Riverkings put the yoke on the Blue Ox

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings took two games at home, beating the Minnesota Blue Ox in a dramatic Friday night matchup before cruising to victory on Saturday night. More than a thousand fans packed the South Wood County Recreation Center across the two nights, fueling the team’s strong performance.

Friday, Jan. 30

The opener remained scoreless through the first period before Minnesota broke through 5 minutes into the second. A point shot slipped through traffic and past Riverkings goaltender Jackson Gruttadauria to give the Blue Ox a 1–0 lead.
Wisconsin Rapids responded on the power play midway through the period, then struck again just two minutes later to take a 2–1 advantage into the third. The Blue Ox battled back to tie the game at 2–2 with 8:29 remaining.
With 1:38 left and the score even, the Riverkings went back on the power play. After several late chances, Wisconsin Rapids sealed the win with just 1.6 seconds on the clock, securing a thrilling 3–2 victory.

Scoring summary

• Blue Ox 1–0 (15:02, 2nd): Gordy Lawson’s point shot trickled through Gruttadauria, assisted by Jovan Fowler Jr.
• Riverkings 1–1 (10:06, 2nd): On the power play, the Riverkings recovered a wide shot and Olivier Bolduc fed Mikhail Ilyin in the slot for the equalizer.
• Riverkings 2–1 (7:54, 2nd): Fresh out of the penalty box, Sebastian Redfern took a feed from Ilyin and rang a shot off the post and in.
• Blue Ox 2–2 (8:29, 3rd): Will Anderson corralled a loose puck near the crease and slid a backhand past Gruttadauria.

• Riverkings 3–2 (0:01.6, 3rd): After a late-zone dump-in, Bolduc dug the puck free and backhanded a pass from the corner to Felix Ahlstrand, who buried the game-winner blocker side.
The Riverkings went 2-for-7 on the power play and killed all five penalties, including a major in the third period. Gruttadauria stopped 39 of 41 shots. Blue Ox goaltender Dylan Keeley made 42 saves on 45 shots.
Riverkings’ Stars of the Game were Felix Ahlstrand (1st Star), Jackson Gruttadauria (2nd Star) and Sebastian Redfern (3rd Star).

Saturday, Jan. 31

Saturday’s contest was a different story entirely. Riverkings goaltender Jackson Gruttadauria recorded another shutout and Wisconsin Rapids erupted for seven goals — including three on the power play for a 7–0 rout.

The Riverkings led 1–0 after the first period before exploding for three goals in less than 90 seconds in the second. They added three more in the third, highlighted by Jonathan Jakshoej’s first career hat trick.

Scoring summary

• Riverkings 1–0 (15:25, 1st): Sebastian Redfern from Olivier Bolduc.
• Riverkings 2–0 (12:26, 2nd): Daniil Korobeynikov on the power play, assisted by Mateo Ruffolo.
• Riverkings 3–0 (11:27, 2nd): Jakshoej on the power play, assisted by Ilyin.

• Riverkings 4–0 (11:10, 2nd): Korobeynikov’s second of the night, assisted by Gabe Field.
• Riverkings 5–0 (18:06, 3rd): Jakshoej’s second, assisted by Ilyin.
• Riverkings 6–0 (11:55, 3rd): Jakshoej completed his first career hat trick by deflecting a shot from Felix Ahlstrand on the power play.
• Riverkings 7–0 (1:12, 3rd): Ilyin from Jakshoej.
Wisconsin Rapids finished 3-for-8 on the power play and went a perfect 7-for-7 on the penalty kill. Gruttadauria stopped all 38 shots he faced. Keeley made 24 saves on 31 shots for Minnesota.
Riverkings’ Stars of the Game were Jonathan Jakshoej (1st Star), Daniil Korobeynikov (2nd Star) and Jackson Gruttadauria (3rd Star).

Up next

The Riverkings (26–8–1–0 as of Feb. 5) returned home Feb. 6-7 for a non-divisional matchup against the Fresh Coast Freeze. They then embark on a three-game road trip, facing the Steele County Blades on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14 and the Northwest Express on Sunday, Feb. 15.
Wisconsin Rapids closes out the regular season at home against the Northwest Express on Friday, Feb. 20 and the Steele County Blades on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28. All home games begin at 7 p.m. at the South Wood County Recreation Center.