Two close wins are added to Wild’s record
By Bill Rea

The King Wild posted two more wins over the weekend, but they needed over time both evenings in order to do it.

Friday night saw them in Sturgeon Falls playing the West Nipissing Alouettes, where they trailed for most of the night and finally prevailing after about two minutes of extra time for the 7-6 win.

It was a somewhat different story Sunday at home for the side. They let a two-goal lead slip away in the second period, and needed to come from behind in the third to set up the fourth frame against the Toronto Canada Moose. Jordan Gidaro stepped up to score the winning goal for his mates with 1.5 seconds left on the clock, making the final score 6-5. It was his fourth marker of the evening.

“We blew the lead, but played well,” the hero remarked after the match.

Kurt Zdrilich and Marc Zanette collected the other two Wild goals. Mike Bodley contributed three assists, John Sturino got two and Derek Long, Matt Dickens, Gidaro, Piero Petti and Dan Douglas notched one apiece.

Head Coach Paul Hampton had no trouble agreeing it was Gidaro who saved the day for the side. “How can you not smile after a performance like that from that kid,” he declared right after the game.

But he was also concerned about the number of penalties his men were taking, especially since at least four of the Moose goals came on the power play (one of Gidaro’s goals came while the team was short-handed).

“They’re going to kill us,” Hampton remarked. “If we play five-on-five hockey, we can beat any team in the league, but that’s not going to happen because we do stupid things.”

Gidaro didn’t have a bad outing Friday night either, posting two of the Wild’s seven goals. Brendon Farrugia got two as well, and Marc Fortin, Zanette and John Adams got one apiece. Kyle Baulne, Sturino and Zannette each collected a pair of assists, and singles were notched by Douglas, Farrugia, Zdrilich and Long.

“That was a gong show up there,” Hampton later commented, stating members of the West Nipissing club were trying to pick fights. He said one of the Alouettes played one shift and drew 12 minutes in penalties. “You tell me what he was out there to do,” the coach remarked.

The wild will return to action Friday night when they travel to Gravenhurst for a match with the South Muskoka Shield, starting at 8 p.m.

Saturday night will see them in Deseronto to take on the Thunder, starting at 7:30 p.m.