Fairbanks and New Jersey finish Showcase undefeated
The New Jersey Titans made quite the first impression with a perfect 4-0 NAHL Showcase record.
With wins on Saturday, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs and New Jersey Titans both finished the 2015 NAHL Showcase with perfect 4-0 records. Here is a look at the game summaries from the final day of competition. A complete Showcase wrap-up will come later in the week.
Fairbanks 3 vs. Brookings 1 – The Fairbanks Ice Dogs stayed undefeated on the season and also posted a perfect 4-0 Showcase record with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over the Brookings Blizzard on Saturday. Brookings finished the event with a 2-2 record. After a scoreless 1st period, it was the Blizzard who struck first in the 2nd period as Kane Durment lit the lamp for his 3rd goal of the season. It didn’t take Fairbanks long in the 3rd period to claim the lead as Cayden Cahill scored twice in the opening 1:32 to put Fairbanks ahead 2-1. Ryner Gorowsky added another goal in the 3rd period to secure the win. Gavin Nieto made 14 saves in the win, while Josh Kuehmichel made 33 saves in the loss. Boxscore
New Jersey 4 vs. Wichita Falls 3 (SO) – In a battle of teams that were undefeated at the Showcase, New Jersey outlasted the Wildcats in a shootout to finish with four wins at the event, while Wichita Falls finished a very respectable 3-0-1. The Wildcats started the scoring in the 1st period with a highlight reel goal from Adam Goodsir. The Titans tied the game early in the 2nd period on a power play goal from Bruno Birzitis on a shot from the slot. The Wildcats regained the one-goal lead before the period was out on a goal from Jake Dalton. New Jersey then took their first lead of the game with back-to-back goals in the 3rd period from Raymond Brice and Jesse Farabee. Nikita Litviak answered for the Wildcats to tie things at 3-3. After a scoreless overtime, Keegan Miller had the lone shootout goal to secure the win for New Jersey. Boxscore
Aston 3 vs. Amarillo 2 (OT) – The Rebels picked up their first win at the Showcase as they defeated in the Bulls in overtime, 3-2. Aston finished 3-1 at the Showcase, while Amarillo finished 0-3-1. Guy Roby opened the scoring for the Rebels with a 2nd period goal. The lead increased to 2-0 on an early 3rd period goal from Frank Spellman, but Amarillo fought back with two late 3rd period goals from Michael Forman and Johan Lundgren. In the overtime, Tobias Kircher scored to give the Rebels the win. Trevor Micucci picked up the win in goal with 23 saves, while Anton Martinsson picked up the loss with 29 saves. Boxscore
Topeka 5 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0 – It was all RoadRunners thanks to forward Cam Strong and goalie Tyler Johnson as they blanked the Knights, 5-0. Topeka finished 2-2 at the Showcase, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finished 0-3-1. Topeka jumped on the Knights right away in the 1st period and took a 3-0 lead with two goals from Strong and another from John O’Connor. Strong then completed the hat-trick in the 2nd period with a power play goal. Quinn Preston added Topeka’s fifth goal in the 3rd period. Johnson stopped all 16 shots that came his way for his first career shutout, while Anthony Yamnitsky was saddled with the loss making 11 saves. Boxscore
Lone Star 5 vs. Johnstown 3 – The Brahmas handed the Tomahawks their first loss of the Showcase with a 5-3 win on Saturday. Lone Star finished the event at 3-0-1, while Johnstown was 3-1-0. The Brahmas were fueled by three, 1st period goals from Oskar Andren, Peter Bates and Tomas Brejcha. Johnstown closed the gap with two goals from Dante Suffredini and Alex Alger at the end of two periods. The Brahmas went up by three with a pair of goals from Dalton Skelly and Hogan Davidson. Filips Buncis had a late goal for the Tomahawks. Conor O’Brien had to make just 15 saves in the win, while Jake Gwillim made 27 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Minot 5 vs. Corpus Christi 1 – It was all Minotauros as they finished the Showcase with a 3-1 record thanks to a 5-1 win over the IceRays. Corpus Christi finished the event at 1-3. Minot took a 2-0 lead midway through the 1st period on goals from Troy Degler and Zack Bross. After a scoreless 2nd period, Minot scored three more times in the 3rd period, including two goals from Johnny Walker and another from Chase Springman. Adam Canepa ended Jon Flakne’s shutout bid with just seconds left in the game with the IceRays only goal. Flakne finished with 22 saves, while Dryden McKay made 25 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Odessa 5 vs. Springfield 1 – The Jackalopes finished with a 3-1 record at the Showcase thanks to a 5-1 win over the Jr. Blues, who finished at 2-2 at the event. The Jacks were fueled by three, 1st period goals, which came from Ryan MacKellar, Eric Carreras and Zach Zech. Hampus Sjodahl scored in the 2nd period to increase the lead to 4-0 and Zech added his second of the game midway through the 3rd period to make it 5-0. Joe Immormino had the lone goal for the Jr. Blues, which came late in the game. Gunner Rivers made 22 saves in the win, while Niko Della Maggorie took the loss making 29 saves. Boxscore
Coulee Region 4 vs. Bismarck 2 – The Chill finished the Showcase at 2-2 thanks to a 4-2 win on the final day over the Bobcats. With the loss, Bismarck finished 0-4 at the Showcase. Bismarck was first to get on the board with a goal from Luke Picek. The Chill answered with three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead early in the 2nd period, which included two goals from Isaac Theisen and another from Phil Erickson. Bismarck closed to within 3-2 with a 2nd period goal from Alex Strand, but a late 3rd period goal from the Chill’s Michael Wilson secured the win. Boxscore
Aberdeen 2 vs. MN Wilderness 1 (OT) – In a goaltenders duel, Wings netminder Peter Thome made 30 saves as Aberdeen edged the Wilderness 2-1 in overtime. The Wings finished the event at 3-1, while the Wilderness went 2-1-1. Chase Munroe also played well in goal for Minnesota, making 14 saves. The two teams went scoreless through the first two periods. The Wings took a 1-0 lead early in the 3rd period with a goal from Tucker DeYoung. The Wilderness responded with just over three minutes remaining in regulation with a goal from Kody Bender. In the 3 on 3 overtime, Ryan Cook converted on a 1 on 1 putting home his own rebound high over Munroe for the game-winner. Boxscore
Janesville 2 vs. MN Magicians 0 – Although he wasn’t tested too often, it didn’t matter as Jets goalie Blake Weyrick stopped all 8 shots that came his way for his first shutout of the season as Janesville finished the Showcase with a 2-2 record thanks to a 2-0 win over the Magicians. The Magicians finished the event with a 1-3 record. The Jets got all the scoring they would need in the 1st period with the eventual game-winning goal from Kevin Dineen. Vaclav Krudenc added a 2nd period goal for insurance for the Jets. Magicians goalie Will Ulrich played well in the loss making 32 saves. Boxscore
Austin 8 vs. Kenai River 4 – The Bruins erased three different two-goal Brown Bears leads and scored the final six goals of the game to win 8-4. Austin finished the Showcase with a 3-1 record, while Kenai River went 0-4. The Brown Bears had leads of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 thanks to two goals from Sam Carlson and others from Ezekiel Estrada and Cameron Cook. The Bruins responded with two goals apiece from Zach Kennedy and Jade Miller. Dawson DiPietro had a goal and two assists and Justin Misiak, Luke Forfar and Austin Rueschhoff also had goals for the Bruins. Bruins goalie Austin Smith made 19 saves in the win, while Brown Bears goalie Brian Baker made 27 saves in the loss. Boxscore
