Black Bears, Steel Even Series At One

Maryland and Rochester took home wins in their East Division Semifinal series. Photo Credit (James Harding & Emmy Vitali)

Johnstown 1 @ Rochester 2 (Rochester leads East Division Semifinals 2-0): The Rochester Jr. Americans took a 2-0 series lead over the Johnstown Tomahawks thanks to another solid performance from a former emergency backup goalie. Rochester goalie Jensen Carlstrom was between the pipes for all 60 minutes in the win, saving 24 of 25 shots on goal. An emergency backup, Carlstrom filled in for Danick Leroux a quarter of the way through the first period in the Jr Americans' game one win after Leroux went down with a non-contact injury. A more of a low-scoring affair in game two, the Jr Americans only needed two goals to get the job done. Rochester got on the board with less than four minutes left in the first period when forward Ryan Shaw shoveled a pass to forward Owen King just beyond the blue line. King gathered the puck, cut toward the middle, and rifled a shot to the net but was unsuccessful. The puck careened off the end boards, and King was there to recover it and score less than ten feet away. Rochester added to their lead at the start of the second period. Under a minute in, forwards Calle Karlsson and Jaden Dyke raced down the ice on a fastbreak in a 2-on-1 advantage. Karlsson shifted up the left wing, delayed, and dished it to Dyke, who scored the Jr Americans' second goal of the night. Johnstown forward Ryan Flaherty lit the lamp for the Tomahawks twelve minutes later, but Johnstown could not tie the game down the stretch.

Maine 0 @ Maryland 2 (East Division Semifinals Tied 1-1): The Maryland Black Bears bounced back in front of their home crowd and took game two from the Maine Nordiques to tie the series 1-1. In game one, the Nordiques put up four goals against Maryland goalie Marko Bilic, two of which came during a power play. It was a different story in game two, though. Maine had six power plays and couldn't score during a single one. Bilic saw 32 shots on goal and saved each one, recording his fourth shutout of the year. Bilic and the Black Bears even survived a five-minute power play at the eight-minute mark in the second period. Less than a minute after the power play expired, Maryland scored its first goal. Forward Kareem El Bashir was tangled up behind the net with two other Maine skaters, and the home fans wanted a penalty, but nothing was called. Moments later, El Bashir slipped free, received a pass from defenseman Dylan Gordon, and slapped in his first goal of the playoffs. The crowd showed their support by chucking stuffed animal fishes onto the ice. A few minutes later, the Black Bears were celebrating again after forward Tyler Stern intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and sniped a pass to forward Isac Nielsen, who slapped in his second goal of the playoffs. 

Chippewa 2 @ Wisconsin 0 (Midwest Division Semifinals Tied 1-1): In Game 2 of the Midwest Division semifinals, a 34 save shutout from Chippewa netminder Devin Shakar would be all they needed to tie the series, defeating the Windigo by a final of 2-0. Late in the first, strong play below the dots from Patrick Vogl found the stick of Ryder McIntosh, and his centering pass found Mason Johnson, and he beat Lucas Szyszka top shelf to give the visitors the lead with two minutes to go in the period. The middle frame saw plenty of physical play and plenty of chances, but 15 saves from Shakar and three from Szyszka kept the Steel lead at one heading into the final frame. With just under two minutes to go, the Windigo pulled their goalie, trying to equalize with the extra attacker. However, a tough play at the blue line found the puck on the stick of Connor Jalbert, and the race was on to the empty net. Jalbert sent a cross ice pass to Jackson Lackas, and he buried it with 1:57 remaining to seal the win for the Steel.

Minot 2 @ Austin 1 (OT) (Minot leads Central Division Semifinals 2-0): Heavy offensive pressure from the Austin Bruins didn’t deter the Minot Minotauros Saturday evening; the Tauros securing the overtime victory. Despite the Bruins outshooting the Tauros 20-7 through the first period with each team getting quality scoring chances, the score remained 0-0. Tauros goaltender Lukas Swedin started off strong once again, stopping all 20 shots through 20 minutes. The deadlock remained five minutes into the second until Braeden Jockims intercepted a pass from Nathan Williams to cut the defense for a straight line path to Bruins goaltender Carl Axelsson. Jockims beat Axelsson on the shot, giving the Tauros the 1-0 lead. The remainder of the second period saw both teams going on the power play multiple times, but neither team failed to register any goals to keep it 1-0 Tauros entering the final period of regulation. The Bruins tied the game 4:45 in the third period, with Ryan Lund registering his first goal of the series on the main assist from Evan Malkhassian, closing the distance to send the game into overtime after both teams went scoreless the remainder of regulation. Overtime lasted only 43 seconds, Jesse Juhola unassisted splitting the defense cross-ice to rifle one in on the outside of Axelsson’s pad. Juhola’s goal sends the Tauros back home with a 2-0 lead in the series.

