The Gillette Wild recently attended the annual three-day NA3HL Showcase, held December 14–16. The team packed up on Friday and began their journey east to the great hockey state of Minnesota. After stopping in Sioux Falls for the night, the team had the opportunity to watch an Augustana vs. Minnesota State–Mankato game and then held a practice the following morning at Augustana’s rink before continuing on to Blaine.
The Wild kicked off Showcase play on Sunday evening against the Minnesota Wilderness. It was a hard-fought contest, but the Wilderness came away with a 6–4 win.
Monday’s matchup against the El Paso Rhinos delivered plenty of excitement. The Wild jumped out to a 2–0 lead early in the second period, but El Paso answered with two goals of their own later in the frame. With both teams battling hard through the third period, the score remained tied and the game headed to overtime. Halfway through OT, Peterson buried a highlight-reel game-winning goal off passes from Graham and Delich to secure a thrilling 3–2 victory for the Wild.
The Showcase wrapped up on Tuesday with a 6–1 loss against the Peoria Mustangs.
The Wild kick off the second half of the season with a January schedule packed full of home games. Gillette hits the road on January 2 to face the Sabres on their home ice, but fans can catch the remainder of January’s games at the Spirit Hall. Be a part of the action and order your tickets ahead of time at Gillette Wild Hockey Tickets !