Saturday Scores: Jets make history and division titles won
Janesville 3 @ Springfield 1 – The Jets set new NAHL single-season records for wins (49) and points (100) as they completed a weekend road sweep of Springfield by a 3-1 score. No NAHL team in regular season history has ever had 49 wins or 100 points, but the Jets now own both records. Brandon Schultz scored twice for Janesville, which included 1st and 3rd period goals. Mitch Fossier had the game-winner. Kevin Klima scored the lone goal for the Jr. Blues, who saw their season some to an end. Matt Jurusik made 19 saves for his 33rd win of the season. Boxscore
Wichita Falls 1 @ Lone Star 2 – TJ Black made 19 saves as the Lone Star Brahmas won the NAHL South Division Regular Season title in front of over 2,400 fans in North Richland Hills thanks to a 2-1 win over Wichita Falls, completing a weekend home sweep of the Wildcats. Lone Star will be the #1 seed in the South playoffs and have an opening round bye. Evan Okeley scored first for Wichita Falls, but Lone Star got 2nd period goals from AJ Vanderbeck and the game-winner from Hogan Davidson. Boxscore
Keystone 5 @ Johnstown 2 – The Ice Miners captured 2nd place in the North Division thanks to their win and weekend sweep of the Tomahawks, combined with a Soo shootout loss. The loss by the Tomahawks and win by the Michigan Warriors ended the Tomahawks season, as they missed out of the playoffs by a single point. Taylor Fernandez had a hat-trick for the Ice Miners and Tommy Horn and Joey Sofo also scored for Keystone. Johnstown goals came from Casey Linkenheld and Jake Houston. Nick Kossoff made 24 saves in the win. Boxscore
Michigan 2 @ Soo 1 (SO) – The never-say-die Warriors pulled out an improbable sweep of the Eagles and put themselves into the NAHL playoffs on the final day needing a win and a Johnstown loss, which they got. The Warriors earned the #4 seed in the North, while the Eagles are the #3 seed. Chase Munroe was again the hero for Michigan, making 31 saves and stopping all five Soo shooters in the shootout. Garrison Sanipass had the lone goal in regulation for Michigan and Cam Jorgensen had the lone shootout goal. Denver Pierce scored the lone goal for the Eagles. Boxscore
Topeka 3 @ Wenatchee 4 – The Wild locked up the #5 seed in the South with a 4-3 win over the visiting RoadRunners on Saturday. The Wild and RoadRunners will play one more game on Sunday. If Topeka wins, they are the #2 seed in the South. A loss of any kind by the RoadRunners gives Wichita Falls the #2 seed. The Wild jumped ahead in the game 3-0 on goals from Andre Pison, August Von Ungern-Sternberg and Chris Jones. Topeka answered with a goal from Cam Stong to make it 3-1, but Wenatchee regained their three-goal lead with a marker from Mike Coyne. Topeka made things interesting in the final period with goals from Dominic Lutz and Sam Rennaker, but 32 saves from Zach Quinn would secure the win. Boxscore
Kenai River 4 @ Fairbanks 5 – Fairbanks captured the Midwest Division regular season title thanks to two goals from Jacob Hetz in a 5-4 win over the visiting Brown Bears, which also completed a weekend sweep. The two teams were deadlocked at 3-3 after two periods and both took advantage of power plays. Hetz along with Tyler Tomberlin and Jakob Stridsberg scored for the Ice Dogs, while Jack Gessert, Tyler Andrews and Gustav Berglund scored for Kenai River. In the 3rd period, the Ice Dogs capitalized on two power plays as Hetz buried a shot from the low slot for a 4-3 lead and minutes later Chandler Madry’s shot found its way through a screen for a 5-3 lead. Colton Fletcher added a late goal for the Brown Bears, but it would not be enough. Boxscore
Austin 7 @ Brookings 0 – Jake Kielly made 19 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season as the Bruins capped their regular season with a 7-0 win in Brookings. The Bruins outscored the Blizzard 13-1 on the weekend. Seven different players scored for Austin including Ian Scheid, Tony Uglem and Jade Miller in the 1st period, Zach Kennedy and Alex Pettersson in the 2nd period and Luke Forfar and Liam Fenney in the 3rd period. Eric Hancock made 37 saves for the Blizzard, who saw their season come to an end. Boxscore
Amarillo 2 @ Corpus Christi 4 – In front of almost 5,000 fans, the IceRays salvaged a weekend split with the Bulls thanks to two goals and an assist from Tanner Lomsnes in a 4-2 win. The IceRays jumped ahead 3-0 in the 1st period with two goals from Lomsnes and another from Nick LaBurn. Will Harrison and Luke Novak scored for Amarillo in the 3rd period, but a goal from Connor Kelly added some insurance for the IceRays, who will be the #4 seed in the South playoffs, while the Bulls season came to an end. Luke Pickar made 22 saves in the win. Boxscore
MN Wilderness 8 @ Coulee Region 1 – Darian Romanko had a hat-trick and Michael Covach had a five-point night as the Wilderness took the second game of a three-game weekend set with an 8-1 win in Coulee Region. It was all Wilderness from the start as Romanko scored twice and Covach and Aaron Miller also scored to open up a 4-0 lead. After Adam Lovick scored the lone goal for the Chill to make it 4-1, the Wilderness rattled off four straight goals including Romanko’s third and others from Ivan Chukarov, Tyler Cline and Dan Litchke. Ryan Anderson made 18 saves in the win. Despite the win, the Wilderness will be the #2 seed as a Fairbanks win on Saturday secured the Midwest Division title for the Ice Dogs. The Wilderness and the Chill will not only play one another on Sunday, but in the opening round of the playoffs as well. Boxscore
Minot 4 @ Bismarck 3 – Colton Kramer had a hat-trick to lead Minot to a 4-3 win in Bismarck on Saturday, earning a weekend split of the series. The teams were even at 2-2 after two periods as Kramer and Quinn Fuchs scored for Minot and Nick Wallace and Tony German scored for the Bobcats. In the 3rd period, Kramer scored back-to-back power play goals a minute apart, which turned out to be the difference. Logan Rivard had the other tally for Bismarck. Tanner Holmes made 38 saves in the win, while Hunter Shepard took the loss, making 33 saves. The two teams face one another next weekend in the Central Division Semi-Finals. Boxscore
Aberdeen 4 @ MN Magicians 1 – Luke Kania made 37 saves as the Wings salvaged a weekend split with the Magicians thanks to a 4-1 win on Saturday. After a scoreless 1st period, Aberdeen jumped ahead 1-0 on a goal from Tucker DeYoung. The Magicians tied the game shortly after on a power play goal from Kane Durment, but it would be all Minnesota could manage against Kania. The Wings struck three more times including goals from Colin Raver, Josh Passolt and Bjorn Sigurdarson to win. Each team will start on the road in their respective playoff series next weekend. Boxscore
Odessa 2 @ Rio Grande Valley 4 – Parker Wood scored twice as the Killer Bees outshot the Jackalopes 35-12 in a 4-2 win in front of over 3,100 fans in Rio Grande Valley. After a scoreless 1st period, the Killer Bees opening the game up with two goals in the 2nd period from Elliot Lorraine and Wood. Cam Bleck scored an early 3rd period goal to make it 3-0 for Rio Grande Valley. Odessa cut the lead to 3-2 with goals from Corey Hoffman and Razmuz Waxin-Engback, but an empty-net goal from Wood would secure the win. Despite the win, Rio Grande Valley will be the #6 seed in the South and travel to either Wichita Falls or Topeka for the play-in series next weekend. Boxscore
