Friday Finals: Minotauros lock up playoff berth
Brookings 1 @ Minot 4 – The Minotauros peppered 40 shots on goal and scored three goals in the 2nd period to defeat Brookings 4-1 and clinch a playoff spot in the Central Division. Minot took a 1-0 lead on a 1st period goal from John Snodgrass. The lead swelled to 2-0 midway through the 2nd period on the eventual game-winning goal from Colton Kramer. Less than a minute later, Nate Colwell scored for the Blizzard to cut the lead to 2-1, but it would as close as they would get as goals from Nick Monfils and Troy Delger later in the period secured the win. Atte Tolvanen made 14 saves in the win, Eric Hancock made 36 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Coulee Region 3 @ MN Magicians 4 (SO) – The Magicians erased two deficits to ultimately defeated the Chill in a shootout, 4-3 on Friday night. Adam Lovick scored for the Chill just :28 seconds into the game, but the Magicians had an answer late in the period from Denis Shevyrin. A 2nd period goal from Ondrej Zehnal again put the Chill ahead, but again the Magicians would answer, this time with two, 3rd period goals from Sam Becker and Nolan Schaeffer. Before regulation would end, a goal from the Chill’s Garrett Riebling sent the game to extra time where Kane Durment helped win things in a shootout. Vaughan Ahrens made 22 saves in the win, while Adam Carlson made 31 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Wichita Falls 3 @ Topeka 4 (OT) – The RoadRunners kept pace atop the South Division with a come-from-behind, 4-3 overtime win on Friday. It was Topeka who jumped to an early 2-0 lead on two 1st period goals from Yu Hikosaka. The Wildcats would answer right back in the 2nd period with a pair of goals from Nick Farmer and Colin Staub. Early in the 3rd period, Evan Okeley scored to put the Wildcats ahead for the first time in the game, 3-2. With less than five minutes remaining, Topeka tied the game on a power play goal from Cam Strong. With just :25 seconds remaining in the overtime, Dominic Lutz netted the game-winning on his 6th goal of the season. Drew Vogler made 25 saves in the win, while Austin Shaw made 30 saves in the OT loss. The point for the OT loss clinched a playoff berth for the Wildcats. Boxscore
Aberdeen 2 @ Austin 3 – Jake Kielly made 19 saves and four different players scored as the Bruins jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 3-2 win over the Wings. The Bruins got the scoring started in the 1st period on a strike from Luke Dietsch. Midway through the 2nd period, Jacob Kullberg scored to make it 2-0 midway though the 2nd period. The Wings cut the lead to 2-1 on a goal just over two minutes later from Colin Raver, but the Bruins had an answer before the period was out on a goal from Josh Wilkins. Early in the 3rd period, a goal from Aberdeen’s Austin Heakins cut the lead to 3-2, but that would as close as the Wings could get. Andrew Shortridge made 27 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Lone Star 3 @ Odessa 2 (SO) – The Jackalopes erased two, one-goal leads, but it was the Brahmas who earned the extra point in a 3-2 shootout win. Lone Star took a 1-0 lead early in the 1st period on a goal from Pat Egan. Odessa tied things up in the 2nd period on a goal from Kenny Hausinger. Lone Star regained their one-goal advantage in the 3rd period on a strike from Peter Kessel, but again Odessa had an answer on a power play goal from Razmuz Waxin-Engback. In the shootout, the NAHL’s leading scorer, Sebastian Vidmar, had the winner. Jake Kupsky picked up the win, making 25 saves and Tanner Creel made 35 saves in the loss. Boxscore
MN Wilderness 6 @ Bismarck 3 – Wilderness forward Darian Romanko scored the last three goals of the game to break a 3-3 tie to help the Wilderness pick up a 6-3 road win in Bismarck. The teams traded goals in the 1st period with Tyler Cline opening the scoring for Minnesota and Matt Perry answering for Bismarck. The Bobcats took their first lead of the game early in the 2nd period on a goal from Joe Tyran, but the Wilderness answered back with two goals from Cline and Janis Jaks to regain their one-goal edge. Alex Strand scored to again even things up. The came Romanko’s natural hat-trick as he scored late in the 2nd period and twice more in the 3rd period. Ryan Anderson picked up the win, making 22 saves. Boxscore
Janesville 2 @ Michigan 1 – After 342 minutes without allowing a goal, Janesville goalie Matt Jurusik finally was able to be cracked, but it was the only goal he would give up as the Jets won their 15th straight game in a 2-1 win in Michigan against the Warriors. After a scoreless 1st period, Janesville went up 1-0 in the 2nd period on a goal from Adam Winborg. Early in the 3rd period, the lead would increase to 2-0 on a goal from Nils Rygaard. Someone would finally solve Jurusik as Shane Cuckovich scored to cut the lead to 2-1, but it would be as close as the Warriors would get. Jurusik made 19 saves in the win, while Ryan Wischow made 35 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Corpus Christi 3 @ Rio Grande Valley 4 – The Killer Bees scored three times in the 3rd period to erase an IceRays lead and win 4-3 on Friday night. It was the IceRays who jumped out to a lead on a 1st period goal from Wes Michaud. The Killer Bees tied the game early in the 2nd period with a goal from Elliot Lorraine, but Michaud scored again for the IceRays late in the 2nd period to get the lead back at 2-1. The Killer Bees scored three straight goals in the 3rd period to take a 4-2 lead on goals from Evan Bell, Stathis Soumelidis and Dallas Gerads. Matt Olson would add a late 3rd period goal for Corpus Christi, but it would not be enough to tie the game. Ben Johansson made 18 saves in the win, while Andrew Lindgren made 23 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Johnstown 4 @ Fairbanks 6 – In a back and forth affair, a goal with less than four minutes remaining in regulation from Hans Gorowsky gave the Ice Dogs the edge they needed in a 6-4 win over the visiting Tomahawks. Fairbanks jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Jakob Stridsberg, Ryner Gorowsky and Jesper Ohrvall. Johnstown stormed back in the 2nd and 3rd periods with four goals including two from Zac Robbins and others from Collin Montgomery and Nick Le Sage. Ethan Somoza scored in the middle of the Tomahawks flurry. After Gorowsky’s goal put the Ice Dogs ahead 5-4, Somoza scored his second of the game with an empty-netter. Boxscore
Keystone 1 @ Kenai River 0 - Nick Kossoff tied the NAHL lead with his 6th shutout of the season as the goaltender stopped all 22 shots he faced as Ice Miners picked up a 1-0 road win in Kenai River on Friday night. Kossoff’s saves included a stop of a penalty shot in the 1st period from Kenai’s Joseph Kaszupski. Midway through the 2nd period, the Ice Miners got their lone goal from Garrett Hallford with an assist to Alex Archibald. That would be all Keystone would need for the win. Evan Hauser played will in the Brown Bears loss, making 35 saves. Boxscore
Springfield 3 @ Soo 2 (SO) – It took an 8-round, 16-man shootout, but the Jr. Blues finally earned the extra point thanks to the shootout-winner from Grant Meyer in a 3-2 win. After a scoreless 1st period, the Jr. Blues struck first on a goal from Kevin Klima. Soo answered back later in the period on a goal from Trevor Cope. The Jr. Blues regained the lead on an early 3rd period goal from Kelly Klima, but again Soo had an answer with a goal from Leo Lumm. Niko Dellamaggorie made 30 saves in the win, while Chad Catt made 33 saves in the loss. Boxscore
