Saturday Scores: Bruins and Brahmas punch playoff tickets
Janesville 1 @ Springfield 0 – Another game, another shutout for Janesville and goalie Matt Jurusik, who tied the NAHL lead with his 6th shutout of the year as he extended his shutout streak to over 300 minutes as the Jets won their 14th straight game win a 1-0 overtime win over Springfield. The lone goal of the game came with less than a minute remaining in overtime as Grant Hutton picked off a pass at the Jr. Blues blueline and fed Adam Winborg, who fired a snap shot past a screened Niko Dellamaggrie for the winner. Jurusik made 24 saves in the win and Dellamaggorie made 31 saves in the OT loss. Boxscore
Austin 5 @ MN Wilderness 4 (OT) – Tony Uglem scored with less than a minute in overtime as the Bruins completed a weekend road sweep of the Wilderness thanks to another extra time win on Saturday. It was the Bruins who jumped ahead 2-0 early on goals from Jacob Kullberg and Uglem. The Wilderness stormed back with three straight goals from Darian Romanko, Dan Litchke and Ian Mansfield to take a 3-2 lead. The Bruins came back with goals from Derek Olmschenk and Brian Bachnak to take a 4-3 lead, but before the 3rd period was done, the equalizer would come from Romanko to send the game to OT.
Wenatchee 6 @ Odessa 4 – Brendan Harris scored twice and Jake Ahlgren had three assists to lead the Wenatchee Wild to a 6-4 win in Odessa, completing a weekend road sweep of the Jacks. The Wild offense was balanced, scoring twice in each period. Harris and David Powlowski found the back of the net in the 1st period, Harris and Donovan Ott scored in the 2nd period and Andre Pison and Dakota Raabe added 3rd period goals. Odessa got two goals from Taylor Gatto, who scored his first NAHL goals and others from Dakoda Menslage and Derek Brown. Michael Bullion had to make just 15 saves in the win, while Tanner Creel took the loss making 33 saves. Boxscore
Michigan 1 @ Soo 3 – Chad Catt made 36 saves to lead the Soo Eagles to a 3-1 win on Saturday to complete a weekend home sweep of the Warriors. It was Michigan who jumped on top first with a 1st period power play goal from Dalton Skelly. Things changed in the 2nd period as Warriors starting goalie Ryan Wischow was knocked out of the game with an injury and Soo took advantage with two, 2nd period goals. The first was a shorthanded goal from Raymond Brice and the second was a power play goal from Sandis Zolmanis. Bruno Birzitis added a 3rd period goal to help Soo complete the 3-1 win and weekend sweep of Michigan. Boxscore
Bismarck 2 @ Aberdeen 3 (SO) – In front of over 1,600 fans in Aberdeen, the Wings picked up their second win of the weekend thanks to a 3-2 shootout win over the visiting Bobcats. Thing Wings jumped ahead 2-0 in the 1st period with goals from Jackson Graalum and Bjorn Sigurdarson. After a scoreless 2nd period, the Bobcats would tie things up in the 3rd period with two goals, both from Oskars Batna. In the shootout, Victor Ostling had the winner as the last shooter for the Wings. Andrew Shortridge made 28 saves in the win, while Alex Bitsakis made 34 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Topeka 2 @ Lone Star 6 – The Brahmas clinched a playoff spot with a 6-2 win over Topeka, which salvaged a weekend split in front of over 2,500 fans in North Richland Hills. Lone Star jumped out to a 3-1 lead on goals from Anton Santesson, Quinn Carroll and Sebastian Vidmar. Mike Gornall had the lone goal for Topeka in the 1st period. After a goal in the 2nd period from Topeka’s Jasen Fernsler cut the lead to 3-2, Vidmar added another before the period was out to make it 4-2. Hunter Stanley and Ludvig Larsson scored goals in the 3rd period to put the game away. Jake Kupsky made 26 saves in the win. Boxscore
Johnstown 5 @ Kenai River 6 (OT) – Jack Gessert scored his 4th goal of the game just over halfway through overtime as the Brown Bears snapped their losing skid with a 6-5 overtime win at home over the Tomahawks. The Brown Bears jumped out to a big 5-1 lead and survived a huge comeback to pick up the extra point. Gessert scored the first two goals of the game to put Kenai River ahead 2-0. A goal from Tomahawks forward Alex Alger late in the 1st period made the score 2-1. In the 2nd period, the Brown Bears took a 5-1 lead on goals from Tanner Schachle, Sam Carlson and Gesserts’s third. Johnstown mounted their comeback late in the 2nd period on a goal from Josh Bowes. Zac Robbins tied the game in the 3rd period with three straight goals in a four-minute span. Boxscore
Minot 3 @ Brookings 2 (SO) – Atte Tolvanen made 28 saves and stopped all four Brookings players in a shootout as the Minotauros edged closer to a playoff spot with a 3-2 shootout win in Brookings on Saturday. After a scoreless 1st period, Brookings took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd period on a goal from TJ Samec. Minot answered back in the 3rd with goals from Jake Howie and John Snodgrass to take a 2-1 lead, but a goal with less than a minute remaining from Viktor Lindell tied the game, sending it to extra time. In the shootout, Johnny Walker and Colton Kramer scored for Minot. Eric Hancock made 28 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Keystone 5 @ Fairbanks 2 – Kevin Aldridge made 30 saves and Hans Gorowsky scored twice as the Ice Dogs salvaged a weekend split at home with the Ice Miners thanks to a 5-2 win on Saturday. After a scoreless 1st period, the Ice Dogs jumped ahead 3-1 in the 2nd period, which included two goals from Gorowsky and another from Yannick Vedel. Keystone’s lone goal of the period was scored by Matt Jones. After a goal from Keystone’s Kelly O’Brien closed the gap to 3-2 early in the 3rd period, the Ice Dogs put the game away with goals from Ethan Somoza and Adam Anderson. Boxscore
Wichita Falls 5 @ Amarillo 3 – The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they earned a weekend split of their road series in Amarillo thanks to a 5-3 win over the Bulls on Saturday. The Wildcats scored twice in the opening two periods including 1st period goals from Erich Jaeger and Evan Okeley and 2nd period goals from Cam Knight and another from Jaeger. Kyle Hartman scored the lone Bulls goal through two periods. After a Tommy Apap goal early in the 3rd period made it 5-1 for Wichita Falls, goals from Brady Crabtree and Riley Christensen made it 5-3, but that is as close as the Bulls would get as Austin Shaw shut the door the rest of the way, making 37 saves. Boxscore
Rio Grande Valley 0 @ Corpus Christi 1 (SO) – In front of over 4,400 fans, the IceRays salvaged a weekend home split with the Killer Bees thanks to a 1-0 win in a shootout on Saturday. Andrew Lindgren stopped all 26 shots that came his way for his second shutout of the season. Rio Grande Valley goalie Ben Johansson was just as good, stopping 28 shots and not allowing a goal through regulation and overtime. Ryan Cusin scored the shootout winner for the IceRays. Boxscore
MN Magicians 3 @ Coulee Region 2 – The Magicians got 40 saves from goalie Vaughan Ahrens as they picked up a much-needed 3-2 win in regulation on the road over Coulee Region. The Chill scored first with a goal late in the 1st period from Sean Lang. It was all Magicians in the middle portion of the game as goals from Connor Bucsis and Kris McKinzie in the 2nd period and a 3rd period goal from Sam Becker, gave the Magicians a 3-2 lead. With an extra attacker on the ice, the Chill drew within one goal on a strike from Eddie Matsushima, but that is as close the Chill would get. Adam Carlson made 30 saves in the loss. Boxscore
