Strong showing from the South on Day 2 of the Showcase

It was another jam-packed Day 2 of the 20^th annual NAHL Showcase. Even bigger crowds, almost 300 scouts, and more exciting games were the story on the second day as 32 teams took the ice.

The other big story on Day 2 was the success of the South Division as they went 7-1-1 on Thursday and now have a 12-5-1 record through two days of the event. The lone South Division regulation loss was the defending Robertson Cup Champion Oklahoma Warriors, who fell to the Austin Bruins 3-2 in a title game rematch on Thrusday.

Day 3 is on Friday, September 15th as all 31 teams will take to the ice. The action begins at 11am (central). While New Mexico will break for a day, the NAHL welcomes in the NTDP 17 team from the USHL to take on the El Paso Rhinos at 8:15pm.

Click here for the 2023 NAHL Showcase Schedule

Click here for 2023 NAHL Showcase Scores

All 64 NAHL Showcase games will be broadcast live and in HD through NAHLTV.

For more information on the NAHL Showcase including schedule, ticket prices, hotels, rental cars and arena information, visit www.nahl.com/showcase

Divisional Records through Day 2

South Division: 12-5-1

Central Division: 7-5-0

East Division: 9-8-1

Midwest Division: 4-9-3

Day 2 recaps

Minot 4 vs. Maine 3 (SO) – Minot moved to 2-0 at the Showcase thanks to a 4-3 shootout win over Maine. Minot goals came from John Emmons and Chad Muller in the 1^st period and John Small in the 3^rd period. Maine got two goals from Kim Hilmersson and one for Kellen Murphy. In the shootout, Joel Lehtinen and Cayden Casey scored in the shootout to give the Minotauros the win. Erik Chaffe made 27 saves in the win, while Carter Richardson made 47 saves in the loss.

Lone Star 5 vs. Aberdeen 1 – Brahmas goalie Deivs Rolovs made 31 saves as the Brahmas moved to 1-1 at the Showcase with a 5-1 win over the Wings. Five different players scored for Lone Star including Ivan Zadvernyuk and Ray Murakami in the 1^st period and Austin Hirshouer, Anthony Cappello, and Matyas Borak in the 3^rd period. Jaxson Murray had the lone goal in the Wings loss. Adam Dybal made 15 saves in the losing effort.

Chippewa 8 vs. Danbury 3 – The Steel scored early and often as they rolled to an 8-3 win over Danbury. The game was over early as Chippewa scored six times in the 1^st period, which included two goals from Joe Kelly and others from Mason Chen, Jacob Ligi, Peyton Platter, and Noah Gronlic. In the 2^nd period, the lead swelled to 8-0 on goals from Scott Miner and Tomas Trunda. All Danbury goals came in the 3^rd period as Aiden Farro, Wyatt Stefan, and Liam Varmecky scored. Ajay White ad 24 saves in the win.

Corpus Christi 3 vs. New Hampshire 1 – IceRays goalie Vilgot Holm made 23 saves to lead his team to a 3-1 win, which was their first of the 2023-24 season for Corpus Christi. The IceRays were bolstered by two 1^st period goals from Stepan Kuznetsov and Gage Parillo. New Hampshire cut the lead down to 2-1 with a 2^nd period goal from Nick Reif, but a 3^rd period tally from Anthony Cafarellli secured the 3-1 win for the Ice Rays. New Hampshire goalie Cooper Rautenstrauch made 32 saves in the loss.

Northeast 7 vs. St. Cloud 1 – The Generals moved to 2-0 at the Showcase with a decisive 7-1 win over the Norsemen. Sixten Jennersjo had two goals and an assist in the win. The score was even at 1-1 in the 1^st period with Tyler Ramm scoring for Northeast and Louis Wehmann answering for St. Cloud. In the 2^nd period, the Generals got goals from Jennersjo, William Reardon, Nick Recupero, and Frank D’Ancona. In the 3^rd period, Jennersjo added his second and Jake Gutwirth also scored. Toby Hopp made 36 saves in the win.

El Paso 3 vs. Janesville 2 – El Paso defenseman Jakub Jerman scored two goals in the 3^rd period as the Rhinos scored the last three goals of the game to come-from-behind and beat the Jets, 3-2. Janesville led 2-0 with goals from Rhett Kodsi and Max Wagener. El Paso got a goal from Gavin Duckworth in the 2^nd period to make it 2-1, which set up Jerman’s heroics in the 3^rd period. Michael Manzi made 28 saves in the win, while Pete Sterling made 23 saves in the loss.

Shreveport 6 vs. Rochester 3 – The Mudbugs moved to 2-0 at the Showcase as Hayden Nichol scored twice in a 6-3 win. The game was tied 3-3 through two periods as Nichol, Brent Litchard, and Ryan Burke scored for Shreveport, while Gabriel Cull, Thomas Rockey, and Dexter Kichline scored for the Jr. Americans. In the 3^rd period, Shreveport pulled away with goals from Kyan Haldenby, Carter McKay, and Nichols. Carson Dorfman made 25 saves in the win.

