(WAUSAU, WI) – This weekend will put a bow on the 47 game regular season as the Clones host Peoria at Marathon Park with the Clones needing just a win and St. Louis loss this weekend to wrap up the number three seed in the playoffs. Wausau can also get it done by winning both Friday and Saturday and then will not need any help from St. Louis. Wausau must finish the regular season with more points than St. Louis as the Jr. Blues own the tiebreaker by scoring more goals (25-23) in head-to-head play. Wausau enters the weekend 25-19-1-0 (51 points) and Peoria is 7-36-2-0 (16 points), which puts them in last place in the Central Division. This weekend puck drops at 7:10pm on Friday and Saturday from Marathon Park on NAHLTV.
What to Watch For
After going over 120 minutes of game action without finding the back of the net the Clones got a big momentum building win on Saturday night versus their likely 1st round playoff opponent. Prior to Saturday, Wausau had reached five goals scored in just one game since January 23rd. The Clones are a perfect 13-0 when scoring five or more goals in a game and 20-3 when scoring four or more goals. In six games this season against Peoria the Clones have averaged 6.33 goals per game. The season series is five games to one in favor of Wausau.
Between the Pipes
Wausau is projected to split time between Brady Faille and Brody Kunst in net this weekend. Faille has a 2.66 GAA in 22 games. Kunst has a 2.80 GAA in 11 games with a .924 save percentage. In 60 minutes of action Kunst allowed just one goal against Peoria this season and Faille has a 3.00 GAA in three games versus Peoria.
Up Next
Next weekend Wausau will begin a best of three playoff series versus either Rochester or West Bend. Game 1 will take place on the road and the Clones will host Game 2 on Saturday, March 14th at 7:10pm. Tickets for that game are currently on sale at wausaucyclones.com. Game 3 if necessary, will take place on the road Sunday, March 15th. Stay connected during the season by following the Cyclones @wausaucyclones on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and online at wausaucyclones.com. Subscribe to the Cyclones podcast “Inside Cyclones Hockey”, available on your favorite podcast network.
