West Bend, WI – The West Bend Power are hitting the road again for their second series of the season versus the Peoria Mustangs. The Power clash with the Mustangs Saturday, November 18 with a 6:30pm CST start time. The second game of the weekend is a matinee on November 19, commencing at 1:15 PM CST. The Kundinger Fluid Power Player of the Weekend is Monte Goold, who scored twice during the 5-2 November 11 win in St. Louis.
Crazy Eights
The West Bend Power extended their winning streak to eight games with another sweep over the St. Louis Jr. Blues on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12. Monte Goold led the offense on Saturday, scoring two goals in the span of five minutes during the second period as West Bend rolled to a 6-2 decision over St. Louis.
Connor O’Neal tallied just 48 seconds into Sunday’s contest, initiating an offensive onslaught for the Power. Despite two quick goals for the Jr. Blues in the second period, Andrew Butler and Cole Fenske reestablished the West Bend advantage resulting in 5-2 triumph.
Defensive Captain Max Mudge stressed the importance of cohesively executing the schemes throughout the entirety of games. “We want to keep our momentum going by continuing to play as a team and successfully executing the systems the coaches have put in place for us,” Mudge said.
Mudge is also looking for the team to continue improving even with their eight game streak.“We want to improve a bit on our pace of play for a strong 60 minutes of hockey, and then God-willing we will keep the win streak going.”
Across the Aisle
Sitting at 5th place in the Central Division with 10 points, and having lost five games in a row, the Peoria Mustangs hope to improve on their 4-12-2 record. The road to a rebound starts in net, as none of the three Mustang goaltenders have won more than a single game and collectively allow an average of 4.01 goals per game. Still, Kason Yamada seems to be Peoria’s best chance for victory, posting a 0.922 save percentage through eight games this season.
The Mustangs will also look for more offensive production, having only scored 40 goals through 18 games this season, the lowest in the Central Division. Acquired from the Yellowstone Quake last offseason, Blake Mitchell has nearly tied his 17 points in 40 games from 2022-23 with 12 points in 16 games so far this year. Massimo Polistina looks to be finding his groove on the forecheck with 4 points in his last 3 games played. The Sherman, Illinois native notched 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) in 47 games during the 2022-23 campaign.
Leading his fellow defensemen in every offensive category, Samuel Truxaw will be looked at for energy and leadership on the back end. Truxaw has 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 10 games played, over the halfway mark from the 2022-23 season where he put up 10 points in 47 games played.
Broadcast Information
Frank Zawrazky will return for the next Power home games when the Peoria Mustangs return to Kettle Moraine Ice Center Friday, Nov. 24, and Saturday Nov. 25, with puck drop at 7:30pm CST. It is 80s weekend so be sure to come in your best 80s attire and enjoy some 80s fun! Friday is Stop Hunger Night benefitting the West Bend Full Shelf Food Pantry and Saturday is TDS Skate with the Power Night sponsored by The Outbreak and TDS Telecom. Friday, fans will receive $5 admission with donation of non-perishable food items. Saturday the first 250 fans will receive a free TDS Telecom Fiberoptic Light Up Wand and can skate with the players after the game. Free skate rental Saturday. All games this season, including this weekend’s road trip, are streaming on www.nahltv.com. https://nahltv.com/