Wisconsin 3 vs. New Jersey 0 – Windigo goalie Linards Lipskis stopped all 27 shots that came his way as Wisconsin shutout New Jersey, 3-0. Will Schumacher scored twice including goals in the 1^st and 3^rd period and Maxwell Martin also added a goal in the win. New Jersey goalie Dylan Krick made 28 saves in the loss.

Austin 3 vs. Oklahoma 2 – In a rematch of the Robertson Cup Championship Game from four months ago, it was the Bruins on the winning side this time as they edged out a 3-2 win over the Oklahoma Warriors on Day 2. The Bruins held a 2-1 lead after one period as Ocean Wallace and Matys Brassard scored, while Cooper Boulanger scored for the Warriors. The Bruins lead widened to 3-1 thanks to a 2^nd period goal from Isak Brassard. Oklahoma pulled to within a goal late in the 3^rd period as Boulanger scored again, but the Warriors could not find the equalizer in the dying seconds. Bruins goalie Trent Wiemken made 27 saves in the win, while Dylan Johnson made 27 saves in the loss.

Maryland 4 vs. Fairbanks 0 – The Black Bears moved to 2-0 at the Showcase thanks to a 4-0 shutout of the Ice Dogs, who fell to 0-4 on the season. Black Bears goalie Colin Ronan stopped all 26 shots that came his way. Four different players scored for Black Bears, including Jeremi Tremblay in the 1^st period and Jesse Horachek, Dimitry Kebreau and Tamas Toth in the 3^rd period. Ice Dogs goalie Beau Altman made 24 saves in the loss.

Amarillo 4 vs. Minnesota 1 – Jack Ivey and Topi Puikkonn each scored twice as the Wranglers moved to 2-0 at the Showcase with a 4-1 win over the Wilderness. It was the Wilderness on the board first thanks to a goal from Joe Cesario. It was all Wranglers after that as Ivey scored his first to tie the game at 1-1 after one period. After a scoreless 2^nd period, the Wranglers pulled away in the 3^rd with two goals from Puikkonen and another from Ivey. Connor McDounough made 20 saves in the win, while Tommy O’Donnell made 24 saves in the loss.

Anchorage 2 vs. New Mexico 1 (OT) – The Wolverines got 15 saves from Liam Beerman in a 2-1 overtime win over New Mexico. Anchorage led 1-0 after the 1^st period thanks to a goal from Oliver Salo. The Ice Wolve tied the game in the 2^nd period as Yusaku Ando scored. In overtime, Blake Markwell potted home a rebound off an odd-man rush for the game-winner. New Mexico goalie Jackson Fuller made 34 saves in the loss.

Odessa 2 vs. Bismarck 1 – Odessa picked up their first win of the Showcase as they got a herculean effort in goal from Quentin Sigurdson, who made 46 saves in a 2-1 win. Bismarck led 1-0 after one period thanks to their lone goal from Patrick Johnson. Odessa tied the game at 1-1 in the 2^nd period thanks to a goal from Matvey Ivanov. In the 3^rd period, the game-winner came from John Wojciechoski. Bismarck goalie Stephan Peck made 26 saves in the loss.

Colorado 5 vs. North Iowa 3 – The Grit moved to 2-0 at the Showcase as they scored the last four goals of the game to erase a 3-1 deficit and top the Bulls, 5-3. Colorado opened the scoring on a goal from Wilder Jacober. The Bulls seized control with three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead, including two from Justin Mexico and one from Landon McDonald. The Grit stormed back with 2^nd period goals from Brock MacDonald, Andrew Jeffers, and Luke Helgeson to make it 4-3, and then Helgeson would make it 5-3 with another goal in the 3^rd period. Max Lacroix made 24 saves in the win, while Santo Simmchen made 25 saves in the loss.

Philadelphia 2 vs. Springfield 1 – Rebels goalie Jack Fialkoff made 23 saves to lead the Rebels to a 2-1 win at the Showcase over the Jr. Blues. The Rebels jumped ahead 1-0 in the 1^st period on a goal from Tyler Stern. After a scoreless 2^nd period, the lead increased to 2-0 for the Rebels in the 3^rd period thanks to a goal from Otto Polakovs. The Jr. Blues lone goal came later in the 3^rd period from Logan Ganz. Springfield goalie JJ Cataldo made 26 saves in the loss.

Kenai River 4 vs. Johnstown 2 – Four different players scored for the Brown Bears and goalie Conor Sullivan made 21 saves as Kenai River beat Johnstown, 4-2. After a scoreless 1^st period, Kenai River took a 2-0 lead in the 2^nd period on goals from Owen Hanson and Cade Baker. The Tomahawks responded back with a pair of goals from Hayes Hundley and Will Lawrence to tie the game at 2-2. In the 3^rd period, goals from Rylan Yates and Marko Giourof secure the 4-2 win. Tomahawks goalie Zack Ferris made 40 saves in the loss.