Friday Finals: Minot Stays Hot

New Jersey 2 @ Johnstown 5 - The Johnstown Tomahawks broke free in the third period to help them defeat the New Jersey Titans, 5-2 Friday night. Season Morgan scored the lone goal of the opening period for Johnstown, before New Jersey came back with a pair of their own, thanks to Owen Leahy and Alex Papaspyropoulos. Nick White evened the score for the Tomahawks, before a trio of goals from Adam Csabi, Nick Jarmain, and Charlie Zetterkvist allowed them to ice this one late. Netminder Zack Ferris stood tall, padding aside 28/30 in the victory.  

Elmira 3 @ Maryland 7 - The Maryland Black Bears triumphed over the Elmira Aviators, 7-3 Friday night. Luke Janus, Tyler Stern, and Harrison Smith each tallied a goal early in the first to give the Black Bears a commanding lead. However, the Aviators would come back with a trio of goals themselves, courtesy of Charlie Vincent, Jack Kohlmann, and Jett Otwell. With a tie game, Sebastian Speck would wind up scoring the game winner for Maryland late in the second. Isac Nielsen, Stern, and Thomas Holtby each tacked on another for good measure to close this one out.

New Hampshire 3 @ Philadelphia 0 - The New Hampshire Mountain Kings blanked the Philadelphia Rebels 3-0. Following a scoreless opening period, Kim Hilmersson got New Hampshire on the board. Late into the third period, Alex Gelhar slid one past the netminder to extend the Mountain Kings’ lead. From there, Frank DAncona put the Rebels out of reach, sealing the game with an empty netter. Goaltender Sam Scopa was perfect in net to earn the 34-save shutout.

Maine 3 @ Rochester 4 (SO) - The Rochester Jr. Americans came from behind to steal a shootout victory over the Maine Nordiques. Cole Estey opened the scoring with just 15 seconds left in the opening period to give the Nordiques the lead. Early in the middle frame, Jordan Palmer got Rochester on the board, before Usko Laaksonen regained the lead for Maine. Owen King then netted one for the Jr, American to even things up, however, Ethan Wongus regained the lead for the Nordiques in this back-and-forth matchup. King hit the back of the net for the second time of the evening to tie it up yet again, and Rochester wound up emerging victorious in the shootout.

Wisconsin 2 @ Chippewa 3 - The Chippewa Steel came out on top 3-2 after a back-and-forth battle with the Wisconsin Windigo. Patrict Vogl netted Chippewa’s first of the game just 1:46 in, however, Felix Haibock evened the score for Wisconsin before the period came to an end. Connor Jalbert regained the lead for the Steel, before Braydon Beahm evened the score. Midway through the third, Lance Mengel scored what would wind up being the game winner, as Chippewa would emerge victorious in this one.

Minot 3 @ Watertown 1 - After being down early, the Minot Minotauros never looked back as they defeated the Watertown Shamrocks 3-1 Friday night. William Shephard scored the Shamrocks loan goal of the evening in the opening period. From there, Jessie Juhola, Gavin Middendorf, and John Small each capitalized on opportunities in the second to give Minot a comeback lead. The 3-1 score would hold true after a scoreless third, as the Minotauros hung on for the win. Lukas Swedin stood tall in net, padding away 26/27.

St. Cloud 5 @ Minnesota M 2 - The St. Cloud Norsemen defeated the Minnesota Mallards 5-2 Friday night. Mitch Vanderway got things rolling early for the Mallards, before Andrew Cummin evened the score for the Norsemen. Heading into the second period, Kyle Miller and Wyatt Farrel each hit the back of the net for St. Cloud. However, Ty Gordon would put Minnesota within one. Same Krane extended the Norsemen’s lead early in the third, before Martins Klaucans sealed the deal late with an empty netter. Despite only facing 19 shots, Beck Liden was strong, padding aside 17 in the victory.   

Janesville 6 @ Springfield 0 - The Janesville Jets claimed a decisive win on the road against the Springfield Jr. Blues Friday evening. Philippe Lalonde opened the scoring for Janesville midway through the first period to give the Jets an early lead. In the second, Nick Messina and Bauer Murphy both found the back of the net making the score 3-0 Janesville at the end of the period. Rylan Brady kicked off the scoring in the third period followed by Murphy and Messina each adding their second goals of the night to seal the win. The Jr. Blues’ goaltenders saved a combined 27 out of 33 shots, while the Jets’ goaltender, Matthew Alberti saved all 47 shots he faced earning himself his first NAHL shutout.

