Mequon, WI – The Mustangs continued their season long, 10-game 5-week road trip this past weekend as they visited the Milwaukee Power. Friday night saw a familiar face between the pipes for the Mustangs, Andrew Doran. The Mustangs scored a pair of goals in each of the first two periods to cruise to a 4-0 Central Division victory Friday night. The win snapped a two-game skid for Peoria and improved them to 6-5-2 on the season.
Peoria wasted no time getting the scoring started, putting the puck in the back of the net just 58 seconds after the opening face-off. Chris Kondiles was parked in the neutral zone, battling for the puck along the left wall, Kondiles poked the puck free and found Jaycob Bland. Bland took the feed and circled above the left dot before snapping a fade away shot that knuckled on Power goaltender Spencer Northway and into the back of the net for the 1-0 Mustangs edge. The Mustangs doubled their lead almost four minutes later when Ethan Chesney found a streaking Connor Bruns, Bruns received the Chesney pass, Bruns then cut through the left circle and snapped the puck past the glove of Northway at 4:56 for the 2-0 Mustangs advantage.
Peoria tripled the lead Just past the midway point of the second period when Bruns snapped a shot from the above the right circled, the puck slid through traffic and found the stick of Perry Lagatuz, the puck chipped off the stick of Lagatuz and into the back of the net at 10:54 for the 3-0 Mustangs lead. The Mustangs added their 4th and final goal of the evening in the closing minutes of the Middle frame. Connor Henderson fired a shot from the high slot that a steady handed Thomas Kayner deflected past the outstretched leg of Northway and into the back of the net at 17:04, for the eventual 4-0 final score. Andrew Doran picked up the win between the pipes for the Mustangs stopping all 27 shots faced. The win, Doran’s first of the season, improves the Orchard Park, NY native to 1-0-0 on the season.
The Mustangs wrapped up their weened series with the Power Saturday night, the second of the 4 totally meetings at the Ozaukee Ice Center this season. Peoria jumped out to a lead late in the opening frame, and Milwaukee answered sending the game into extra time. Peoria opened the scoring in the closing minutes of the opening period when Ethan Chesney took a long past from Jared Wisely. Chesney received the pass in the neutral zone, raced into the Milwaukee end, across the left circle, and cut across the top of the crease and stuffed the puck under Milwaukee goaltender Spencer Northway at 17:53 of the opening period for the 1-0 Peoria advantage. The Power tied things up 25 seconds later when Easton Nick snapped a shot that found a hole between Mustangs goaltender Nahuel Veyan and the goal post at 18:18 of the first period to tie the game at 1 a side.
The Mustangs regained the lead just past the midway point of the middle frame when Jaycob Bland and Chris Kondiles teamed up while skating shorthanded. Bland broke out of the Peoria defensive zone and raced up the right-wing side. Bland entered the offensive zone and snapped a shot on goal, Northway turned the initial shot away, but Kondiles was streaking towards the net, found the rebound and hammered it into the back of the net at 10:46 of the middle period for the 2-1 Mustangs lead. Milwaukee even things up once again early in the third period, Ben Cremers poked a lost puck past Veyan at 2:33 of the final stanza to tie the game at 2.
The Mustangs and Power skated the remainder of regulation tied at two and the game descended into an overtime session. The teams traded chances throughout the extra session but, the Power found the back of the net with29 seconds left. Max Erstad raced up the ice off a face-off and into the Peoria end, Erstad deked around a defender and snapped the puck past the blocker of Veyan for the 3-2 overtime victory.
Veyan suffered the tough luck loss between the pipes stopping 40 of 43 shots faced, with the overtime loss Veyan falls to 0-1-1 on the season.
Notes: Doran is a perfect 9-0-0 in a Mustangs uniform dating back to last season, where he was 8-0-0. Doran picked up his second career shutout Friday night. Chris Kondiles has picked up points in three straight outings, 2G+3A. Peoria had three skates get tabbed with game misconduct penalties Saturday night, Tristan Trudel, Ethan Chesney, and Thomas Kayner all made early exits from the contest. The Mustangs have earned at least a point in 6 of the 8 contests on this road trip.
Up Next: The Mustangs wrap up the 10-game road swing in Wausau, WI next Friday and Saturday night. Both games are scheduled for a 7:10 face off and can be viewed on HockeyTV or by following along on the Mustangs social media platforms.
