking the puck away or getting it deep in their zone," said Austin Keiser. Aaron Dickstein was named the Central Division Second Star of the Week after winning both games and stopping 55 out of the 57 shots he faced. Ryan Payne with his four point weekend, 1 goal and 3 assists, was a Honorable Mention for the Central Division Star of the Week. Chuck Bay, Ivan Bilyy, & Jake Berry got the top spot in the NA3HL Plays of the Week on Bay's game winning goal on Friday against the Chill.
