Saturday Scores: Netusil Leads Wilderness Over Springfield

Maine 4 @ New Hampshire 2 - A hat trick from forward Laurent Trepanier helped the Maine Nordiques (8-2-1) win their fourth straight game on Saturday, checkmating the New Hampshire Mountain Kings (3-7-0-1) by a score of 4-2 at the Tri-Town Ice Arena. The scoring got underway quickly, with Trepanier slapping his first two goals within the game's first seven minutes. The Mountain Kings answered back and scored two goals to tie it up in the second period, but Trepanier's third goal of the contest and a goal from forward Zion Green put it away for the Nordiques. Maine retains first place in the East Division with the win, totaling 17 points, while New Hampshire ranks ninth in the East Division with seven points.

Wisconsin 2 @ Chippewa 3 - After three periods and overtime, the Wisconsin Windigo (8-1-1) and the Chippewa Steel (4-5-1) required a shootout to decide the winner on Saturday at the Chippewa Area Ice Arena. The Windigo, who currently leads the Midwest Division, entered the contest having already beaten the Steel in their first three meetings this season - but Chippewa finally got their get back. Back and forth from beginning to end, the Steel took the initial lead in the first period, but Windigo answered back, each team trading blows into the third period before entering overtime tied 2-2. Overtime came and went without a victor, laying the grounds for a 3-stage shootout. The first shot on goal from Wisconsin was wide left, then Chippewa forward Tomas Trunda scored to bring the Steel one goal away from the win. Chippewa goalie Devin Shakar stonewalled the next Wisconsin attempt and then skated in the hero, Chippewa forward Jackson Lackas, who, with a double move in the face of the cage, finished off the Windigo, sending the puck to the back of the net. The win places the Steel tied for sixth in the Midwest Division with nine points while the Windigo, despite the loss, hold on to first place with 17 points.

Northeast 3 @ Danbury 7 - The Northeast Generals (4-5-1-1) allowed their most goals so far this season on Saturday to the Danbury Hat Tricks (4-7-1) at the Danbury Ice Arena, dropping their third straight game 7-3. A different player scored each of Danbury's seven goals - one coming from a power play. Looking to combat the deficit, the Generals opted for an empty net in two separate instances during the third period and used two different goalies throughout the game. The defense for the Hat Tricks was more consistent, with goalie Jack Fialkoff spending the entire game in the cage for Danbury, saving 32 of 35 shots on goal. The Hat Tricks win ranks them seventh in the East Division with nine points, one spot lower than the Generals, who are tied for fifth with 10 points.

Philadelphia 3 @ New Jersey 5 - The New Jersey Titans (5-6-0-1) won their fourth straight game, while the Philadelphia Rebels (4-6-1) lost their fourth straight game on Saturday at the Middletown Ice World Arena, with the Titans succeeding 5-3. The Titans had a 4-1 lead entering the third period, and despite two goals from Philadelphia defenseman Ryan Vaites in the third, the Titans held on. The game had a drastic disproportion in shots on goal as the losing Rebels shot 43 and the winning Titans shot a mere - but productive - 19. Furthermore, Philadelphia called on two goalies during the game and opted for an empty net for the final 47 seconds to make up ground, while New Jersey goalie Austin McNicholas was between the pipes for the Titans all game, saving 40 of 43 shots on goal. The victory for the Titans sets them fourth in the East Division with 11 points, and the loss for the Rebels keeps them tied for eighth with nine points.

Maryland 4 @ Rochester 3 - It was an East Division showdown on Saturday at the Rochester Ice Center as the second-place Maryland Black Bears (8-3) eked out a 4-3 victory over the third-place Rochester Jr Americans (5-2-2-2). A power play palooza between the Bears and Jr Americans, both clubs combined to allow 15 power play opportunities, each team coming away with one goal. While Rochester took the lead from a defenseman Jordin Palmer goal in the first period, Maryland eventually buried it with a four-goal second period. Two goals in the second came from Maryland forward Isac Neilsen, his third and fourth of the season. The Jr Americans began to muster a comeback in the third with goals from forwards Jaden Dyke and Adam Gionta but ultimately came up one goal short. The win puts Maryland second in the East Division with 16 points and Rochester third with 14 points.

