The local North American Hockey League squad, fresh off a win over league-leading Austin last weekend, looked sharp in a 3-1 victory over its rival Bismarck Bobcats Friday night at Odde Ice Center.
"I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Bismarck came in being such a big rival," said Wings forward Peter Krieger of his team's intensity throughout the night. "But at the same time we're really stepping up our game now, with a huge win last Friday against Austin. I feel that we're really coming together as a team."
It was Krieger who produced the eventual game-winner, sticking back a rebound with 6:38 remaining in the third period as Aberdeen outscored Bismarck 3-0 in the final 15 minutes.
"At first it happened down low in our defensive zone," Krieger said, describing the sequence that led to his goal. "Joe Sullivan blocked a shot. It was a huge blocked shot. We got the rush off that. On a penalty kill, went down on a 2-on-2. I just tried to wheel past the guy. 'Sully' had a great shot off the pad and I was just luckily there and tapped it in."
Trailing 1-0 after two periods, the Wings tied the game on a rebound by Jake Horton with 14:50 remaining.
Aberdeen had plenty of chances on the night, outshooting the Bobcats by a 47-27 margin.
"We've been stressing more shots all year," said Aberdeen coach Pete Sauer. "Take shots, shots, shots, and they're starting to see it."
Jonathan Grebosky added an empty net goal in the final minute as the Wings won going away.
While Bismarck managed 20 less shots, the Bobcats peppered Aberdeen goalie Marcus Zelzer early, but he was up to the task.
"Zelzer has been good in the last few games for us. He's been very good," Sauer said. "He's a veteran. He stays calm in there."
The Bobcats had quality chances in the first period and then hit the pipe once in the second period before scoring the first goal of the game. While Bismarck led by one heading into the third, the visitors could have had a bigger lead if not for the play of Zelzer.
"We had a huge performance from him," Krieger said of his teammate. "The shots that they had were quality shots. If it wasn't for a big performance by him, it could have been a different game."
Instead, it was another win for a young Wings squad that has overcome some early-season adversity and now seems to be hitting its stride.
"These guys are gaining their confidence," Sauer said. "We've gone through Hell. It's been tough. They've had every reason to throw in the towel early and they didn't. We stuck together."
The Wings, who face Bismarck again at 7:15 tonight at Odde Ice Center, improved to 8-13-1 with the victory. More important than that, however, is the fact that they are starting to string together some impressive efforts and play up to their potential on a consistent basis.
"I think the guys believe that this can be our standard play," Sauer said, "and we can beat anyone in the league if we play like this and continue to."
Bismarck Bobcats 0 1 0-1
Aberdeen Wings 0 0 3-3
Second Period: 1, Bismarck, Mike Dockry (Levi Blom, Joe Giordano), 10:00.
Third Period: 2, Aberdeen, Jake Horton (Justin Parizek, Steven Johnson), 14:50; 3, Aberdeen, Peter Krieger (Joe Sullivan), 6:38; 4, Jonathan Grebosky (Horton, Heinz Koster), :34.
Goalies: Bismarck, Aaron Nelson (46 shots, 44 saves); Aberdeen, Marcus Zelzer (27 shots, 26 saves).
Attendance: 1,283.