Back-to-back blowouts gives Wild series lead

WENATCHEE — One win away from a repeat trip to the promised land.

Of course that trip would be a short one for the Wenatchee Wild who, with one more win, will play host to the 2010 North American Hockey League (NAHL) Robertson Cup Playoff Finals as the West Division champions.

The Wild won the first two games of their West Division finals series with Fairbanks with back-to-back 6-2 win this weekend, moving their record to 5-0 in this postseason.

One more victory would clinch the Wild’s second straight trip to the NAHL’s final weekend. Last season they lost the championship game to St. Louis in overtime.

On Friday, the Wild came out fast in front of the home crowd at the Town Toyota Center, taking a 3-0 lead after the first period of play.

Brandon Burrell, Ryan Timar, and Alex McLean all scored in the game’s first 20 minutes, with the last two coming via the power play.

Timar would score again late in the second period to give Wenatchee a 4-0 lead. It was Timar’s fifth goal of the playoffs to date.

Armand de Swardt scored four minutes in to the final period as the Wild led 5-0. Fairbanks would score consecutive goals to cut the gap to 5-2 before Christian Hilbrich finished off the Wenatchee scoring with an empty-netter in the game’s waning moments.

Wild goaltender Brandon Jaeger stopped 17-of-19 shots.

Wenatchee outshot Fairbanks 40-19.

In the series’ second game on Saturday, the host Wild got two goals apiece from Alex McLean and Armand de Swardt to capture the 6-2 decision.

Fairbanks took an early lead at the 7:17 mark of the first period on a breakaway goal that followed to disallowed Wild goals.

But de Swardt tied the game with his first tally on a power play goal five minutes before the first intermission.

Wenatchee came out fired up in the second period as they scored three even-strength goals to lead 4-1.

Mark Miller’s strike gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at the 2:23 mark, de Swardt followed that goal with his second five minutes later, and McLean got on the board with 44 second left in the period with a slap shot from the point.

Jeff Jubinville then got on the scoresheet with a goal nine seconds into the third period and after Fairbanks scored to make it 5-2, McLean popped in an empty-netter as the seconds ticked down to the game’s finish.

Jaeger improved to 4-0 in playoffs, stopping 12-of-14 shots he faced.

Wenatchee outshot Fairbanks 36-14.

Game 3 of the series will be played at the Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Friday, at 8:30 p.m. Game 4, if necessary, will also be played in Fairbanks, on Saturday, at 8:30 p.m. A fifth game would be played in Wenatchee if need be.