Friday Finals: Ice Wolves snap Warriors streaks
Bismarck forward Calvin Hanson had a hat-trick and an assist in a 6-2 win on Friday.
New Mexico 5 @ Oklahoma 3 – The Ice Wolves got two goals and an assist from Sully Scholle as they snapped the 15-game winning streak of the Warriors while also handing them their first loss at home this season thanks to a 5-3 win. The Ice Wolves jumped ahead 2-0 on goals from Yusaku Ando and Alfred Lindberg. Oklahoma tied the game in the 2nd period with a pair of goals from Drew Sutton. Scholle scored on the power play to give New Mexico their lead back. Early in the 3rd period, Rylan Brady scored to tie the game at 3-3, but goals later in the period from Scholle and JD Metz secured the win. Carsen Stokes made 29 saves in the win, while Daniel Duris made 22 saves in the loss.
Minot 2 @ Bismarck 6 – Calvin Hanson had a hat-trick and an assist as the Bobcats moved into a tie for the 4th and final playoff spot in the Central thanks to a 6-2 win. Bismarck jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Hanson, Nico Chmelevski, and Adam Pietila. Minot got goals from Hunter Longhi and Colby Joseph to cut into the lead, but the Bobcats pulled away with two more goals from Hanson and one from Michael Neumeier. Hunter Garvey made 22 saves in the win.
Maine 2 @ Danbury 0 – Thomas Heaney stopped all 26 shots that came his way for his first shutout of the season as the Nordiques blanked the Jr. Hat Tricks, 2-0. Maine scored the game’s first goal late in the 1st period as Aidan Coupe netted his 10th of the season. Henrik Hallberg would add a power play goal in the 2nd period to make it 2-0. Danbury goalie Karlis Mezsargs played well in the loss, making 28 saves.
Johnstown 0 @ New Jersey 4 – Titans goalie Zakari Brice stopped all 35 shots that came his way for his first shutout of the season as New Jersey blanked Johnstown, 4-0. After a scoreless 1st period, the Titans jumped ahead 1-0 with a 2nd period goal from Brendan Dumas. In the 3rd period, New Jersey put the game out of reach with three more goals, including one from Owen Luik, another from Ryan Novo, and the second of the contest from Dumas. Alec Rajalin-Scharp made 38 saves in the loss.
Philadelphia 1 @ Maryland 0 – It was the third shutout of the night in the East as Rebels goalie Jakub Krbecek stole the show, making 47 saves in a 1-0 shutout of the 1st place Black Bears. The shutout was Krbecek’s first of the season. The lone goal of the game came in the 3rd period as David Deputy scored his 16th goal of the season. Maryland goalie William Hakansson stopped 12 of 13 shots in the loss.
Austin 3 @ St. Cloud 2 – Austin forward Gavin Morrissey scored with 0.1 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Bruins a 3-2 road win in St. Cloud. Morrissey opened the scoring the 2nd period for the Bruins. The lead swelled to 2-0 in the 3rd period as Damon Furuseth added a power play goal for the Bruins. The Norsemen stormed back with two goals from Kade Peterson late in the 3rd period to tie the game at 2-2, which then set up Morrissey’s heroics. Trent Wiemken made 24 saves in the win, while Ethan Dahlmeir made 24 saves in the loss.
Chippewa 2 @ Wisconsin 4 – The Windigo erased a 2-0 deficit and widened their lead atop the Midwest Division thanks to a 4-2 win over the Steel. Chippewa led 2-0 in the 2nd period with goals from Logan Cleary and Sam Rice. The Windigo then scored four straight goals as Zachary Burfoot, Axel Begley, Will Schumacher, and Drew Fisher all lit the lamp to complete the comeback. Maxwell Beckford made 21 saves in the win, while Carter Wishart made 23 saves in the loss.
Lone Star 1 @ Shreveport 2 (OT) – Simon Bucheler made 26 saves to lead the Mudbugs to a 2-1 overtime win over the visiting Brahmas. Eric Vitale opened the scoring for the Mudbugs midway through the 1st period with his 12th goal of the season. Late in the 3rd period, the Brahmas tied the game thanks to a power play goal from Ray Murakami. In the overtime, the Mudbugs game-winner came off a 2-on-1 goal from Ryan Burke. Brahmas goalie William Gramme made 20 saves in the loss.
Springfield 5 @ Minnesota 3 – Jr. Blues forward Alex Fendler scored two goals to lead his team to a 5-3 road win in Cloquet. The Wilderness went up 2-0 in the 2nd period as Oliver Stumpel and Max Wattvil scored. The Jr. Blues then scored five of the six remaining goals, which included two from Fendler in the 3rd period and others from Adyn Merrick, Hagen Moe, and Nikita Nikora. Adam Johnson had the other goal in the Wilderness loss. Aksel Reid made 17 saves in the win, while Niklas Erickson made 22 saves in the loss.
Corpus Christi 4 @ Amarillo 5 (OT) – Five different players scored for the Wranglers in a 5-4 overtime win over the visiting IceRays. Amarillo led 3-0 thanks to goals from Jack McDonald, Ben Ivey, and Chase Davis. The IceRays stormed back with four straight goals from Connor Brust, Nate Murray, Nils Forselius, and Bryce Cooper. The Wranglers tied the game with a late 3rd period goal from Jonathon Barker and then Pierce Patterson scored the overtime-winner. Luca Ganz made 25 saves in the win, while Patrik Jurcak made 35 saves in the loss.
Odessa 5 @ El Paso 4 (SO) – The Jackalopes kept their playoff hopes alive thanks to a 5-4 shootout win in El Paso. Cameron Dunn, Emerson Goode, Noah Marino, and William Marshall scored in regulation for the Jacks, while Camden Bajzer and Tyler Green each scored twice in regulation for the Rhinos. In the shootout, John Perdion had the lone goal of the six shooters to secure the extra point. Gergely Orosz made 35 saves in the win, while Nolan Suggs made 36 saves in the loss.
Anchorage 3 @ Fairbanks 4 (OT) – The Ice Dogs moved into sole possession of 2nd place in the Midwest thanks to a 4-3 overtime win over the Wolverines. Anchorage never trailed in the contest until the overtime-winner as they got two goals from Revelin Mack and one from Aiden Westin. The Ice Dogs would answer each time after a Wolverines goal with goals coming from Justin Biraben, Kole Altergott, and Julian Recine in regulation and the game-winner from Brady Welsch in overtime. Kayden Hargraves made 31 saves in the win, while Shane Soderwall made 29 saves in the loss.
Janesville 3 @ Kenai River 6 – Hunter Newhouse scored two goals and Jack Anderson had three assists as the Brown Bears moved into the 4th and final playoff spot in the Midwest thanks to a 6-3 win. Kenai River jumped out to a 5-1 lead through two periods with two goals from Newhouse and others from Noah Holt, Ryan Finch, and Kotaro Tsutsumi. The Jets tried to comeback with goals from Mack Keryluk, Josh Orrico, and Matthew Hale, but a late goal from Casper Conradsson Kelvgaard secured the win. Nils Wallstrom made 29 saves in the win.
