West Bend, WI – The West Bend Power will look to bounce back this weekend when they play the Oregon Tradesmen and Wisconsin Woodsmen. The Power host the Tradesmen on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7:30pm CST at Kettle Moraine Ice Center. West Bend travels to the Tomah Ice Center facing the Woodsmen at 7:30pm CST on Saturday, Jan. 6.
Friday, January 5 is TDS Skate with the Power Night sponsored by US Cellular. Fans can skate with the Power players after the game. Free skate rental or bring your own skates. It’s also “Black Out” night where the Power will be wearing their away black jerseys. Fans are encouraged to wear all black and bring their TDS fiberoptic light up wands!
Recentering to start 2024.
The West Bend Power are on a four-game losing skid, their longest of the season going back to the final two games of the NA3HL Showcase in Blane, MN. Most recently, the Power had their first weekend all season without points. West Bend fell in both games on the road versus Oregon where they lost 5-3 on Dec. 29, and 4-2 on Dec. 30.
Head Coach Jason Woods will look to right the ship after hitting a short losing skid. “We’re in the longest losing streak of the season and now just need to get back to what we do well, while improving on areas that haven’t been as good as they should be. Improving on special teams and playing disciplined hockey, staying out of the box, as well as much-needed strong goaltending will be key factors in turning things back to our winning ways,” said Woods.
Across the Aisle
Jordan Larkee, Tyler Steuck and Zak Molstad remain Oregon’s triple threat on offense. In his second season with the Tradesmen, Larkee leads Oregon with 27 assists and 33 points. Zak Molstad has elevated his game as the 2023-24 season has continued and now sits with 15 goals, most among all Tradesmen. Steuck has battled with Molstad for the team lead in goals and currently sits at 13, two behind Molstad. Larkee and Steuck have been on a line together for nearly the entire year resulting in chemistry producing offensively.
Between the pipes, Oregon will choose between Samuel Pollard and Dylan Posch. Pollard spent some time up with the NAHL’s Janesville Jets and continues to play strong boasting a 6-3 record with a 0.912 save percentage and 2.17 goals allowed average through 12 games. Dylan Posch is putting up solid numbers in his rookie season earning a 5-6 record with a 0.913 save percentage and 2.85 goals allowed average in 13 games.
The Wisconsin Woodsmen are sitting in fourth place in the Central Division at 13-10-1-2 with 29 points. The Woodsmen are on a two-game winning streak after sweeping the Tradesmen after the NA3HL showcase in a pre-Christmas matchup. The Woodsmen are led in scoring by Hugh Deninema with 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists), Viktor Budik with 24 points (4 goals, 20 assists) and Hunter Nelson with 22 points (15 goals, 7 assists). The Woodsmen have split the net with goaltenders Dixon Ehlers and Ryan Hacker.
Broadcast Information
Frank Zawrazky returns to the headset Jan. 5 versus the Oregon Tradesmen at 7:30pm CST. All games this season, including the road game against the Wisconsin Woodsmen, are streaming on www.nahltv.com.
