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Aberdeen rebounded from a gut-wrenching loss Friday, Oct. 31 to knock off Bismarck Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Odde Ice Center.
The Wings remain in first place in the North American Hockey League Central Division standings.
Bismarck skated to a 5-4 win in overtime Friday. Aberdeen came back to knock off the Bobcats 3-1 the next night, improving to 11-3-1-0.
Saturday saw the Wings jump out to a 1-0 lead in the second period with a goal by Tevan James off assists by Gavin Reed and Owen Pitters.
“The guys bought into what we were preaching tonight, and you saw the structure they played with,” Aberdeen head coach Scott Langer said. “They got it right. We gave up one goal, and we talked about winning one-goal games and basically that’s what tonight was.”
Aberdeen goalie Adam Dybal makes one of his 19 saves during a 3-1 victory against Bismarck Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Odde Ice Center. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Bismarck tied the game with 2:22 remaining in the second on what Langer said was a breakdown in front of the net.
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The game was tied until there was 12:28 left in the third when Matthew Martin scored a power play goal, beating Bismarck goalie Dane Callaway to make it 2-1. Cooper Anderson and Jibber Kuhl assisted on the goal.
“We needed a goal, and my strength is to go wide and use my body and go to the net,” Martin said. “Coop gave me a great pass, and when I got close to (Callaway) I just took a backhand that I knew could work and I got the goal.”
Martin left the ice two shifts earlier after he took a stick to the face that broke his nose.
“It doesn’t change the way you play, really, but I breathe through my nose not my mouth, so having (my nose) packed, yeah, it made it a little different out there. You know it’s not gonna be worse, but you know it’s something you have to deal with the rest of the game,” Martin said.
Langer said Martin has been great so far this season.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on Marty, but he’s (really) good,” Langer said. “He has so much confidence right now with the way he’s skating, and he wants to be in every situation and he’s earned it.”
Bismack had an opportunity to tie the game with just more than a minute left, but Adam Dybal made a blocker save sliding to his right. Easton Edwards then scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory.
Aberdeen forward Tevan James eyes the puck on a faceoff during the first period against Bismarck Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Odde Ice Center. James scored a second-period goal in a 3-1 Wings win. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Aberdeen also jumped out to a 1-0 lead Friday thanks to an Edwards goal, but Bismarck responded with three straight tallies.
The Bobcats led 4-2 entering the third period before the Wings battled back to force overtime. Charlie Burchfield pulled Aberdeen within one 4:09 into the period before Martin tied it with a shorthanded goal with 3:28 left.
With a half-second left in overtime, Noah Ziskie’s goal won it for Bismarck, handing the Wings a rough loss.
“Our guys played hard, especially in that first period, then had to battle back and get the game to overtime. Regardless how you lose you have to respond the next night and we did,” Langer said.
The Wings have road games Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday Nov. 8 at Riverside Arena in Austin, Minn. The Bruins are in third place in the NAHL Central, four points behind Aberdeen.
