Day 2 of the NAHL Showcase comes to a close
It looks like it may be an offensive year in the NAHL, because judging by another day full of offense at the NAHL Showcase on Day 2, teams show no sign of slowing down. 71 total goals were scored in 12 games on Day 2.
Topeka RoadRunners 4 vs. Johnstown Tomahawks 0 – In a battle of goaltending, it was Topeka netminder Matej Tomek who won against Johnstown goalie Ryan Bednard as Topeka moved to 2-0 at the Showcase with a 4-0 shutout. Tomek made 27 saves in the win. Bednard made 18 saves in the loss. Jasen Fernsler had a goal and an assist and Yu Hikosaka, Daniel Rzavsky and Ryan Polin also scored for the RoadRunners. Boxscore
Aberdeen Wings 5 vs. Michigan Warriors 1 – The Wings picked up their first win of the season with a good performance in a 5-1 win over the Warriors, who fell to 0-2. Ronnie Hein and Brendan Riordan scored in the 1st period for Aberdeen. Drew Doyon, Kyle Haak and Ronnie Hein (who are all NAPHL graduates as well) all scored in the 2nd period. Conor Durgan (an NA3HL graduate) had the lone Warriors goal, which came in the 3rd period. Andrew Shortridge made 15 saves for the win. Boxscore
Austin Bruins 4 vs. Keystone Ice Miners 0 – Jake Kielly stopped all 26 shots that came his way as the Bruins shutout the Ice Miners, 4-0 to stay perfect on the young season. Brian Bachnak had a 1st period goal for Austin, while Nathan Bastian scored in the 2nd period and Brady Jones and Alex Pettersson added 3rd period goals. Alex Blankenburg made 23 saves in the loss for the Ice Miners. Boxscore
Soo Eagles 3 vs. Minot Minotauros 1 – The Eagles moved their record to 2-0 at the Showcase with a 3-1 win over Minot, who fell to 0-2. The Minotauros got off on the right foot as they scored first in the 1st period with a power play goal from Nick Monfils. However, the Eagles answered with a 1st period goal from Sandis Zolmanis and two late 3rd period tallies from Matt Menta and Chase Matson. Jack Berry made 19 saves in the win and Atte Tolvanen made 19 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Bismarck Bobcats 6 vs. Springfield Jr. Blues 1 – After getting shutout the night before, the Bobcats exploded for six goals in their win over Springfield as both teams moved to 1-1 at the Showcase. Springfield scored first on a goal from Max Kalter, but Bismarck responded later in the 1st period with a goal from Cullen Willox. Alex Strand and Jared Pike scored in the 2nd period to push the Bobcats lead to 3-1 and Matt Perry, JM Piotrowski and Willox added 3rd period goals. Alex Bitsakis made 17 saves in the win. Boxscore
Brookings Blizzard 5 vs. Janesville Jets 3 – Brookings scored two late 3rd period goals to top the Jets 5-3. The Blizzard jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals from TJ Samec, Zach Glienke and Viktor Lindell, but the Jets responded right back with goals from Zach Lavalle and Kip Hoffman in the 2nd period and David Radke in the 3rd period. Glienke would add his second of the game with less than seven minutes to go in the 3rd period for the eventual game-winner and Connor Hutchins scored an insurance goal. Boxscore
Fairbanks Ice Dogs 5 vs. Amarillo Bulls 2 – The Ice Dogs got back on track with a 5-2 win over Amarillo, outshooting the Bulls 42-22. The main damage by Fairbanks was done in the 1st period with three goals from Johnny Mueller, Adam Anderson and Jacob Hetz. The Bulls got a goal from Elijah Barriga in the 2nd period, but Fairbanks scored twice more in the 3rd period with goals from Jakob Stridsberg and Josh Gabriel. Cody Gylling had the other Bulls goal. Boxscore
Coulee Region Chill 6 vs. Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 3 – The Chill moved to 2-0 at the Showcase with a 6-3 win over Rio Grande Valley, who fell to 0-2. The Killer Bees scored first on a goal from Dan Kucerovy, but the Chill responded with two markers from Dominik Florian and Cameron Cooper. Brenden Dunning tied things for the Killer Bees in the 2nd period, but it was all Chill after that as Adam Lovick, Richard Zehnal and Eddie Matsushima all scored to make it 5-2. Anthony Croston made it 5-3 with Rio’s final goal and Garrett Riebling added a late insurance goal. Boxscore
Lone Star Brahmas 3 vs. Kenai River Brown Bears 2 – The Brahmas picked up their first win of the Showcase as they beat Kenai River, 3-2. The Brown Bears fell to 0-2 at the Showcase. Pat Egan and Liam Stirtzinger scored in the 1st period to put Lone Star ahead 2-0. Kenai River got their first goal in the 2nd period from Nick Klishko, but the Brahmas answered in the 3rd period from Sebastian Vidmar. Sam Carlson added a late 3rd period goal for the Brown Bears to cut the lead to 3-2, but Jake Kupsky shut the door the rest of the way with 29 saves. Boxscore
Minnesota Magicians 5 vs. Wichita Falls Wildcats 4 – Two, 3rd period goals propelled the Minnesota Magicians to their second straight win at the NAHL Showcase as they edged Wichita Falls, 5-4. Brady Heppner scored the first and the last goals for the Magicians, who trailed 4-3 after two periods. Matt Colford, Nathan Krusko and Marc Michaelis also scored for Minnesota, while Kevin Charyszyn scored twice for the Wildcats, who also had tallies from Alex Falconer and Austin Hingtgen. Boxscore
Minnesota Wilderness 1 vs. Corpus Christi IceRays 0 – The defensive-minded Wilderness stayed true to form as they made a one-goal lead stand almost the entire game as they blanked the Corpus Christi IceRays, 1-0. Ryan Anderson picked up the shutout, making 20 saves. The lone goal of the game came in the 1st period off the stick of Dan Litchke, who snuck one by Corpus Christi goalie Luke Pickar, who made 13 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Wenatchee Wild 5 vs. Odessa Jackalopes 2 – Jake Ahlgren scored twice as Wenatchee picked up their first win of the season by a 5-2 score. Odessa led 1-0 on an early goal from Kenny Hausinger. Wenatchee answered with three straight goals from Ahlgren, Jacob Liljeroos and David Powlowski. Hausinger scored again for the Jacks to make it 3-2, but two 3rd period goals from Ahlgren and Liljeroos made the final 5-2. Forbes Ploszaj made 21 saves in the win. Boxscore
