Wolverines win playoff opener with Butte

WHITEFISH — The historic season continues for the Whitefish Wolverines.

In its first year of existence, hosting its first-ever playoff series, the Wolverines picked up a monumental victory, claiming a 4-2 win over the Butte Cobras on Friday night at the Stumptown Ice Den in the opening round of the Western States Hockey League postseason.

Whitefish forward Chris Cutshall’s third period goal, which gave Whitefish a 3-0 advantage, proved to be the game-winner as Butte staged a comeback attempt with two consecutive goals in the final period.

Forward Brett Fernandez and Aleksei Garin assisted on Cutshall’s goal, but it was Fernandez’s pass deep in the right corner which found a streaking Cutshall, who lifted a back-hand shot over Butte goalie Justin Keener just over a minute into the final frame.

“I saw Brett Fernandez going to the corner, I called for it, it came through about five different players and found my backhand,” Cutshall said.

“I thought, ‘All right, let’s go for it,’ and I put it in the back of the net.”

It was Cutshall’s 12th goal of the year and first of the playoffs.

Nearly five minutes later Butte got on the board when Cobras’ regular-season leading scorer Anton Zimmer, trailing teammate Bogdan Shleev’s breakaway attempt, put Shleev’s rebound past Wolverines’ net minder Brendan Schultz.

Then the Cobras made things interesting.

With 1:53 left in the game, trailing 3-1, Keener was looking to the bench for the signal to come off the ice for an extra attacker. Before it was sent in, Shleev ripped a top-shelf wrist shot which beat Schultz’s glove and brought Butte within one.

Whitefish was quick to shake it off.

Twenty-two seconds later, Cutshall sped into the Cobras’ zone on a breakaway. Keener blocked his shot, but Wolverines forward Kieffer Helbing knocked in the rebound, falling over as he attacked the net.

The goal all but sealed the victory for the Wolverines.

Whitefish outshot Butte 35-29 in the game with Schultz turning away 27 of the 29 he faced.

Schultz held a shut out for two periods, but hardly cared about putting a goose egg on the scoreboard.

“If we would have won 9-8, it wouldn’t have mattered. A win is a win for our team, especially in the playoffs,” Schultz said.

He got plenty of help from an outstanding penalty kill.

The Wolverines killed six Cobras’ advantages, including a 5 on 3 late in the second period.

“That’s definitely been a strength of ours this season, our penalty kill,” Schultz said.

“It really helped us out here again tonight. We can always count on our guys giving 110 percent on the penalty kill.”

Whitefish’s Aleksei Garin got the Wolverines on the board late in the first period for his 29th goal of the year.

Teammate Nathan Luznar-Purdy made it 2-0 before the crowd could sit down from Garin’s goal.

Luznar-Purdy scored just 13 seconds later after the Wolverines went 18 minutes without many scoring opportunities.

“I thought both teams looked really nervous out there and it took a while for them to figure out that we have to play better on both sides,” Wolverines coach Joakim Falt said.

“But we came out with a win and that’s good. That’s all that matters in the playoffs. All the games are going to be tight. It’s not going to be a blowout.”

Whitefish can clinch the three-game series with a victory over Butte tonight in Game 2, scheduled for 7:05.

If a third-game is necessary, that would be played on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

Butte 0 0 2 — 2

Whitefish 2 0 2 — 4

First period—1, Whitefish, Aleksei Garin (Bryan Polmear, Riley Ingalls), 18:30. 2, Whitefish, Nathan Luznar-Purdy (Ian Wiens, Richard Mulligan), 18:43.

Second period—none.

Third period—3, Whitefish, Chris Cutshall (Brett Fernandez, Garin), 1:09. 1, Butte, Anton Zimmer (Bogdan Shleev, Zach Steuck), 6:48. 2, Butte, Shleev (Steuck, Justin Keener), 18:06. 4, Whitefish, Kieffer Helbing (Cutshall, Fernandez), 18:28.

Shots on Goal—Butte 6-11-12—29. Whitefish 13-10-12—35. Power-play opportunities—Butte 0 for 6. Whitefish 0 for 3. Goalies—Butte, Justin Keener (35 shots- 31 saves). Whitefish, Brendan Schultz (29-27). T—2:40. A—300.