BROOKINGS – The Blizzard played Aberdeen to a 1-1 draw after a period, but the Wings netted three unanswered goals in the second period on the way to a 4-1 Central Division win on Friday night at Larson Ice Center.
Brad Belisle netted the puck with 12:50 to play in the first off assists from John Sladic and Adam Pitters to spot Aberdeen the early lead, but Ryan Green one-touched a pass from Sam Antenucci with 6:11 left to send the game into the first intermission tied at 1-1.
Pitters scored midway through the second to break the tie as Peter Morgan and Riley Murphy picked up the helpers.
Stepan Pokorny made it 3-1 with 4:39 on the clock off setups by Sladic and Max Salpeter before Shawn Kennedy provided for the final margin on a power-play tally with 12 seconds left as Connor Beatty earned the assist.
The Wings held a 27-21 edge in shots and cashed in on 1-of-6 power-play chances while Brookings was 0-for-3.
Matt Vernon earned the win in goal with 20 saves as the Wings improved to 21-5-1-1 with 44 points. Jack Caruso stopped 23 Aberdeen shots between the pipes for the Blizzard.
Brookings, 3-25-1-1 on the season with eight points, gets two more chances at the Wings over the weekend in Aberdeen at the Odde Center. Both tonight’s game and Monday’s contest start at 7:15 p.m.
