Wild's game three win sends series to Wenatchee
The Wenatchee Wild hit the ice in 2010.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Dust off your rally towels, Wenatchee. The Wild are coming home for Game 4 of the Robertson Cup West Division finals after defeating the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 2-1 Sunday night at the Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks, Alaska.
With their backs against the wall, the Wild scored two unanswered third-period goals Sunday to extend the series to a fourth game, which will be played at 7:05 p.m. Thursday at the Town Toyota Center.
D.J. Vandercook (Farmington Hills, Mich.) tied up the game, 1-1, two minutes and eight seconds into the third stanza on a quick shot from inside the far circle after receiving a cross-ice pass from Max McHugh (Edgewood, Wash.).
Mario Puskarich (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) scored the game-winner with eight minutes and 41 seconds left in regulation. Inside the Fairbanks zone, Ben Carey (Centennial, Colo.) won a clean faceoff directly to Puskarich who took one stride before whizzing a rising wrist shot over Fairbanks netminder Joe Phillippi's glove from above the circle.
The Wild hunkered down over the remainder of regulation and even killed off a late penalty to send the series to Wenatchee for Game 4. Neither team was able to come up with a power play goal; Fairbanks went 0-for-6 while Wenatchee went 0-for-3.
Brandon Carlson scored the Ice Dogs' lone goal with two minutes and 48 seconds remaining in the second period on a slap shot from the near point. Colton Wolter and John Stampohar earned the assists.
Greg Lewis (Pittsburgh, Pa), who was making his first playoff start in a Wild sweater, earned the win. Lewis absorbed 23 of the 24 shots he faced. Phillippi, who suffered his first loss of the 2011 postseason, made 25 saves on 27 shots.
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