Friday Finals: Wilderness Win Sixth Straight

New Hampshire 5 @ Elmira 1 - The New Years Eve fireworks continued well into Friday evening for the New Hampshire Mountain Kings as they used a four-goal first period as they shot out to a 5-1 win against the Elmira Aviators. New Hampshire’s hot sticks were on fire straight out of the gate as Jaden Davis netted the opening goal of the game just over four minutes into the first frame. Davis was followed by Cole Roenick, Oli Genest and Thomas Quast who combined to score three consecutive goals in just over five minutes. New Hampshire’s four goal first period was followed by a single goal in the second period from Georgios Stavrianeas, who put the Mountain Kings out to an impressive 5-0 lead. Jett Otwell got the Aviators on the board with just 18 seconds remaining on an otherwise depleted clock to end the second period 5-1. New Hampshire suffocated any chance of an Aviators’ comeback bid as the third period remained scoreless, allowing New Hampshire to glide to a 5-1 win.

Philadelphia 1 @ Maine 5 - The Maine Nordiques used a lopsided third period to pull away from the Philadelphia Rebels on route to a 5-1 win on Friday night. Maine got things started in the first period with a pair of unanswered tallies to start the game’s scoring. Kellen Murphy set up Zion Green for both goals of the period, earning his first two assists of the season on Green’s eighth and ninth goals. The second period featured a pushback from Philadelphia as Ruslan Jamaldinov tickled the twine to cut Maine’s lead to one. However, Maine took some, but gave more. Maine’s offensively explosive play and lockdown defensive structure stifled any and all life from the Philadelphia bench as Cam Smith, Connor McNaughton and Joseph Gasperko combined for a three goal third period and turned the lights off for the Rebels. Philadelphia goaltender Owen Crudale made 29 out of 34 shots, while his Maine counterpart Carter Richardson backstopped for 27 saves on 28 shots to secure the 5-1 runaway win.

Maryland 3 @ Rochester 2 (SO) - Two extra sessions of free hockey were a late Christmas gift as the Maryland Black Bears toppled the Rochester Jr. Americans in a shootout to win 3-2 on Friday night. The high-spirited affair between two talented teams saw Adam Gionta break the ice as he got Rochester on the board first with the lone goal of the first period. Gionta got his name on the scoresheet again in the second period with an assist as he set up Jaden Dyke for Rochester’s second goal of the game, putting the Jr. Americans up two-nil. Eight minutes was all Maryland needed to equal the score as Isac Nielsen and Sebastien Brockman deposited goals late in the second to tie the game at two-a-piece. With neither team looking to give the other side an inch, no answer was found in the period, forcing the game to overtime. Similarly, no answer could be found in overtime, forcing the game to go to a shootout. Riley Fast shot first for Maryland and converted on his attempt to put the Black Bears ahead in the first round. Gionta went first for Rochester, but failed to convert on his attempt. All other shooters for both teams fell short as Fast’s first round strike proved to be the difference maker as the game-winning goal. While goaltender Danick Leroux had a solid showing for Rochester, Benji Motew’s stellar play continued for Maryland as he made 32 saves on 34 shots and turned aside all three skaters in the shoot to secure the 3-2 win for the Black Bears.

Danbury 5 @ Northeast 4 - The Danbury Hat Tricks slipped past the Northeast Generals in a back-and-forth affair with a 5-4 win on Friday night. Northeast began the game with good offensive looks as they took a 2-0 lead off the sticks of Rich Rucierto and Benjamin Campeau early in the first period. Niko Tournas was able to cut the lead to one as he deposited the puck in the back of the net with a couple of minutes remaining in the first. Mikey Bartkowski only needed a couple minutes in the first period to get Northeast back up by two, but Ty Izadi only needed 15 seconds to answer Bartkowski and cut Northeast’s lead back down to one. Emerson Miller put Northeast up by two for a third time midway through the second period, but Joey Anderson’s third goal of the year for Danbury cut the lead to one for a third time as well. This time, instead of Northeast worsening the gap, Danbury cut the lead from one to none, and then took a lead of their own from Issac Mitchell and Ameen Ghosheh to secure the 5-4 win.

