Friday Finals: Warriors become the first to punch playoff ticket
Luke Levandowski and the Wisconsin Windigo are atop the Midwest Division thanks to a 10-0-1 run in their last 11 games.
Corpus Christi 2 @ Oklahoma 4 - The Oklahoma Warriors became the first team to clinch their spot in the Robertson Cup playoffs as they defeated the Corpus Christi IceRays 4-2. Malte Hasselgren led the way offensively with a goal and two helpers. Drew Sutton chipped in a goal and an assist for the Warriors while Cole Teleki and Rylan Brady also lit the lamp for the Warriors. Anthony Cafarelli and Simon Becar were the goal scorers for the IceRays. Dylan Johnson needed just 14 stops to get the win in goal. Lukas Malant was saddled with the loss as he made 40 saves.
Wisconsin 3 @ Janesville 2: Despite a late surge of offense from the Jets, Wisconsin held on and overcame Janesville 3-2 on the road. All Windigo goals came in the 1st period, Drew Fisher breaking the deadlock just 16 seconds into the contest. Patrick Isiguzo followed him up at the 14:03 mark and Luke Levandowski extended the lead to three at the 9:02 mark. That 3-0 scoreline would hold true until Connor Deturris got Janesville on the board 8:50 into the 3rd period. Merril Steenari cut the deficit to one goal with 1:44 remaining in regulation but Gavin Moffatt and the Windigo were able to close out the win. Moffatt kept out 23 of 25 while Peter Sterling made 25 stops for the Jets.
Danbury 2 @ Northeast 5: The Generals put up four goals in the final frame en route to a 5-2 victory over Danbury. Nick Ramm broke open the scoring with his 9th of the season late in the 2nd period. The Jr. Hat Tricks powered back and scored twice to take the lead early in the 3rd period, goals coming from Andrew Eberling and Logan Nickerson. Northeast however found a second wind as Ryan Schelling, Jake LaRusso, Nick Recupero, and Joseph Schubert all tickled twine in the remaining minutes of regulation. Cullen DeYoung picked up the win making 24 saves on 26 shots. Thomas Kiesewetter kept out 24 of 28 in the loss.
Maryland 2 @ New Jersey 3: In a battle between the first and second ranked teams in the East Division, the Titans edged past Maryland 3-2 thanks to a strong 2nd period. Brayden Stannard gave the visitors a lead through 20 minutes of play thanks to a powerplay goal 18:22 in, goal coming on the powerplay. Ben Muthersbaugh proceeded to pot a pair of goals for the Titans in the 2nd period, both also coming on the powerplay. Joe Harney lit the lamp minutes after Muthersbaugh’s second tuck to extend the lead. Maryland was able to draw within a goal with 12 seconds remaining in the 3rd period but it was too late to mount a comeback. Zakari Brice picked up the win making 32 saves on 34 shots. Jack Wieneke kept out 27 of 30 for the Black Bears.
Bismarck 1 @ St. Cloud 5: St. Cloud dominated the Bobcats on home ice, taking them down 5-1 to help solidify their standing in a playoff position. Wyatt Wurst and Anthony Ruklic both found the back of the net for the Norsemen in the 1st. Elmeri Hallfors provided another goal in the middle frame, his 4th of the season. Jack Wandmacher and Broten Sabo provided more insurance in the final period. Bismarck’s lone score came late in the 1st period, scored by Vertti Jantunen. Ethan Dahlmeir kept out all but one of 25 shots faced to earn the win and 2nd star of the game. Hunter Garvey made 34 stops in the loss.
Maine 2 @ Philadelphia 1: A pair of goals in short succession in the opening frame led the Nordiques past Philadelphia in a low-scoring affair. Oliver Genest opened the scoring 10:01 into the 1st period with his 17th of the season. Kim Hilmersson doubled the lead just 39 seconds later, coming from Jackson Foddrill and David Helledy. Philadelphia eventually found their first goal of the game with 1:33 remaining in regulation, goal scored by Max Hamstad. Thomas Heaney was sensational for Maine and kept out 29 of 30 in the win. Jakub Krbecek kept out 17 shots in the loss.
