Friday Finals: Jr. Blues ground 1st place Eagles, 7-1
Soo 1 @ Springfield 7 – Ryan Atkinson scored twice and Matt Leon made 33 saves as the Springfield Jr. Blues helped their playoff chances with a big 7-1 win at home over 1st place Soo on Friday. After a scoreless 1st period, the Jr. Blues opened up a 3-1 lead in the 2nd period with goals from Brett Skibba, Tom Cooney and Nate Chasteen. Jared Van Wormer had the lone Soo goal. Atkinson’s two goals, along with goals from Micah Ranum and Mike Severson were part of a four-goal 3rd period in the Springfield win. Boxscore
Fresno 3 @ Johnstown 2 (SO) – The Monsters fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to eventually get the game tied and then win in a shootout as they snapped a 10-game skid with a 3-2 win in Johnstown. Cobi Smith-Mass and Andrew McDonald scored to make it 2-0 Tomahawks in the 1st period. However, a power play goal from Matt Salituro late in the 1st period and another goal from Salituro late in the 2nd period tied the game. Fresno goalie Tomas Sholl did the rest making 30 saves and stopping four of five shooters in the shootout. Boxscore
Wenatchee 1 @ Jamestown 3 – The Ironmen put a halt to the Wild’s seven-game winning streak with a 3-1 in Jamestown on Friday night. Ironmen goalie Joe Ballmer had to make just 19 saves in the win. After a scoreless 1st period, Jamestown opened up a 2-0 lead in the 2nd period on goals from Huba Sekesi and Ryan Doucet. Wenatchee got to within one goal on a power play goal from Jono Davis, but Evan Ritt’s goal two minutes later gave Jamestown the two goal cushion they would need to win. Boxscore
Odessa 2 @ Wichita Falls 4 – Conor O’Neil scored twice, which included the game-winning goal as the Wildcats clawed to within five points of a playoff spot as the doubled up Odessa on Friday night, 4-2. Two goals from O’Neil and another from Tyler Ledford opened up a 3-0 Wildcats lead. Corey Hoffman scored for Odessa to make it 3-1, but George Pagonis scored late in the 2nd period to make it 4-1. A late 3rd period goal by Odessa’s Brett Wagner made the final 4-2. Boxscore
Coulee Region 2 @ Minot 5 – Denis Dalidovich scored twice and Ryan Ruck made 32 saves as the Minotauros closed closer to a playoff spot with a 5-2 home win over the Chill. The Minotauros opened up a 3-0 lead on goals from Zack Holstrom, Lucas Oliver and Dalidovich. The Chill cut the lead to 3-2 with two goals midway through the 3rd period from Mac Jansen and Kevin Becker, but Jerry Laakso scored to make it 4-2 and Dalidovich added an empty-netter for his second goal of the game. Boxscore
Topeka 4 @ Texas 3 – Topeka scored three, 3rd period goals to break a 1-1 tie on their way to a 4-3 win, handing the Tornado their 7th straight loss. Things looked good for Texas early as Brandon Hawkins gave the Tornado a 1-0 lead. Tyler Groat responded for Topeka in the 2nd period to make it 1-1. Despite two goals from Tornado forward Max Shuart in the 3rd period, the RoadRunners countered with three goals from Drew Kariofiles, Tom Nechala and Jerad Tafoya to edge out Texas for their sixth straight win. Boxscore
Bismarck 3 @ Austin 4 (SO) – Austin’s Drew Anderson scored with less than three minutes in regulation and then again in the shootout to pace the Bruins to a 4-3 shootout win over the Bobcats. The two teams traded goals in the 1st period as Brandon Wahlin scored for Austin and Daniel Kovar scored for Bismarck. Each team scored twice in the 3rd period as Cody Dixon and Anderson lit the lamp for Austin and Stanislav Dzakhov and Patrick Moore countered for Bismarck. Riley Covard’s goal in the shootout was the decider. Boxscore
Port Huron 7 @ Janesville 1 – Newcomers Tyler Spezia and David Parrottino each had a pair of goals and pair of assists as the Fighting Falcons jumped all over the Jets on Friday night in Janesville, 7-1. Port Huron was fueled by four, 2nd period goals after Parrottino scored the lone goal in the 1st period. Easton Powers, Vito Aluia and Bobby Brown had the other goals for the Fighting Falcons, while Janesville’s lone goal came from Jason Ford. Max Milosek made 31 saves in the win. Boxscore
Corpus Christi 0 @ Amarillo 3 – Paul Berrafato made 21 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Bulls blanked the IceRays in Amarillo, 3-0. After a scoreless 1st period, the Bulls took the lead early in the 2nd period on a goal from Ryan Cole. Clint Carlisle and Blake Roubos scored 3rd period insurance goals for the win. Omar Mullan chipped in with two assists. IceRays goalie Hayden Stewart was solid in the loss, making 36 saves. Boxscore
