Friday Finals: IceRays blank Brahmas
Lone Star Brahmas 0 @ Corpus Christi IceRays 8 - Eric Purcell and Grant Hutton each scored twice as the Corpus Christi IceRays fired on all cylinders Friday night burying five power-play goals and getting a perfect performance in net from Ben Myers en route to an 8-0 victory over the Lone Star Brahmas in front of 2,526 fans at the American Bank Center. Purcell and Hutton both scored in the 1st period along with Martin Hojbjerg. All four goals in the 2nd period came on the power play as Hutton and Purcell scored again along with Kyle Froese and Malo Ville. Lucas Bunnett added the lone 3rd period goal. Boxscore
Fairbanks Ice Dogs 2 @ Minnesota Wilderness 1 – In a goaltending duel, it was Fairbanks veteran Kevin Aldridge who spoiled the Wilderness inaugural home opener in the NAHL, as the Ice Dogs goalie made 31 saves to keep Fairbanks undefeated at 7-0 with a 2-1 win over Minnesota. Wilderness goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo made 27 saves in the loss. Kyle Lee had the game-winning goal in the 3rd period and assisted on a goal by Jacob Hetz in the 1st period. The lone Wilderness goal came from former Ice Dog Jakob Romo in the 2nd period. Boxscore
Springfield Jr. Blues 4 @ Topeka RoadRunners 3 (SO) – Patrick Curry scored twice for the Jr. Blues in a 4-3 shootout win in Topeka. Mike Gambino got the Jr. Blues on the board and by the end of the 2nd period, Curry had scored twice to make it 3-1. Jerad Tafoya had the lone Topeka goal through two periods. In the 3rd period, the RoadRunners scored twice in a three-minute span as Clint Garris and Ryan Polin lit the lamp. In the shootout, Kyle Shreve had the lone goal of the 10 combined shooters. Boxscore
Wenatchee Wild 3 @ Bismarck Bobcats 4 – Chris Diver’s goal with 1:16 remaining in regulation was the difference as the Bobcats won their home opener with a 4-3 win over the visiting Wild. Bismarck led 3-1 after two periods on goals from Filip Starzynski, Stanislav Dzakhov and Brendan Harris. David Powlowski had the lone Wild goal. In the 3rd period, Wenatchee’s River Rymsha did his best to bring the Wild back as he scored two goals in five minutes to draw the game even at 3-3. Evan Giesler had two assists in the Bismarck win. Boxscore
Austin Bruins 3 @ Minot Minotauros 2 – The Bruins stayed perfect on the season on the strength of three, 2nd period goals to spoil Minot’s home opener with a 3-2 win. Justin Quale made 18 saves in the win. All the scoring for both clubs came in the middle frame as the Bruins got goals from Dominik Florian, Guillaume Leclerc and Jay Dickman’s league-leading 7th goal of the season. Minot responded with goals from Tyler Shipstad and Tim Donohue. Boxscore
Aberdeen Wings 5 @ Brookings Blizzard 3 – Bjorn Sigurdarson had a three-point night as the Wings kept the Blizzard winless on the season with a 5-3 road win in Brookings. Aberdeen lead 3-0 early in the 2nd period off the strength of goals from Sigurdarson, Jonathan Grebosky and Jake Horton. Brookings responded with two goals late in the period from Jack Stang and Brandon Parker to make it 3-2. 3rd period goals from Matt Brettingen and Jordan Heller put the game out of reach for the Blizzard, who had their other goal in the 3rd period from veteran Evan Hesse. Boxscore
Odessa Jackalopes 2 @ Amarillo Bulls 4 – Tyler Gernhofer scored two goals, including the game-winner early in the 3rd period as the Bulls got back to their winning ways with a 4-2 win over the Jacks during Amarillo’s home opener. Things looked good early for Amarillo as they took a 2-0 lead in the 1st period on goals from Gernhofer and Carter Penzien. The Jackalopes responded in the 2nd period with two goals from Connor Chambers and Jake Kreutzer to tie the game at 2-2. Joe Grabowski added the other 3rd period goal to make the final 4-2. Boxscore
Coulee Region Chill 4 @ Janesville Jets 1 – In the battle of Wisconsin, it was the Chill who kept their hot play going from the NAHL Showcase as they defeated the Jets in Janesville’s home opener, 4-1. Although the shots were even in the game, the Chill jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two period with goals from Gordon Wells and Adam Lovick. After Janesville’s Michael Louria made it 2-1 early in the 3rd period, the Chill responded with two goals from Jake Zeleznikar and Mac Jansen. Blake Cates made 27 saves in the win. Boxscore
Johnstown Tomahawks 2 @ Soo Eagles 5 – In a game that featured a combined 77 shots, it was two goals from the Eagles Brad Pung that lead Soo to a 5-2 win in their home opener over the Tomahawks. The Eagles had a great start, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st period on goals from Pung, Jacob McDowell and Chase Matson. Jordan Watt responded in the 2nd period for Johnstown with a power play goal, but the Eagles were too much in the 3rd period after Pung’s second goal of the game and another from Ryan Urso. Brandon Reinholz had the other goal for the Tomahawks in the loss. Boxscore