Fairbanks 3 @ Chippewa 4 - A three goal third period from the Chippewa Steel clinched the comeback bid for the Chippewa Steel as they conquered the FairBanks IceDogs with a 4-3 win on Friday night. Kyle Rohrer got the scoring started for Fairbanks, but was answered not long after by Lukas Bellinger to knot the score at 1-1. Luc Plante converted for Fairbanks with just over two minutes left in the first to put the IceDogs back up by one. The second period featured more turnovers than goals as the scoreless second frame led to a fourth-goal third period. Down by a goal, there was nothing Chippewa needed more than three goals, and that is exactly what they got. Jacob Ligi converted just 33 seconds into the third period for Chippewa, followed by Camden Davis just 57 seconds later. Rorher provided a spark of life as he tied the game for Fairbanks just three minutes later. The teams fought back-and-forth for half the period before Ligi’s second goal of the game secured the winner for Chippewa. Chippewa goaltender Carter Wishart made 29 saves on 32 to secure the tightly contested win.

Austin 4 @ Watertown 2 - The second place Austin Bruins used four unanswered goals to nab a 4-2 win over the Watertown Shamrocks on Friday night. After a scoreless first period, the second and third periods were filled with action from both sides. Eliot Mikesch got Watertown on the board first just six minutes into the second period. Mikesch’s goal may have done more good for Austin than Watertown, though, as the Bruins scored four consecutive goals following the Shamrock tally. Connor Beckwith’s hat trick attempt fell short, but he was able to score back-to-back goals just 17 seconds apart to put the Bruins up by one to end the second. The third period was started by Zander Lipsett and Gavin Hruza as Austin increased their lead to 4-1. Owen Chartier buried the biscuit with seven minutes left in the game, but still down by two, Austin’s lead proved to be too much to overcome. Watertown goaltender Phileas Lachat made 34 saves on 38 shots in the loss for the Shamrocks, but it was Carl Axelsson who stood on his head to make 26 saves on 28 shots to seal the win for Austin. With this win, Austin is one game back of the league leading Bismarck Bobcats for first place in league standings.

Kenai River 2 @ Wisconsin 5 - In a very defensive first period, the game found its first action as Alexios Georgaklis lit the lamp on the powerplay late in the period. It wouldn't be long before this lead was extended as Logan Nickolaus added to it less than three minutes into the second period. Cashen Naeve added to the Windgo lead before William Esterbrooks got the Brown Bears their first goal of the game. The lead would shrink to one, as a shorthanded goal from John Ross would give Kenai River some life. They would be unable to catch up and goals from Braydon Beahm and Ronnie Hill would seal the deal. Beau Altman would make 20 saves in the win.

Bismarck 8 @ St. Cloud 0 - The Bobcats would spring into the new year, as they scored two goals in the first few minutes, as both Nate Bannister and Kyle Doll would find the back of the net. Jakub Kopecky and Jan Gaspar would score another pair of goals for the Bobcats, giving them a four-goal lead heading into the locker room. The pressure would continue, as Julian Beaumont and Gabe Kenne scored 12 seconds apart to add to the lead. Wyatt Sypniewski and Tommy Cronin would also find the net, with eight different goal scorers on Friday night. Tomas Anderson would cruise to a shutout victory with 23 saves in net.

Springfield 5 @ Janesville 2 - Janesville would take the lead early in this one thanks to James Taylor. It wouldn’t be long before Gaige Giblin would tie the game at one and late in the first period, Jack Klevby would give the Jr. Blues their first lead. Logan Sutton would continue the lead for Springfield, scoring the second period's lone goal. Quickly into the third, a pair of goals from Andon Coles and another from Sutton would put the Jr. Blues up four. Trevor Aberwald would score to cut the lead, but this wouldn't be enough as Matt Schoephoerster would shut the door making 38 saves in the process. On the other end, Matthew Alberti would make 48 saves in defeat.

