TOMAH, Wis. — The calendar may say Nov. 1, but the Wisconsin Woodsmen’s offense seems to
be mired in a mid-winter deep-freeze.
The Woodsmen — coming off an 8-1 loss to the Rochester Grizzlies on Friday — were limited to
just one goal for the second straight game on Saturday, falling to the league-leading West Bend
Power 6-1 in an NA3HL matchup at the Tomah Ice Center.
West Bend lived up to its nickname from the opening faceoff, showing its offensive Power with
a pair of first-period goals by Jace Fitzgerald in a two-minute span late in the frame. West Bend
recorded 14 of the game’s first 15 shots on goal and entered the first-period intermission
outshooting the Woodsmen 16-4.
The Woodsmen turned the tables on the Power in the second period, outshooting the visitors
13-8, but it was West Bend that would find the back of the net, as Blake Kohnen netted his first
of the season with less than two minutes to play in the middle frame to extend the Power lead
to 3-0.
Tristan Hearley pushed the Power’s lead to 4-0 midway through the third period, before the
Woodsmen finally broke through on a goal by Nolan Mix with 3:29 to play. Michael Maillette
answered 15 seconds later and Quinn O’Connor added West Ben’s third goal of the period
— and second empty-netter — with 39 seconds to play to round out the scoring.
Logan Blahnik finished with 33 saves — including 14 in the first period — between the pipes for
the Woodsmen, while West Bend goalie Peter Burke kicked out 31 of Wisconsin’s 32 shots on
goal.
The Woodsmen (2-13-1-0) are back in action next weekend, welcoming the Peoria Mustangs to
the Tomah Ice Center for a pair of NA3HL games. The teams will square off at 7:15 p.m. on
Friday, with the rematch also slated for 7:15 p.m. the following evening.
