Friday Finals: Springfield Surges Back for Victory

Rochester 3 @ Danbury 2 - The Rochester Jr. Americans narrowly defeated the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks Friday night by a final score of 3-2. The Jr. Americans got off to a roaring start, as Hugo Branthsson opened the scoring about a minute in. Right before the first period came to a close, Landon Brownlee snuck one past the goaltender to beat the clock and further Rochester’s lead. Gates Omicioli netted his fifth of the season to cut the lead in half for Danbury, before Branthsson sniped one for his second of the outing. Despite a late comeback effort from Niko Tournas and the Hat Tricks’, Rochester was able to hang on and escape with the victory. Florian Wade earned the win, padding aside 26 of 28 shots.

Philadelphia 0 @ Maryland 2 - In a back-and-forth defensive battle, the Maryland Black Bears edged the Philadelphia Rebels 2-0 Friday night. Evan Sofikitis opened the game’s scoring, as his blast midway through the first gave Maryland the period’s lone goal. Luke Rubin’s shot in the second hit the back of the net to further the Black Bears lead. Following a scoreless third, Maryland wound up hanging on to win. Both goaltenders were excellent in this matchup, however Benji Motew came up victorious with the 16-save shutout.

New Jersey 2 @ Northeast 6 - The Northeast Generals soared to victory over the New Jersey Titans Friday night as their offense wowed the home crowd with a 6-2 victory. A pair of goals from Grady Logue and Joseph McGraw saw Northeast lead by two after the opening period. Alex Papaspyropoulos netted one for New Jersey to cut the lead in half, however the Generals tacked on two more, courtesy of Rich Rucireto and Masen Culley. In an attempt to minimize the commanding lead, Shawn Leary scored one early in the first to give the Titans a glimpse of hope. But, Spencer Hirsch and Rucireto were able to solidify the win late with another pair of goals. In a high scoring affair, Ryan Nolan stopped 32 of 34 shots faced in the victory.

New Hampshire 6 @ Elmira 3 - A high scoring affair saw the New Hampshire Mountains Kings defeat the Elmira Aviators 6-2 Friday night. Kim Hilmerson, Tanner Anctil, and Jack MacDonald each netted one apiece in the opening period for the Mountain Kings, while Charlie Fink scored Elmira’s lone goal. Ben Costantino slid one past the netminder early in the second to put the Aviators within one, however New Hampshire stole the victory with their offensive prowess in the third. Damon Bossie, Alexander Duhon and Hilmersson attacked the ice and saw their shots go in the net. Whereas Kai Elkie scored his first of the year for Elmira. In the end, New Hampshire hung on, as their two power goals helped them to secure the win.

Maine 5 @ Johnstown 3 - Both the Maine Nordiques and Johnstown Tomahawks exchanged three straight pleasantries to open the first two periods, however it would be Maine who got the last laugh with their 5-3 victory. Shane Kozlina got things rolling early with back-to-back goals to open the first, before Laurent Trepanier added one more for good measure as the Nordiques held a commanding 3-0 lead. That didn’t stop the Tomahawks however, as they persevered in the second, matching a trio of goals of their own. Taybor Aldrich, Daden Olenczak, and Sam Blanton each netted one to tie the game. In an intense back-and-forth battle to open the third, Maine broke the tie about halfway through, thanks to Kozlina and his natural hattrick. Ethan Wongus tacked on one more for good measure, as his empty netter late would secure the win for the Nordiques.

Anchorage 1 @ Wisconsin 4 - The Wisconsin Windigo earned their sixth win of the early season against the Anchorage Wolverines Friday night, 4-1. After a scoreless first, Logan Nickolaus opened the scoring for Wisconsin, before Toby Carlson quickly tied the game for Anchorage. Alexios Georgaklis netted one late to give the Windigo a one-goal advantage heading into the third. Wisconsin then continued their domination thanks to a pair from Elliot Gulley and Jackson Ernst. Lucas Szyszka was outstanding in the crease, allowing only one goal in the victory for Wisconsin.

North Iowa 1 @ St. Cloud 0 (SO) - A true old school defensive battle needed more than just overtime to settle this one, as the North Iowa Bulls snuck away with a 1-0 victory in a shootout versus the St. Cloud Norsemen. In a gritty game that consisted of seven penalties, neither team could secure a goal in regulation due in part to Kyle Ozgun and Beck Liden’s outstanding saves in net for the entirety of the game. Cooper Conway scored the deciding goal in the shootout, as the Bulls walked away with the win.

