The Gillette Wild hit the road for their first extended trip of the season—and came home with a sweep. The Wild went 2-0 on the weekend, defeating the Helena Bighorns on Friday and the Bozeman Ice Dogs on Saturday.
Friday Night in Helena
The Wild opened the weekend at Steed Arena, facing the Helena Bighorns. Gillette came out strong in the first period, controlling the pace of play and leading in shots on goal. Forward Brayden Waters set the tone early with a highlight-reel goal off the faceoff, giving the Wild the first goal of the night and an energy boost that carried through the period.
Helena pushed back in the second, outshooting Gillette 15-5 as penalties piled up against the Wild. Goaltender Austin Treiber stood tall between the pipes with several key saves, and special teams held their ground, keeping the Bighorns off the board. With just under two minutes left in the period, assistant captain Beau Delich buried one to extend the lead to 2-0 heading into the third.
Despite a penalty-heavy and physical final period—including three game misconducts, two 10-minute misconducts, and seven minor penalties for Gillette—the Wild held their composure. After Helena got on the board, Peyton Marty answered quickly, and Caden Graham sealed the deal with an empty-netter to close out a statement 4-1 win.
It was a milestone night for the Wild, marking their first victory in Helena in years—and a dominant one at that.
Saturday Night in Bozeman
Riding high from Friday’s win, the Wild carried their momentum into Bozeman for a fast-paced matchup against the Ice Dogs. Gillette came out flying, with Riley Schmidt scoring twice in the opening ten minutes, followed by a pair from Josh Sauro to make it 4-0 with 6:30 remaining in the first period.
While the second period slowed down and penalties evened out, the Wild maintained control of the game. Both teams traded goals in the final two periods, but Gillette never looked back, securing a 6-3 victory to cap off the weekend sweep.
The Wild return home riding a two-game win streak and growing confidence as they continue to climb in the Frontier Division standings.