WAUSAU, WI. – The Wausau Cyclones played back-to-back divisional matchups this past weekend against the Wisconsin Woodsmen and the West Bend Power. It marked the first weekend of the season in which the Cyclones faced different opponents in different locations in the same weekend. Wausau defeated the Woodsmen at home Friday, Oct. 24, but after a quick turnaround trip to West Bend the next day, the Cyclones fell to the Power, splitting the weekend series with a win and a loss, respectively.
It was a slow start for both the Cyclones and Woodsmen in Wausau’s final home game until Nov. 28. Despite the Cyclones putting 21 shots on net through the first two periods, and the Woodsmen tallying 23, neither team scored through 40 minutes of play.
The Cyclones turned the game around in the final period of home hockey until after Thanksgiving. Elijah Von Gunten opened the scoring just 13 seconds into the third with a power-play goal, sparking Wausau’s offense. Brady Ernst, Jackson Schroeder and Eiji Hofman added goals later in the period as the Cyclones completely flipped the game on its head.
Goaltender Brady Faille stayed strong between the pipes for the full 60 minutes, stopping all 32 shots to earn his second shutout of the season.
The Cyclones had little time to celebrate Friday’s win, quickly boarding the bus to West Bend for Saturday’s divisional matchup. The game followed a similar script to the night before — only this time, the roles were reversed.
After a scoreless first half of play, West Bend broke through nine minutes into the second period. The Power then added three more goals to secure a 4-0 shutout victory. Wausau was not able to find any scoring during the game. The loss to the Power ended the Cyclones four game winning streak, and the shutout ended all active point streaks for players on the team.
The Cyclones are now 6-4-0 through 10 games this season and sit in fourth place in the Central Division, just behind the Rochester Grizzlies. Rochester has one more game played than Wausau but the same number of points with a 6-5-0 record.
This weekend, the Cyclones travel to St. Louis for a two-game series against the St. Louis Jr. Blues. Puck drop for Game 1 on Nov. 1 is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. CST, followed by Game 2 at 2 p.m. CST on Nov. 2. Both games can be streamed on NAHLTV.
Visit wausaucyclones.com for tickets. Stay connected during the season by following the Cyclones @wausaucycloneson Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok, or visit them online at wausaucyclones.com. Subscribe to the team’s official podcast, Inside Cyclones Hockey, available on all major podcast platforms.
