Friday Finals: Brahmas reclaim lead in the South
Maine Nordiques forward Stefan Owens had a goal and an assist to keep his team in 1st place in the East with a 6-3 win on Friday.
Lone Star 3 @ Shreveport 0 - The Lone Star Brahmas are back on top of the South Division as they shutout their rival Shreveport 3-0. Guy Blessing was a perfect 35 for 35 as he grabbed his first win and shutout of the season. Andrew DeCarlo provided more than enough offense as he tallied his 12th and 13th goals of the season. Caige Sterzer picked up his first goal in the North American Hockey League in the victory. Cole Hudson stopped 24 shots in the loss for Shreveport.
Maine 6 @ New Jersey 3 - The Maine Nordiques doubled up the New Jersey Titans as they took home a 6-3 victory on Friday night. Stefan Owens and Casper Soderling each led the offense with a goal and an assist. Aidan Connolly, Isaiah Fox, Tristan Fasig and Patrick Schmiedlin all found the back of the net for the Nordiques in the victory. Stephen Willey, Zach Nazzarett and Jake LaRusso were the goal scorers for the Titans in the loss. Tyriq Outen was the winning netminder as he made 28 saves for Maine. Louden Hogg took the loss for the Titans, he made 36 saves.
Northeast 2 @ Johnstown 6 - John Gelatt registered a goal and two assists to lead the Johnstown Tomahawks to their fourth straight win, defeating Northeast 6-2. Brendan Clark also had a goal and two helpers for the Tomahawks while Will Margel potted a pair of goals. Jay Ahearn continued his hot streak with a goal and an assist. Jared Gerger also got on the scoresheet for Johnstown. Liam McCanney netted both goals for Northeast in the loss. Peyton Grainer made 29 stops for Johnstown to earn the win while Anton Castro stopped 26 shots for the Generals.
Kenai River 6 @ Janesville 1 - Brandon Lajoie was the catalyst for the Kenai River offense as he scored twice and added an assist in the Brown Bears 6-1 win over the Janesville Jets. Daymin Dodge, Lucas Wahlin, Peter Morgan and Porter Schachle all visited the red light district in the big win while Brandon McNamara registered three assists. Cade Destefani netted the lone goal for Janesville. Luke Pavicich was tremendous in goal as he made 34 saves. Riley Sims and Owen Millward teamed up to make 29 saves for Janesville.
New Mexico 3 @ Amarillo 4 (SO) - Cooper Fensterstock netted the only goal in the shootout as the Amarillo Bulls outlasted the New Mexico Ice Wolves 4-3 to bring their winning streak to six games. Jordan Venegoni, Ryan Coughlin and Nick Martino all scored for the Bulls. Fensterstock had two helpers in addition to his game deciding goal. Dillan Bentley got the Ice Wolves on the board while Joey Larson’s first two goals of the season forced the extra period. Cal Sandquist made 22 saves over the first 65 minutes and did not allow a goal in the shootout. Josh Graziano stopped 34 of 37 Amarillo shots.
Chippewa 3 @ Austin 4 - The Austin Bruins overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Chippewa Steel 4-3 on Friday night. Ethan Benz netted the game’s first goal just four minutes into the action. Walter Zacher would even the score at one with his fifth of the year. Brockton Baker and Grisha Gotovets would give the Steel a two goal lead. Barrett Brooks would bring the Bruins within one heading into the final 20. Reggie Millette tied the game with a power play goal early in the third period and it was Alex Trombley who netted the eventual game winning with just under seven and a half minutes left to play. Tyler Shea improved to 5-4-2 on the year by making 24 stops. Gus Bylin took the loss, making 25 saves.
Wichita Falls 4 @ Odessa 0 - Owen Bartoszkiewicz picked up his second consecutive shutout, making 25 saves, as the Warriors blanked the Odessa Jackalopes 4-0. Adisen Brueck, Carter Korpi and Drew Vieten all scored in the first period to pad the Wichita Falls lead. Thomas Weis added an empty netter in the closing minutes to seal the victory for the Warriors. Drake Usher chipped in two assists for the winners. Cooper Black didn’t get much help on the offensive end and took the loss despite making 26 saves.
St. Cloud 3 @ Minot 1 - The St. Cloud Norsemen got back into the win column as they knocked off the Minot Minotauros 3-1. Ryan O’Neill scored just 41 seconds into the game to give St. Cloud the early advantage. It would remain 1-1 until Tyler Kostelecky scored his second goal of the season early in the third period. It wouldn’t take long for St. Cloud to respond as Chase Freiermuth scored just 14 seconds later as the Norsemen regained the lead. Ben Helgeson would put the game on ice with an empty net tally in the final minute. Paxton Geisel needed just 20 saves to earn his fourth win of the year. Carter Clafton made 27 saves for Minot in a losing effort.