Chippewa 3 @ Springfield 2 (SO): Kazumo Sasaki and Kade Nielsen both found the back of the net in their shootout attempts to propel the Steel past Springfield 3-2. Tyler Borgula and Adyn Merrick put the Jr. Blues ahead by a pair of goals with scores in the opening frame. Peyton Platter helped cut the lead in half with his 15th goal of the season 16:27 into the 2nd period. With 1:12 remaining in the 3rd, Kade Nielsen lit the lamp to send the game into overtime. Adam Gajan was outstanding for the Steel, stopping 46 shots in regulation and all shootout attempts in the win. Aksel Reid kept out 30 shots in the loss.
Amarillo 2 @ Shreveport 3: The Mudbugs improved their point streak to four games after narrowly defeating Amarillo 3-2. Logan Heroux scored first for Shreveport, assisted by Garrett Steele on the powerplay. Ronan Walsh evened the scoreline 2:30 into the 2nd period. Steele (18:53) and Hayden Nichol (3:01) both found the back of the net in the final frame to please the home fans. Connor McNaughton would score the Wranglers final goal with just a second remaining on the clock. Simon Bucheler kept out 18 of 20 in the win while Carter Clafton made 28 saves in the loss.
Austin 2 @ Aberdeen 1 - The Austin Bruins inched closer to clinching a playoff spot as they doubled up the Aberdeen Wings by a score of 2-1. Josh Giuliani scored just 1:44 into the contest to get the Bruins in the lead. Gavin Morrissey would provide some insurance with a shorthanded goal, it was his 16th of the season. Kyle Contessa brought the Wings within one but that’s as close as they would get as Trent Wiemken finished the night with 21 saves for the Bruins. Cole Moore took the loss for Aberdeen, he made 33 saves.
North Iowa 3 @ Minot 1 - Mitch Day was sensational as he stopped 46 of 47 shots he faced as the North Iowa Bulls knocked off the Minot Minotauros 3-1. Adam Mahler scored the first goal of the game for Minot but Max Scott and Logan Dombrowsky both scored special teams goals to give the Bulls a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play. Justin Mexico added another goal for the Bulls in the second period and that was enough for North Iowa to grab the win. Noah Rupprecht was stuck with the loss as he made 21 saves.
Odessa 2 @ El Paso 5 - Mason Kelly found the back of the net twice and added an assist as the El Paso Rhinos defeated the Odessa Jackalopes 5-2. Frank Tefelski had three helpers for the Rhinos. Paavo Hiltunen, Ryan Gingher and Reid Lune all netted goals for El Paso. Noah Marino and Trevor Taulien got on the scoresheet for Odessa. Nolan Suggs picked up the win in between the pipes as he made 38 saves. Gergely Orosz was on the losing end as he made 24 saves.
Minnesota 4 @ Anchorage 2 - Sawyer Scholl notched two goals and picked up an assist as the Minnesota Wilderness won their fourth straight contest. Kevin Marx Noren and Gunnar Thoreson both had tallies for the Wilderness. Aiden Westin had a goal and an assist for Anchorage while Layten Liffrig had the other goal for the Wolverines. Niklas Erickson was the winner in the blue paint as he turned aside 23 shots. Shane Soderwall was given the loss as he stopped 26 shots.
Kenai River 3 @ Fairbanks 0 - Nils Wallstrom was a brick wall, stopping all 25 shots he faced as the Kenai River Brown Bears blanked the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 3-0. Hayden Walters scored the game’s first goal for his 11th of the season. Ryan Finch struck on the power play in the second period to extend the Brown Bears lead. Noah Holt adde an empty net tally in the final minutes to secure the win for Kenai River. Kayden Hargraves took the loss in goal as he made 30 saves for the Ice Dogs.
