Warriors advance to title game, while Black Bears force Game 3
Maryland goalie William Hakansson made 34 saves in a 2-1 win in Game 2 on Saturday night as Maryland forced a Game 3 on Sunday.
The 2023 North American Hockey League (NAHL) Robertson Cup National Championship continued on Saturday at Fogerty Ice Arena in Blaine, Minnesota, with the Oklahoma Warriors punching their ticket to the title game with a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wilderness, while the Maryland Black Bears forced a Game 3 on Sunday with a 2-1 win over the Austin Bruins.
The event runs from May 19-23. The Robertson Cup is awarded to the national playoff champion of the NAHL.
For more information on the Robertson Cup Championship Tournament, including schedule, scout information, ticket information, hotels, rental cars and other event information, visit http://nahl.com/robertson-cup/
All 2023 NAHL Robertson Cup Playoff games can be viewed live and in HD on HockeyTV.
2023 NAHL Robertson Cup Schedule (all times central)
Friday, May 19, Game 1: #1 Oklahoma 4 vs. #4 Minnesota 2 | #3 Austin 4 vs. #2 Maryland 0
Saturday, May 20, Game 2: #1 Oklahoma 3 vs. #4 Minnesota 1 | #2 Maryland 2 vs. #3 Austin 1
Sunday, May 21, Game 3: #3 Austin vs. #2 Maryland, 6:00pm
Monday, May 22: Off Day
Tuesday, May 23: Robertson Cup National Championship Game: Oklahoma vs. Austin/Maryland, 7:00pm
Day 2 Recaps
Robertson Cup Semi-Final #1, Game 2: Oklahoma Warriors 3 vs. Minnesota Wilderness 1 (Oklahoma wins series, 2-0) – Warriors forward Brendan Williams scored all three goals and recorded a hat-trick as Oklahoma punched their ticket to the Robertson Cup Championship Game with a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wilderness on Saturday, sweeping the two-game series. Oklahoma was first on the board as late in the 1st period Williams redirected a nice pass from William Lawson-Body for a 1-0 lead. After a scoreless 2nd period, the Warriors applied the pressure late in the 3rd period as Williams cleaned up a rebound chance from Lawson-Body to make it 2-0. Williams would then pot his hat-trick late in the 3rd period with an empty-net goal. The Wilderness got a late goal with :42 seconds remaining in the 3rd period from Cole Gordon, which was his first of the playoffs. Lawson-Body ended up assisting on all three goals from Williams. Oklahoma goalie Daniel Duris made 27 saves in the win, while Isak Posch made 26 saves in the loss.
Robertson Cup Semi-Final #2, Game 2: Maryland Black Bears 2 vs. Austin Bruins 1 (Series tied, 1-1) – Maryland goaltender William Hakansson made 34 saves to lead the Black Bears to a 2-1 win in Game 2 of the best of 3 Robertson Cup Semi-Finals on Saturday. After a scoreless 1st period with both goalies shining, the Black Bears took a 1-0 lead early in the 2nd period as Riley Ruh scored on the power play with assists to Branden Piku and Gunnar VanDamme. Three minutes later, the Black Bears struck again as a 2-on-1 led to a nice goal from Brayden Stannard, who fired a shot from the middle of the slot for a 2-0 lead. Piku would assist on the goal. In the 3rd period, the Bruins pulled to within one goal as a shot from the point from Walter Zacher found the back of the net just as a Black Bears penalty expired. The Bruins could not find the equalizer the remainder of the period as Hakansson held the fort for first star honors. Bruins goalie Trent Wiemken made 19 saves in the loss. Game 3 between the two teams is Sunday, May 21st at 6pm at Fogerty Arena.
