Riverkings dominate season opener

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Riverkings kicked off their season Sept. 27, sweeping the Minnesota Mullets with back-to-back victories and securing Head Coach Paul Pechmann’s 100th career win with the team.
The team opened the weekend with a commanding 7-0 shutout on Saturday, followed by a 10-1 rout on Sunday. Saturday’s game saw the Riverkings jump ahead early, netting two power play goals in the first period. Jonathan Jakshoej scored the season’s first goal at 13:15, assisted by Olivier Bolduc. Noa Diamond added another just before the buzzer with help from Felix Ahlstrand.
The second period was all Riverkings, with three more goals lighting up the scoreboard. Logan Byman struck unassisted at 16:09, followed by Ahlstrand’s goal at 8:26 off a pass from Zach Fletcher. Mikhail Ilyan capped the period off with a power play goal, assisted by Diamond and Ahlstrand.
Jakshoej returned in the third to score again with 9:42 remaining, and Ahlstrand closed out the game with a goal assisted by Jakshoej at 1:14.
Mullets goaltender Hudson Mattingley made 24 saves on 29 shots before being replaced by Elliot Yu, who stopped 16 of 18 in the final period. Riverkings netminder Deaken Shaw earned the shutout with 10 saves.

Special teams proved decisive with the Riverkings converting 3 of 6 power plays, while the Mullets went 0 for 5.
Coach Pechmann’s milestone win was the perfect start to a promising season. The Riverkings look poised to make waves this year.
The Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings carried their momentum into the second match of the weekend, overwhelming the Minnesota Mullets again with a 10-1 victory.
Noa Diamond delivered a standout performance, scoring four even-strength goals — two in the opening period (at 7:05 and 0:21) and two more in the third (at 19:29 and 4:32).
The Riverkings’ scoring was spread across the lineup with Logan Byman opening up the scoring at 16:34 of the first period, with additionals goals from Jonathan Jakshoej, Mikhail Ilyin, Jacob Chevrier-Alexander, Caleb Duchesne and Daniil Korobeynikov.
The Mullets managed to avoid a second consecutive shutout with a lone goal from Paul Hibbler midway through the third period. Gruttadauria finished with 29 saves in a strong outing.
On the other end, Mullet’s goaltenders Roy Moen and Elliot Yu faced a barrage of shots. Moen stopped 33 of 40, while Yu turned away 12 of 15.
Special teams were quiet in this contest, with both squads failing to convert on the power play — Riverkings went 0 for 2, and the Mullets 0 for 1.
With back-to-back dominant wins, the Riverkings have made a strong start to the season. The Riverkings played at the Minnesota Outlaws Oct. 3 and 4, and are heading to New Jersey Oct. 10-15 for their first of two showcases. (Showcases are events where teams from across the country travel to play several games over a three to four day period. These events attract scouts from colleges and allow teams to play outside their division.