Johnstown 3 @ Elmira 2 - The Johnstown Tomahawks (2-7-1) won their first game in nearly a month on Saturday at the LECOM Event Center, defeating the Elmira Aviators (5-5) with a 3-2 score. A comeback win, the Tomahawks were down 2-0 more than halfway through the second period until scoring three unanswered goals, two in the second and one in the third, to seal the game. One of the goals the Tomahawks scored in the win was off of a power play by forward Ryan Flaherty, which has been a rarity, to say the least, in this nearly month-long stretch of losing for Johnstown. Coming into Saturday's contest, the Tomahawks had only scored twice in their previous 34 power play opportunities, a stark .058 success rate. Despite the long-awaited win, the Tomahawks still sit in last place in the East Division, while Elmira is tied for fifth with 10 points.

Minnesota W 5 @ Springfield 2 - The Minnesota Wilderness (4-6-1) were down 2-0 in the second period until forward Frantisek Netusil recorded his first-career hat trick, sparking the offense for a 5-2 win on Saturday over the Springfield Jr Blues (6-3) at the Nelson Center. Within three minutes, Netusil scored three goals, slapping three pucks past Springfield goalie Frank Murphy, each during a power play. Netusil didn't stop at the hat trick, registering an assist for the next Wilderness goal, also during a power play, increasing his point total from the contest to four, a career-high. The Wilderness was given 10 power play opportunities against the Jr Blues, a dream come true for Minnesota, which ranks 7th in the league with a .214 power play success rate. The victory ranks Minnesota tied for sixth in the Midwest Division with nine points, while Springfield is sitting in fifth place with 12 points.

Watertown 0 @ Minnesota M 2 - Thanks to goalie Zane Spaniol's performance, the Minnesota Mallards (5-5) shut out the Watertown Shamrocks (2-6-0-1) on Saturday at the Forest Lake Sport Center. The first shutout for the season for Spaniol and the Mallards, the Shamrocks couldn't get any pucks past the pipes in 37 shots on goal. The two goals scored for the Mallards came from forward Trey Fredenberg and defensemen Marek Thompson off of a power play, the third goal of Thompson's career. The win for Minnesota ties them fourth in the Central Division with 10 points, and the loss for Watertown keeps them in last place.

New Mexico 0 @ New Mexico 5 - The Shreveport Mudbugs shutout the New Mexico Ice Wolves for the second time in a row Saturday evening. The Mudbugs have been great defensively going into October, allowing only two goals in their past four games. Gleb Akimov scored the first goal of the game, and his second of the season in what has been a productive rookie season. The second period saw two scores in ten seconds from Cam Smith for his first of the season and Carter McKay, giving the Mudbugs a comfortable 3-0 lead going into the final period. Lucas Deeb heightened his lead as the MudBugs top scorer with a goal halfway through the third period, and Cole Hutchinson scored the final goal of the night for his second goal in the past three games. Mudbugs Aden Gariepy earned the shutout, stopping all 15 shots faced in net.

North Iowa 3 @ Aberdeen 1 - The North Iowa Bulls took down the undefeated Aberdeen Wings in an electric matchup. The Bulls jumped early to a 2-0 lead in the first period off goals from Denis Hodas and Liam Bard. The Wings got a break when their captain, Leonid Bulgakov scored a shorthanded goal while being assisted by Nick Comfort. Bulgakov has picked up where he left off last season, currently on a goal-per-game pace through seven games. Parker Osborn scored the final goal of the game halfway through the game for his first of the season. Bulls goaltender Jack Hirshorn and Wings goaltender Willum Braun both did well, each facing over 30 shots each, and letting in only one and three goals respectively.

Austin 1 @ Bismarck 2 - The Bismarck Bobcats stayed undefeated in a tight race against the Austin Bruins. Swedish rookie Calle Arvedson in the first 30 seconds scored his first goal in the NAHL. The Bobcats found themselves on the penalty kill a few minutes later, but were unsuccessful in stopping Jackson Rilei finding the back of the net, assisted on the goal by EJ Paddington and Ryan Lund. With most of the game being tied, tensions were high. Keanu Krenn in the final 90 seconds of the period gave the Bobcats the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the first period, with Arvedson and team-leading scorer Julian Beaumont assisting on the game-winning goal. The Bobcats with the victory remain the only undefeated team in the NAHL.

