Fans were welcomed to the Oregon Ice Arena for the first time on Friday night as the Oregon Tradesmen hosted Wausau Riverwolves in the first of a home-and-home weekend series. Those who attended or watched live online were treated to a solid performance by the home team who cruised to a 4-2 win.
The final score did not tell nearly enough of the game though as Oregon put 62 shots on net while holding Wausau to just 30.
Sam VanderHoeven got things going early as he scored on the opening shift. Wausau were even the score with a powerplay tally before Ethan McCormack restored the lead at 16:57 of the opening frame.
Wausau would tie the game in the opening minute of the second when Richard Zupan scored to make it 2-2. That would be all the Riverwolves would get though as goaltender Cole Garver kept the visitors off the scoreboard for the final 39 minutes.
It didn’t take long for the Tradesmen to regain the lead as VanderHoeven scored his 20th of the season at 2:26. Just 1:32 later Marcus Mack found the back of the net for the third time this season making it 4-2.
Caleb Sauer replaced starter Dylan Baker in the Wausau net and kept the Tradesmen off the board the rest of the way. Sauer made 29 saves in 36 minutes played.
The series now moves to Wausau where the teams will face off again on Saturday night. Game time is scheduled for 7:10 PM.