Colorado 2 @ Shreveport 5 - The Shreveport Mudbugs earned a solid victory at home against the Colorado Grit. Colorado struck first with a goal from Lucas Mann, but Shreveport quickly responded with a goal from Lucas Deeb. Colorado regained the lead when Nicholas Noble scored, but Shreveport tied it up again with a goal from Brent Litchard. In the second period, Kyan Haldenby scored on the power play to give Shreveport the lead, followed by a goal from Gleb Akimov to extend the advantage. Shreveport sealed their 5-2 win in the third period with a late goal from Litchard.

Austin 3 @ Aberdeen 1 - The Austin Bruins defeated the Aberdeen Wings Friday night on the road. After a scoreless first period, the Bruins’ opened the scoring late in the second with a power play goal from Zander Lipsett. Connor Beckwith later extended Austin’s lead finding the back of the net just 35 seconds into the third period. The Wings attempted to make a comeback with Jibber Kuhl netting a goal, but Alex Laurenza found the back of an empty net to secure the Bruins’ 3-1 victory. The Wings’ goaltender Damon Cunningham saved 20 out of the 22 shots he faced while the Bruins’ Jack Solomon saved 34 of 35 shots.

North Iowa 1 @ Bismarck 3 - The Bismarck Bobcats earned a hard-fought win on home ice against the North Iowa Bulls. Evan Johnson opened the scoring for the Bulls on a power play just over two minutes into the game, but the Bobcats retaliated late in the first with a power play goal of their own from Louie Kamienski. In the second period, Tommy Cronin found the back of the net to give Bismarck the lead. North Iowa pressed for a late tying goal, but Zane Rowan secured the Bobcats’ win, scoring an empty-netter with less than a minute left in the game.

Odessa 1 @ New Mexico 5 - The New Mexico Ice Wolves claimed a dominant victory over the Odessa Jackalopes on home ice. Andrey Moskvitin opened the scoring early in the first period, finding the back of the net to give New Mexico the lead. Odessa quickly responded, with Nicholas Arrington netting a goal to tie the game. However, the Ice Wolves reclaimed the lead with Johnny Johannson finding the back of the net, followed by Herman Asberg extending the lead before the end of the first. New Mexico continued its dominance the rest of the game, with Francois De Villiers scoring in the second and Sloan Farmer burying the Ice Wolves’ fifth goal of the night to seal their victory in the third. The Jackalopes’ goaltender William Karphed saved 36 out of the 41 shots he faced, while the Ice Wolves’ Jackson Fuller made 25 saves out of 26 shots.

Corpus Christi 3 @ Lone Star 1 - The Corpus Christi IceRays secured a solid road win against the Lone Star Brahmas. Matteus Soderbom opened the scoring late in the first period, finding the back of the net to give Corpus Christi the early lead. Pierson Sobush netted a goal midway through the second to extend the Ice Rays’ lead. The Brahmas attempted to make a comeback in the third with a goal from Leo Bergstrom, but Soderbom netted his second of the night just minutes later, sealing the IceRays’ 3-1 victory. The Brahmas’ goaltender Ryan Cameron saved 29 out of the 32 shots he faced, while the Ice Rays’ netminder Nikita Volsky made 31 saves out of 32 shots.

Amarillo 2 @ El Paso 4 - The El Paso Rhinos claimed a strong victory over the Amarillo Wranglers Friday night. After a scoreless first period, Kyle Arias broke the deadlock in the second to put El Paso on the board. Amarillo quickly responded with Kirill Evstigneev, finding the back of the net to tie the game, but Benjamin Winkelmann struck soon after to reclaim the Rhinos’ lead. In the third, Nosh Ribeiro netted a goal for the Wranglers, but Andrew DellaDonna and Roope Tuomioska each found the back of the net to secure El Paso’s 4-2 win. The Wranglers’ goaltender Charles-Antoine Girard saved 23 out of 27 shots, while the Rhinos’ Logan Hughes made 32 shots on 34 saves.

Fairbanks 1 @ Anchorage 3 - The Anchorage Wolverines scored a big 3-1 decision over the in-state rival Fairbanks Ice Dogs. Samuel Evert opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the year. Brock Devlin increased the Wolverines lead with his 10th of the campaign. Taisetsu Ushio made it a three goal game early in the third period with his 17th of the season. Wyatt Carlson got Fairbanks on the board but it was too little too late as the Wolverines skated away with the win. Michael Manzi got his first win in an Anchorage uniform as he made 24 saves on 25 shots. Mason McElroy were given the loss with 30 saves on the night. 

Minnesota W 2 @ Kenai River 3 - Andrew Larson and Gavin Jensen each had a goal and an assist as the Kenai River Brown Bears took down the Minnesota Wilderness 3-2. Brady Englekes netted the eventual game winner in the third period with his 13th of the year. Ben Roulette and Jakeb Lynch provided the offense for the Wilderness. Mitchell McCusker was busy all night long as he ended the night with 43 saves. Niklas Erickson took the loss in net with 28 saves.

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