By The Aberdeen Wings turned up the intensity and pressure against the hottest team in the North American Hockey League on Saturday, Nov. 30 at the Odde Ice Center.
They scored four unanswered goals to knock off Bismarck 4-1 and split a two-game weekend series.
Aberdeen also skunked Watertown on Wednesday, Nov. 27 to win two of three games during a busy holiday home stretch.
Members of the Aberdeen Wings celebrate Cole Saterdalen’s goal in the third period against the Bismarck Bobcats Saturday, Nov. 30 in the Odde Ice Center. Aberdeen picked up a 4-1 victory. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
The Wings are 14-7-1-0 after handing the first-place Bobcats just their second regulation loss of the season.
Bismarck is 21-2-0-1 and still has a lock on first place, while Aberdeen sits fourth in the eight-team Central Division.
The Wings put themselves in position to get points in the Friday, Nov. 29 game against Bismarck, but gave up a late goal and fell 5-3. Aberdeen head coach Scott Langer said a quick shift in mindset was needed heading into Saturday.
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“(Friday) night Bismarck pinned us in our zone for the first two minutes of the first (period), and we talked about that before the game. We needed to show them that we were going to dictate the game. One of our goals tonight was to touch the pucks first all over the ice, and I thought for a majority of the game we did that,” he said after Saturday’s game.
Bismarck opened the scoring four minutes into the second period. The Wings got the equalizer two minutes later from Leonid Bulgakov. His team-leading 19th goal made it 1-1. He’s scored the third-most goals in the NAHL this season.
“That goal Leo scored was big time. He’s a top player in our league right now and he does it consistently,” Langer said.
He said the Bobcats tried to shadow Bulgakov the entire game and “take liberties as often as they could,” which served as motivation for Aberdeen. That culminated when Brady Estabrook and Bismarck’s Gabe Venne dropped the gloves and fought.
“That type of game where you constantly send one or two guys against a player is kind of 1980s or something like that,” Langer said. “Estabrook stuck up for Bulgakov, did a great job and got in a couple big ones on (Venne). That got our guys going, no question. When things like that happen, it can be a negative or positive, but it was a big positive for us.”
The game-winning goal came from Cole Saterdalen at 10:35 of the third period. It was his first goal in seven games with the Wings.
“Yeah, that was a blast, just an absolute blast,” he said of his game-winner. “It was kind of a broken play in the neutral zone, and I saw a lane to the net and I took it, got lucky because the puck just kind of came to me, and I banged it home.”
Aberdeen Wings forward Cade Moxham beats Bismarck Bobcats goalie Tomas Anderson in the third period Saturday, Nov. 30 in the Odde Ice Center. The Wings won 4-1. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Cade Moxham gave the Wings some breathing room about three minutes later, scoring on a breakaway to make it 3-1.
Moxham got some advice from (Aberdeen) goalie Damon Cunningham on how to beat Anderson.
“It’s funny because before the game Cunningham (told) me exactly what move to do,” Moxham said. “He said if I was coming in fast to slide around him and shoot it in, so as soon as I got the rush I figured, yeah, I’ll do what he says, and it actually worked.”
Langer noted Moxham’s talent is why the Wings made him their first draft pick.
“You look at Cade’s speed, separation, but his biggest asset is the way he skates,” Langer said. “That was a huge goal to put us up 3-1 and kind of take the game away from them.”
Willum Braun got the win between the pipes, turning back 29 of 30 Bismarck shots. Aberdeen logged 47 shots on goal.
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“(Friday) we just had a couple bad bounces, just one off a guy’s skate, one off of a guy’s hip,” Braun said. “Tonight, we just played so much better defensively as a whole. We were much more technically sound with a lot more of one shot and dones, which is great. If I only have to face one shot, I’ll take that all day. That helped me stay calm and relaxed and react and just play the game I’ve been playing for years.”
During Friday’s game, the Bobcats were able to capitalize on rebounds.
Aberdeen led 3-2 after the first period, but couldn’t score another goal. The game was tied at three heading into the final seven minutes before Mathew Rafalski scored on Braun, who was screened, to give the Bobcats the lead before they added an empty-netter.
The Wings return to the road to take on the North Iowa Bulls Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7 in Mason City, Iowa. The puck drops at 7:10 p.m. Friday and 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Aberdeen Wings forward Cale Saterdalen tries to flip the puck from his knees over the pads of Watertown goalie Phileas Lachat during the second period of their game Wednesday, Nov. 27 at the Odde Ice Center. Leo Bulgakov had a hat trick as Aberdeen picked up a 3-0 victory. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Bulgakov scores, Braun saves as Wings blank Watertown
Aberdeen got three goals from Bulgakov and 31 saves from Braun and skated to a 3-0 win over Watertown Wednesday, Nov. 27 at the Odde Ice Center.
Langer said it was a “critical win” entering a hectic weekend.
“Having three games in four nights with the injuries we’re facing, it’s a lot,”he said. “There’s been constant change, and guys need some rest. You just want to try and keep getting points, and hopefully we can try to crawl up the standings.”
Aberdeen forward Leo Bulgakov gathers the puck behind the Watertown Shamrocks’ net during the third period Wednesday, Nov. 27 at the Odde Ice Center. He scored all three goals in the Wings’ 3-0 victory. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Bulgakov’s impressive start to the season continued as he accounted for all three goals. His first came 1:39 into the second period, and he scored again 35 seconds into the second period to make it 2-0. He added an empty-netter late.
He said he knew a hat trick was a possibility late in the game, but wasn’t intentionally looking for a third goal.
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“The game is about dirty work, work in the defensive zone and offensive zone, and I concentrate on that and not just on the goals,” Bulgakov said. “Also, a big shout-out to my linemates. They’ve helped me a lot with us not having many of our players.”
He said his experience playing for the Wings last season has been helpful.
“Last year was my first year in NAHL, and I was trying to get used to the physical aspect where guys hit very hard every play and try almost to hurt you every shift. It was very different league from Russian league I played. English, I did not speak it that well. But this year, I feel more comfortable and will keep going and working hard,” he said.
Langer said Bulgakov plays his best when the Wings need it most.
“Leo’s a big-time player and we needed him to show up tonight,” Langer said. “We’re a depleted lineup right now, and so for him to step up like he did and score those goals and help us get the win, I think that’s huge.”
Aberdeen has been hampered by a string of injuries, including to five starters. Forward Owen Potters had to leave the Wednesday game after he suffered a concussion after being checked into the boards.
“We may have more scratches than we have players right now. There’s a lot of adversity we’re facing right now, and guys are adjusting to some new roles,” he said.
Cunningham, the No. 1 goaltender, is among those injured, but Braun turned back all 31 shots he faced to pick up his first shutout with the Wings.
Aberdeen Wings goalie Willum Braun makes a save during the third period against Watertown Wednesday, Nov. 27 in the Odde Ice Center. Braun saved all 31 shots he faced for the shutout as the Wings won 3-0. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
“You kind of get a feel, a little tingle that maybe something pretty cool could happen here, but you try not to focus on (a shutout) much because anything can happen,” he said, crediting defensemen for how well they played.
He made a big save in the third with Watertown pressuring.
“It was kind of like, ‘Oh shoot,’ and then, ‘Oh man, thank God I got that one,'” he said. “Especially at that point in the game when they were really starting to amp up the pressure.”