Saturday Scores: A big night of road revenge for Minot, Fresno and Kenai River
Central Division Semi-Finals, Game #2
Minot Minotauros 2 @ Austin Bruins 1 (OT) (Best of 5 series tied, 1-1)
A defensive breakdown led to an odd-man rush and Minotauros were able to capitalize as Jadin Martin poked home a loose rebound 8:52 into overtime to give Minot a 2-1 win in Austin to even the best of five series at 1-1. Tyler Parks made 38 saves in the win for Minot. The Minotauros enjoyed a 1-0 lead for much of the game as Wesley Iverson scored 2:33 into the 1st period. It wasn’t until the early 3rd period that the Bruins were able to tie the game as AJ Reid scored. The teams combined for 14 shots in the overtime period before Martin poked home the loose puck after the original save by Jason Pawloski. Mason Morelli and Tim Donohue assisted on the game-winning goal. Boxscore
Central Division Semi-Finals, Game #2
Brookings Blizzard 3 @ Bismarck Bobcats 6 (Bismarck leads best of 5 series, 2-0)
The Bobcats scored five of the final six goals of the game, including three in the 3rd period to erase a small Brookings lead on their way to a 6-3 win on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in the best of five series. Seth Blair, who had three goals in Game 1, scored two more on Saturday night. Blair answered an early goal from Brookings forward Tyler Cayemberg to tie the game at 1-1 after the 1st period. Brookings took a 2-1 lead on the power play goal from Eric Brenk, but that would be their last lead of the night as Bismarck scored three straight from Stanislav Dzakhov, Matt Anders and Filip Starzynski. Brenk would add another to cut the lead to 4-3, but another goal from Blair and Evan Giesler secure the win. Boxscore
North Division Semi-Finals, Game #2
Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings 1 @ Jamestown Ironmen 3 (Jamestown leads best of 5 series, 2-0)
Goaltender Joe Ballmer had another solid game, making 29 saves the Ironmen took a 2-0 lead in their best of five series with Kalamazoo with a 3-1 win on Saturday afternoon. Offense has been hard to come by for the K-Wings in the series, but Kalamazoo got started on the right foot with an early goal from Danny Hamburg. That would be all for the K-Wings however, as a goal in the 2nd period from Victor Johansson tied the game at 1-1. Ryan Doucet would score the eventual game-winning goal early in the 3rd period on a power play and Nico Sierra added a late 3rd period tally for insurance. Marcus Due-Boje got the start in place of Alex Okicki and made 26 saves in the loss. Boxscore
North Division Semi-Finals, Game #2
Port Huron Fighting Falcons 1 @ Soo Eagles 4 (Soo leads best of 5 series, 2-0)
A nice crowd of almost 1,000 fans in Sault Ste. Marie watched the Eagles take a commanding 2-0 lead in their series with Port Huron thanks to 33 saves from Tyler Marble in a 4-1 win over the Fighting Falcons. Things looked good for Port Huron as just :14 seconds into the game, Ian Miller gave his team a 1-0 lead. But, that would be all that Marble and the Eagles would surrender on this night. Matt Menta, who had just three goals in the regular season, scored for Soo to tie the game at 1-1 after the 1st period. Eric Rivard and Kyle Loridon added 2nd period goals and Sean Murphy scored in the 3rd period. Alex Blackenburg started in favor of Max Milosek and made 33 saves in the loss. Boxscore
West Division Semi-Finals, Game #2
Fresno Monsters 3 @ Wenatchee Wild 1 (Best of 5 series tied, 1-1)
Tomas Sholl made 35 saves to help the Fresno Monsters win Game 2 of their series with Wenatchee as the series now heads to Frenso for Games 3 and 4. Fresno was a much more determined team from the start, outshooting Wenatchee 13-8 in the 1st period and picking up goals from Dan Sherer and Andrew Herlofsky. The Monsters increased the lead to 3-0 midway through the 2nd period as Mitchell Snyder scored. Max McHugh would answer for the Wild with just :23 seconds remaining in the period as he snuck a shot under Sholl. However, that would be all Sholl would allow as he face 13 shots in the 3rd period alone without allowing a goal. Boxscore
West Division Semi-Finals, Game #2
Kenai River Brown Bears 2 @ Fairbanks Ice Dogs 1 (Best of 5 series tied, 1-1)
Another goalie stole a road game in the West playoffs, but this one was in Fairbanks in the form of Marcus Zelzer, who backstopped the Brown Bears to their first ever playoff win with 29 saves in a 2-1 win in front of a sold out crowd in Fairbanks. Things got started on the right foot early for Kenai River as Judd Loewenstein lit the lamp 7:42 into the game. Fairbanks forward Lawrence Cornellier would tie the game four minutes later with his second goal of the series in as many nights. The Brown Bears would scored the eventual game-winning goal from Alex Jackstadt as he got a puck up the right hand wing and got to the circle to sizzle a shot past Ice Dogs goaltender Steve Perry. His power-play goal was not only the first for Kenai River in four chances in the series, it gave the Brown Bears their first playoff victory after the program had gone 0-6 in the postseason since its inaugural season of 2007-08. Boxscore