Minot 5 @ Austin 1 - The Minot Minotauros ran away with a 5-1 victory Friday night against the Austin Bruins. Ian Spencer scored the lone goal of the period to give Minot the lead. From there, they took off for a trio of goals in the second, courtesy of Jessie Juhola who scored twice, and Leo Cabulis who tacked on one as well. The Bruins avoided the shutout, as EJ Paddington netted one early in the first. However, it wasn’t enough as Billy Batten sealed the deal for the Minotauros with a late goal to secure the 5-1 win. Netminder Lukas Swedin was outstanding in goal, padding aside 30 of 31 shots in route to the victory.

Oklahoma 1 @ Shreveport 4 - Carter McKay’s two point performance helped the Shreveport Mudbugs defeat the Oklahoma Warriors. Evan Adams kicked off scoring late in the first period but Oklahoma’s Colby Lyons equalized with 30 seconds remaining in the frame. Shreveport took control on special teams with Lucas Deeb’s power play tally and Bryce Boucher’s shorthanded goal. McKay’s empty netter sealed the deal for the Mudbugs to improve to 2-4.

Watertown 2 @ Aberdeen 4 - Aberdeen Wings’ Leonid Bulgakov put up three points in the team’s 4-2 win over the Watertown Shamrocks. The Wings put up four consecutive in the first and second periods. Bulgakov, Ishan Mitoo, and Jibber Kuhl secured the early lead. Damon Cunningham let two in late, but saved 32-of-34 in the victory. The Wings stay undefeated, while Shamrock is now 2-3 after converting just 1-of-8 on the man-advantage.

Minnesota M 1 @ Bismarck 6 - The Bismarck Bobcats stay undefeated after an offensive outpour against the Minnesota Mallards. After a scoreless first, Bismarck notched four unanswered goals from Zane Rowan, Jakub Kopecky, Brendan Ruskowsky, and Ian Engel. Cyril Pont tallied his first of the season for Minnesota, but Tomas Anderson stopped the other 29 shots in the contest. 

Springfield 4 @ Minnesota W 3 - Springfield Jr. Blues’ late comeback secured their 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wilderness. Brady Zugec and Zach Homer put the Wilderness up early in the first. Down 3-1 late in the second, Jagur McClelland halved their deficit. After Logan Ganz power play score tied the game, Niko Laus and the Blues took the lead with a minute-and-a-half remaining.

Amarillo 2 @ Lone Star 5 - The Amarillo Wranglers lose their first of the season to the Lone Star Brahmas. Alexander Aleslov gave Amarillo an early lead, but two goals from Anthony Capello put Lone Star up in the second period. Owen Kerr would add a power play goal to seal the game late, and Charlie Masek’s empty netter added the exclamation point. Jack Spicer earned the win, saving 20-of-22.

New Mexico 1 @ Corpus Christi 4 - Nikita Volsky’s 40 save performance helped the Corpus Christi IceRays get their fifth win of the season, over the New Mexico Ice Wolves. Colin Watson’s first two goals of the season gave the IceRays the early lead. Raymond Perrault extended the lead. Ben Pelomsky finally put the puck behind Volsky early in the third period, but it was not enough. Stepan Kuznetsov’s empty netter secured the IceRay’s 5-1-0-1 start.

El Paso 5 @ Colorado 1 - The El Paso Rhinos pick up their third win of the season 5-1 over the Colorado Grit. Roope Tuomioksa and Beckett Hinchsliff’s first goals of the season put the Rhinos up early. William Johnson cut the lead early in the third, but Joey LuVullo saved the rest of the shots he faced. Tuomioksa added an empty netter to secure the El Paso victory.

Janesville 2 @ Kenai River 3 (OT) - The Kenai River Brown Bears continued their hot start as they knocked off the Janesville Jets 3-2. Tied 1-1 in the first, James Taylor’s fourth of the season gave Janesville an early lead. Brady Engelkes’ power play goal tied the game late in the third. Carter McCormick netted the game winner in the extra period to give Kenai River the extra point.

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