Oklahoma 3 @ Odessa 0 - A much needed victory was earned by the Oklahoma Warriors this evening against the Odessa Jackalopes. The Warriors since September 26 haven’t won a game, nor scored more than a single goal, but their defensive prowess helped earn them the victory. The first goal of the game came on the Warriors penalty kill, with Nate Farrell picking up his first goal of his North American Hockey League career. Paul Wiszek in the second period scored another shorthanded goal, unassisted this time to give the Warriors a 2-0 going into the final 20 minutes of regulation. The Jackelopes pulled William Karphed for an extra man, but Sebastian Speck hit the empty net for the winning goal, ending any hope of a Jackelope comeback. Warriors goaltender Bill Stuski got the shutout victory, stopping all 29 shots faced.

St. Cloud 1 @ Minot 4 - The St. Cloud Norsemen were unable to comeback against the Minot Minotauros’ quick scoring in the first period. Jesse Juhola scored his sixth goal of the season in the first minute of regulation, bringing his scoring streak to six points in his last four games. Chuck Owens would then bring the Minotauros’ lead to 2-0 with a shorthanded goal. Despite Tanner Hunt scoring an unassisted power play goal in the second period to cut the lead to 2-1, the Norsemen struggled to score on Minotauros goalie Lukas Swedin. Adam Mahler six minutes after Hunt’s goal brought the lead back to two with a goal late in the second period. The Norsemen pulled Beck Liden for an extra forward in the final minutes of regulation, but Billy Batten dashed any hopes for a comeback, hitting the empty net. Mahler led both teams in scoring, picking up a goal and an assist.

Lone Star 2 @ El Paso 5 - A clash between 2023-24 playoff teams saw the El Paso Rhinos defeating the reigning Robertson Cup Champions Lone Star Brahmas. The first two periods saw the Brahmas with the edge over the Rhinos, jumping to an early 1-0 lead off a goal from Elias Kumlin. Kyle Arias 11 minutes later tied the game 1-1 to end the first period. Team-leading Brahmas scorer Anthony Cappello scored the only goal of the second period for his seventh goal of the season. Entering the third period down 2-1, the Rhinos took over the final 20 minutes of play. A quick goal from Beckett Hinchsliff tied the game 2-2. Two more goals in five minutes from Jacob Solano and Hinchsliff again forced the Brahmas to pull goalkeeper Jack Spicer, but Alexandre Pellerin hit the empty net to give the Brahmas their second loss of the season.

Janesville 1 @ Fairbanks 4 - The Fairbanks Ice Dogs outshot the Janesville Jets 49 to 26 in their victory Saturday evening. Arsenii Vorobev jumped on an early goal three minutes in to give the Ice Dogs the lead, with Adam Timm adding to it in the final two minutes of the first period. Down 2-0 in the second period, Christian Venticinque cut the lead in half with his fourth goal of the season. Jets goaltender Matthew Alberti stopped all 18 shots faced in the second period, including helping kill four penalties to keep it 2-1. Any hopes of a comeback wouldn’t befall the Jets, as Wyatt Carlson extended the lead back to two goals seven minutes into the second period. Vorobev followed with his second goal of the night a bit later with the dagger. Justin Collins led the Ice Dogs in scoring, assisting on three of four goals scored.

Anchorage 5 @ Kenai River 3 - A high energy game befell two Alaskan rivals, as the Anchorage Wolverines defeated the Kenai River Brown Bears last night. The Brown Bears drew first blood, with Tennessee State University commit Greye Rampton scoring his fifth goal of the season on the power play. The Wolverines rallied after, getting two goals in just under six minutes from Daniel Bagnole and Toby Carlson, who both are top three in team scoring. The second period saw much better defense, but Romulus Riego De Dios found the back of the net halfway into the period to raise the Wolverine’s lead to 3-1. In the final seconds of the period, Luke Lizak cut the lead to 3-2, keeping it close heading into the third. Desperation for the Brown Bears didn’t set in until the last seven minutes of regulation, in which Connor Jalbert and Brody Dietz scored back-to-back goals one second apart to raise the lead to 5-2. Joseph Yoon brought the lead down to two goals, but the Brown Bears failed to score the rest of the game, with the Wolverines holding on for the victory.

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