Goalie Dylan Ferguson waited a long time to celebrate like he did Sunday.
Just after Milwaukee’s Cole Schneider whiffed on his shot to clinch the Wolves’ 3-2 shootout victory, Ferguson excitedly pumped his fists. It was the easiest stop of Ferguson’s day, but the moment was still worth savoring.
“I was pretty fired up,” Ferguson said. “I couldn’t help it. It’s been a long road to get here. It was fun.”
With Oscar Dansk up with the Vegas Golden Knights and Garret Sparks resting after playing Friday and Saturday, the Wolves started the 21-year-old Ferguson. As Ferguson alluded to, his path to Allstate Arena was unusual.
Sunday was Ferguson’s first pro appearance since Nov. 14, 2017, when he played for his lone game for Vegas as the Golden Knights were battling multiple injuries in net. Ferguson, who came on in relief of Maxime Lagace that game, had been summoned to Vegas on an emergency basis and was soon sent back to Kamloops in the junior Western Hockey League.
He hadn’t appeared in a professional game since, and played 49 times for Kamloops last season.
Then on Sunday, at the end of a three-game weekend when the play can be ragged, Ferguson made 35 saves and recovered from a first period when he and the Wolves fell behind 2-0.
“Fergie played awesome,” said forward Patrick Brown, who scored twice and connected in the shootout. “He kept us in it the whole game. We were down early. It could have been a lot more than it was. I thought for a guy to step in and get his first AHL win, it was huge.”
Understandably, Ferguson was a little too fired up to begin the game. And following the second Milwaukee goal, Ferguson was reminded on the Wolves bench to breathe, calm down and play.
“After that, I kind of cleared my mind and did what I could,” Ferguson said.
Dansk is with Vegas because of an injury to Golden Knights backup Malcolm Subban. When Subban returns, Dansk will likely come back to Chicago and push Ferguson to Fort Wayne in the ECHL where he can continue his development.
Sunday, though, was a good day for Ferguson’s future. Wolves coach Rocky Thompson said it was “a first step of a foundation of many positive steps to come.”
“I think he’s confident and I think that’s one of his biggest strengths,” Thompson said. “He doesn’t let the moment kind of take control of his emotions. He’s in great control. People would call that a gamer. They love playing. It doesn’t matter the situation. If you’re under a big spotlight they just want to play. That’s important.”
On perhaps the most important shot of the day, Ferguson got a break. He wasn’t complaining, and maybe earned it.
“It’s kind of a gift from the hockey gods there,” Ferguson said. “It’s a great feeling and it’s a great way to get my first pro win.”
NOTE: Daniel Carr, who won the 2018-19 AHL MVP with the Wolves, was assigned to Milwaukee on Saturday. He had one shot Sunday and was stopped in the shootout.