Minnesota M 1 @ Aberdeen 4 - After a scoreless first period, Cad Moxham would draw first blood, as his powerplay marker would put the Wings up quickly into the second. Later on in the period, James Ghebbar would score an equalizer, but a goal from Leonid Bulgakov would get Aberdeen back in front. Luke Backel would score to extend the lead and Bulgakov would score his second of the night to put this game on ice. Damon Cunningham would grab the victory making 26 saves on the night.

Anchorage 2 @ Minnesota W 3 - Both teams would trade goals in the first period, as Cole Christian and Jakeb Lynch would score 19 seconds apart from each other. Minnesota would be able to jump out in front with a goal from Ben Roulette and grab a two-goal lead later on thanks to Logan Nagle. In the third, a powerplay goal from Toby Carlson would cut the Wolverines’ deficit to one. Minnesota would be able to hang on and secure the victory, with Niklas Erickson making 36 saves in net.

Shreveport 0 @ New Mexico 4 - New Mexico would grab the lead early from Sean Gibbons and they would never look back. A goal in the second period from Max Matthews would put the Ice Wolves up two and Liam Waugh would add more to the lead in the third. Ben Polomsky would add another goal later in the period to finish the shutout. Jackson Fuller would stop all shots he faced, making 25 saves on the night.

Oklahoma 0 @ Lone Star 3 - The Lone Star Brahmas defeated the Oklahoma Warriors 3-0 on Friday night. After a scoreless first period, Charlie Masek kicked off the scoring early in the second and later added a shorthanded goal to give the Brahmas a 2-0 lead. In the third period, Saxton Tess found the back of an empty net to help secure the Brahmas 3-0 win. Lone Star’s Jack Spicer stopped all 26 shots he faced for the shutout, while Oklahoma’s Billy Stuski made 27 saves on 29 shots in the loss.

Amarillo 2 @ Corpus Christi 5 - The Corpus Christi IceRays earned a strong victory over the Amarillo Wranglers at home. Amarillo opened the scoring late in the first period when Morley Phillips capitalized on a pass from Trace Day to give the Wranglers a 1-0 lead. The IceRays retaliated back early in the second period with goals from Max Ranstrom and Billy Biederman giving the IceRays a brief lead. Amarillo’s Trace Day answered later in the period, evening the score at 2-2 at the end of the second. Corpus Christi dominated the third period, taking control of the game. Carter Krenke netted the tie-breaking goal, and Cooper Conway extended the lead with another tally shortly after. Andrew Hayek sealed the win with a late goal, making the final score read 5-2 IceRays at the game’s conclusion.

North Iowa 3 @ Minot 2 - Fuji Suzuki netted the game winning goal with just 0.8 seconds left in regulation as the North Iowa Bulls upset the Minotauros in Minot. Parker Osborn got the scoring started early in the first but Gavin Middendorf evened the game just about four minutes later. After a scoreless remainder of the first and second period, Minot took their first lead of the game as Ty James found the back of the net. Denis Hodas tied the game with 1:52 remaining in regulation and just as we thought we were destined for overtime, Suzuki fired home his fifth of the season that would give the Bulls two points in the standings and stun the 2108 fans in attendance.

El Paso 3 @ Colorado 4 (SO) - The Colorado Grit edged out the El Paso Rhinos with a thrilling 4-3 victory Friday night. El Paso’s Ty Gordon opened the scoring in the first period, capitalizing on a power play goal. Colorado responded later in the period with a goal from Luc Bydal evening the score at the period’s conclusion. George Poirier gave the Grit their first lead of the night midway through the second period, but Jacob Solano answered back for El Paso later on, tying the game at 2-2. Early in the third, Rasmus Nousiainen put the Rhinos ahead, but Colorado retaliated back as Poirier netted his second of the night sending the game into overtime. Despite opportunities from both teams, overtime remained scoreless, forcing the game to a shootout. Both teams struggled to find the back of the net in the shootout until Alec Babineau secured the 4-3 win for Colorado with the decisive goal. Colorado’s goaltender Peter Sterling made 45 saves out of the 48 shots he faced, while Matthew DellaRusso stopped 26 of 29 for El Paso.

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