ABERDEEN, SD (AberdeenWings.com) –

FRIDAY

The Aberdeen Wings outshot and outscored the visiting St. Cloud Norsemen 6-0 Friday night at the Odde Ice Arena, knocking down the one team that’s managed to defeat the Wings so far this season.

In a lopsided matchup, the Wings made 56 shots on goal while holding the Norsemen to just 25 shots — and Wings goalie Jacob Sibell turned away each one.

The score remained even through most of the first period until Payton Matsui broke away at the 17:43 mark to notch the game’s first point. Matsui, assisted by Spencer Schneider and Liam Fraser, scored his eleventh goal of the season. Just 32 seconds later, Jordan Randall put another away for the Wings, assisted by Cade Neilson and Michael Reed, and the Wings found themselves heading into the locker room with a 2-0 cushion.

At the 6:55 mark in the second period, Wings defenseman Nico deVita shot deep from the blue line to put the Wings up 3-0, assisted by Matsui. Thomas Manty scored a goal of his own at the 13:23 mark with the assist from Clayton Cosentino, who notched his 23rd assist, and Natan Vertes, who picked up his eighth. Aberdeen headed into the final break with a 4-0 lead.

The Wings outshot the Norsemen 18-7 in the first period and 21-12 in the second, and the third period echoed a similar story. Spencer Schneider scored the game’s fifth goal at the 9:19 mark in the third, assisted by Christian Abrams and Matsui, who notched his 14th assist of the season. The game’s final goal came at the 18:31 mark with a second goal from Randall, with the assist going to Reed and Neilson. The Wings outshot St. Cloud 17-6 in the final period.

“When we get the results we’re looking for, we usually utilized the depth of our team,” Wings head coach and general manager Scott Langer said. “Tonight was four lines, seven defensemen, and a solid goalie that earned a win.”

Wings’ Sibell, the league’s top-ranked goalie, stopped all 25 shots — he boasts a 1.20 goals against average and a .953 save percentage.

“Jake is a very motivated goaltender right now,” Langer said. “He has an exceptional work ethic and prepares the right way. He earns his success.”

Norsemen goalie Paxton Geisel stopped 35 of 39 shots he faced in the first two periods before being replaced by Josh Weyandt, who stopped 15 of 17 in the third.

SATURDAY

In one of the most physical games of the season so far, the Aberdeen Wings came out with a 4-0 win over the visiting St. Cloud Norsemen to sweep the weekend at the Odde Ice Center.

Payton Matsui scored the game’s first goal and eventual game-winner early in the first period, finding the back of the net just over five minutes into the game. Matsui’s shorthanded goal, his twelfth on the season, was assisted by Cullen Ferguson and Spencer Schneider. With just over three minutes left in the period, Cade Neilson found the back of the net with a backhanded goal, assisted by Liam Fraser and Ferguson. The teams headed into the first break with the Wings leading 2-0.

Things settled down a bit in the second period until Clayton Cosentino found himself beating the St. Cloud defensemen at the 16:03 mark. He was assisted by Ferguson, who picked up his third assist of the night and third assist overall as a Wing. The Wings headed into the final intermission with a 3-0 cushion.

The third period was hard-fought on both sides with each team picking up numerous penalties. Just over seven minutes into the period, Spencer Schneider scored on the power play, assisted by Matsui and Will Arquiett. More penalties plagued both teams, but the Wings managed to hold off the Norsemen to skate away with the 4-0 victory.

“I think it was a solid game versus two competitive teams,” Wings head coach and general manger Scott Langer said after the game. “When you play a team back-to-back nights, you’re going to see some frustration and physicality.”

Wings goalie Jake Sibell earned his fifth shutout of the season, stopping all 24 shots he faced. His goals-against average dropped to just 1.13, while his save percentage improved to a league-leading .956. Norsemen goalie Paxton Geisel stopped 40 of 44.

Aberdeen outshot St. Cloud 44-24. Over the course of the weekend, the Wings nearly doubled their shots on goal versus St. Cloud, with an overwhelming 100-49 shots advantage.

“We take a lot of pride in limiting opposition chances,” Langer said. “It’s important if you’re going to have a positive outcome.”

The Wings improve to 19-1-0-0 on the season. St. Cloud falls to 3-9-0-0.