Friday Finals: Tomahawks flex 1st place muscles in win
Kenai River forward Lucas Wahlin had a hat-trick, including the overtime-winner, in a 4-3 win on Friday night.
New Jersey 1 @ Johnstown 8 - Will Margel and Reed Stark each found the back of the net twice and added an assist as the Johnstown Tomahawks dominated the New Jersey Titans 8-1. John Gelatt chipped in a goal and two helpers while Daniel Tkac had a goal and an assist as well. Holt Oliphant and Brendan Clark also got on the scoresheet for Johnstown. Josh Graziano stopped 19 of 20 shots on his way to picking up his sixth win. Zach Nazzarett recorded the lone goal for the Titans while Christian Stoever and Louden Hogg combined for 35 saves.
MN Magicians 3 @ Kenai River 4 (OT) - Lucas Wahlin had a night to remember as his goal in overtime capped the win for the Brown Bears and completed his first NAHL hat trick. In addition to the game winner, Wahlin also picked up the assist on the Brown Bears other goal scored by Cam Blanton. Simon Falk scored twice for the Magicians while Luc Laylin also got on to the scoresheet for Minnesota. Luke Pavicich earned the win for the Brown Bears as he made 22 saves. Darius Bell took the loss in the blue paint as he made 17 saves.
Maryland 4 @ Northeast 3 (OT) - Josh Nixon found the back of the net on a penalty shot in overtime as the Maryland Black Bears outlasted the Northeast Generals 4-3. Jude Kurt’s and Cam Gaudette got the Black Bears out in front 2-0. The Generals would get three straight goals from Matthew Boczar, Brent Keefer and David Andreychuk to take their first lead of the contest. Dylan Finlay’s first goal of the season tied the game about midway through the final period and forced overtime. Michael Morelli earned the win in goal as he made 26 saves. Anton Castro made 34 saves in a losing effort.
Maine 3 @ Danbury 2 - Cannon Green lit the lamp with just 1:19 to play as the Maine Nordiques defeated the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks 3-2. Aidan Connolly and Caden Pattison scored 15 seconds apart in the opening minutes to get Maine out to a 2-0 lead. Nolan Barrett struck on the power play just before the end of the period to make it a 2-1 game after 20 minutes. Jason Kleinhans added a power play goal of his own to tie the game at two before Green’s game winner. Avery Sturtz improved to 10-6 on the season as he made 22 saves. Andrew Pichora put up a valiant effort, making 36 saves in the loss.
Odessa 1 @ Amarillo 2 - The Amarillo Bulls doubled up the Odessa Jackalopes 2-1 on Friday night. Sean Vlasich opened the scoring with just under five minutes left in the opening period, it was his third goal of the year. Jimmy Rayhill found the back of the net for Odessa to tie the game at one. Ty Black would net the eventual game winner as his ninth of the season beat Cooper Black. Andrew Takacs was given the win in goal as he made 24 saves for Amarillo while Black was dealt the loss despite making 36 saves.
Shreveport 4 @ Wichita Falls 2 - Connor Gatto netted a hat trick as the Shreveport Mudbugs beat the Wichita Falls Warriors 4-2. Matt Weber also found the back of the net for the Mudbugs while Joe Mack added two assists. Cade Lemmer and Drake Usher each lit the lamp for the Warriors in the loss. Arseni Sergeyev was busy as he made 40 saves in between the pipes for Shreveport. Owen Bartoszkiewicz stopped 17 shots in the loss.
Minot 4 @ Austin 3 (OT) - Tyler Kostelecky fired in a quick shot from the face-off circle as the Minot Minotauros defeated the Austin Bruins 4-3. Brett Roloson scored just 36 seconds into the game while Cade Stibbe scored his ninth goal of the season in the second period. Damon Zimmer netted a power play goal with just 1:10 remaining to tie the game and force overtime. Kyle Oleksiuk, ben Dexheimer and Barrett Brooks scored in the loss for the Bruins. Carter Clafton got the win in goal as he made 32 saves. Tyler Shea grabbed the overtime loss, he made 22 saves.
Aberdeen 3 @ MN Wilderness 2 (SO) - Spencer Schneider scored the only goal in the shootout as the Aberdeen Wings survived a 3-2 decision with the Minnesota Wilderness. Payton Matsui scored just 92 seconds into the action as he netted his 20th of the year. Grant Docter would tie the game in the second period with his ninth of the season. Matsui would grab another goal just over five minutes into the final frame but Ethan Wolthers scored with just 1:31 left in regulation to tie the game. After a scoreless overtime, Jake Sibell stopped all three shooters he faced en route to picking up his 30th win of the year. He made 28 saves in the first 65 minutes of action. Jacob Zacharewicz played well in defeat as he made 32 stops.
New Mexico 4 @ Lone Star 5 (OT) - Zach Purcell was the overtime hero for the Lone Star Brahmas as they defeated the New Mexico Ice Wolves 5-4. Lone Star jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes as Matt MacDonald, Purcell and Nicholas Niemo lit the lamp. Cole Hanson and Brandon Holt would score in the second period to bring the Ice Wolves within one heading to the third. Hanson’s second goal of the night would tie the game at three but MacDonald’s second goal for Lone Star would put the Brahmas back in front. Then with the goalie pulled, Jack Bayless silenced the Lone Star crowd with just 31 seconds remaining as he tied the game with his sixth goal of the season. A too many men penalty on New Mexico would set the stage for Purcell’s game winner in overtime. Graham Burke made 18 saves for Lone Star in the win while Beni Halasz took the tough loss, making 27 saves.
Chippewa 1 @ Fairbanks 4 - Bret Link’s two goals led the Fairbanks Ice Dogs over the Chippewa Steel by a score of 4-1. Tyler Stewart and Nathan Butler also got on the scoresheet for Fairbanks as they netted their fifth and second goals respectively, Billy Renfrew finished the night with two assists. Jordan Cormier scored his first goal of the season with help from Ethan Benz and Ryan Kerchoff. Kayden Hargraves was nearly lights out as he stopped 24 of the 25 Chippewa shots. Berk Berkeliev took the loss in goal as he made 26 saves.
