BLAINE, Minn. – The Aberdeen Wings are on the doorstep of defending their Robertson Cup championship.

The Wings moved into the title game after eliminating the Minnesota Magicians 2-1 on Saturday at Fogerty Ice Arena. Kyle Gaffney’s goal with 85 seconds remaining broke a 1-1 tie as the Wings swept the Magicians in their series.

Aberdeen now meets Shreveport in the championship contest at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Mudbugs swept past Maine in their semifinal series.

The Wings wasted little time in getting on the board against the Magicians as Natan Vertes scored just 24 seconds into the contest. However, Aberdeen could not find the back of the net for nearly three periods after that until Gaffney scored on an assist from Payton Matsui just before the final minute of play.

Meanwhile, the Magicians could not muster much offense either. Minnesota tied the game in the first period, but Wings goalie Jake Sibell turned back 18 of the 19 shots that he faced in the contest.

The Wings are the defending Robertson Cup champions, having won the title in 2019, before COVID wiped out last year’s post season.

Shreveport outscored Maine 9-2 in winning both of its semifinal games. The Mudbugs won the Robertson Cup in 2018.

To view complete game stats click on the following link:

https://www.aberdeenwings.com/stats/game-center/31964