September 15, 2022 (Blaine, Minn.) – Paul Minnehan rejoined the Generals after starting the year in the USHL with an immediate impact recording two points despite the 7-3 loss at the hands of the Midwest Division Minnesota Wilderness.
Northeast falls to 1-3 this season with the loss while Minnesota records their first win of the new year bringing their record to 1-3.
A Wilderness miscommunication between goalie Konrad Kausch and his defensemen allowed Dave Andreychuck to strip Kausch of the puck behind the net and find Minnehan next to the far side post to tap it home giving the Generals the lead 4:53 into the game.
The Gens added another goal five minutes later at 9:47 to extend the lead to 2-0 at 9:47 in the first. Jack Demoura kept the puck in the offensive zone pushing it towards Minnehan in the slot. Attracting attention by the Wilderness defense Minnehan tapped the puck towards the near side circle to Providence commit Ryan Schelling who found the back of the net with a corner picking shot from the top of the circle.
Minnesota scored at the 17:52 mark of the period to bring the score back to a one goal difference heading into the first intermission. The goal scorer Kevin Max Noren found the back of the net for the first time of his 4 goal performance.
Max Noren scored all three goals in the second period to tie the game, then give the Wilderness a two goal lead of their own. The goals were scored at 5:45, 13:32, and 16:25 respectfully. Joe Cesario recorded assists on two of the goals to record a multi-point game of his own.
The Wilderness added another goal at 5:12 of the third as Noah Griswold moved the score to 5-2, but Air Force commit Joe Schubert found the back of the net to keep the game close with 6:33 to go in regulation. Jared Scott took a shot from the blue line which resulted in a rebound in the middle of the slot. Despite a Minnesota defenseman gaining possession Schubert took it away and ripped a shot past Kausch for his second goal of the season.
Two more goals including an empty netter for the Wilderness brought the eventual final score 7-3. Max Noren picked up an assist on the first for his fifth point of the contest.
Joey LoVullo (0-1) made 18 saves on 24 shots in the loss while Kausch (1-1) stopped 33 of 36 to earn his first win of the year.
Next up is an 11:00 a.m. CDT (12 noon EST) matchup with the Chippewa Steel of the Midwest Division at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minn.