Corpus Christi 3 @ Shreveport 1 (Corpus Christi leads South Division Semifinals 2-0): Despite Friday taking multiple overtimes to declare a winner, both teams were back in action just a day later. The IceRays would find the lead early in this one, with Carter Krenke lighting the lamp quickly in Game 2.  Not surprisingly, the Mudbugs would find a way to equalize the game, with a goal coming from Andrew Seminara. The game would continue to go back and forth, with both teams getting numerous chances on the man advantage. The game would stay tied after the second and would stay tied in the third. That is, until Stepan Kuznetsov would find the twine late in the third. Cody Kempf would add an empty-netter to secure the 2-0 series lead. Benji Motew would pick up yet another win, making 25 saves on the night.

Aberdeen 1 @ Bismarck 0 (OT) (Aberdeen leads Central Division Semifinals 2-0): Damon Cunningham earned a 27 save shutout Saturday night as he propelled the Aberdeen Wings to a commanding 2-0 series lead over the league-best Bismarck Bobcats. The first two periods were fairly even offensively for either team, both taking shots at one another on open chances. Cunningham and Bobcats goaltender Tomas Anderson each strong in net with 16 and 19 saves respectively going into the final period of regulation. Entering scoreless in the third period, the Bobcats tightened their defense knowing a single goal could be the difference between tying the series or going on the road down two games. They held Aberdeen to only two shots in the third, but the Wings also played with more effort on defense to hold the Bobcats to seven shots. Neither team failed to score the game winning goal in the period to head into overtime. 1:30 into overtime, Cooper Anderson shot a cross-ice pass to Cade Moxham, who scored the game winner for the Wings to give them a commanding 2-0 lead in the series on their way back to home ice.

New Mexico 1 @ Lone Star 4 (Lone Star leads South Division Semifinals 2-0): With the Brahmas taking a 1-0 series lead, the Ice Wolves were looking to bounce back on Saturday. The first period would not be ideal for New Mexico, as they would fall two goals behind, with Anthony Cappello and Owen Kerr scoring. Both teams would have numerous power-play opportunities in the second, but neither would convert. In the third,  Andrew Earl would score to cut the lead in half. However, a powerplay goal from Elias Kumlin and an empty netter from Saxton Tess would put this game out of reach. Ryan Cameron would grab another victory, stopping 22 of 23 in Game 2.

Anchorage 4 @ Fairbanks 1 (Anchorage leads Midwest Division Semifinals 2-0): In Game 2 of the Midwest Division semifinals, the battle of Alaska saw the Anchorage Wolverines defeat the Fairbanks Ice Dogs by a final of 4-1, taking a 2-0 series lead back to Anchorage. Just past the midway point of the period, a long shot from Caden Pendo was kicked aside by Michael Manzi, but a second chance opportunity found the stick of Luca Ricciardi, and he buried it to give the home squad the lead. However, just over three minutes later, strong play below the dots for Anchorage led to the puck finding Duke Gentzler at the line, and his seeing eye laser found the top shelf past Mason McElroy to bring the game into the first intermission deadlocked at a goal apiece. However, the Wolverines would start the period on the man advantage, and they capitalized, as a Gentzler opportunity was stopped by McElroy, but at the 18:22 mark, Cole Christian cleaned up the loose puck for his second of the weekend, and gave the Wolverines the lead. Later on, a beautiful passing sequence between Andrew Karkoc and Patrick Tolan found the stick of Aaron VanWie, and he converted the tic-tac-toe to give the Wolverines a two goal lead. Late in the third, with the Ice Dogs fighting to get back in the game with the extra skater, a 200-foot clear from Daniel Bagnole found twine, and his second of the weekend secured the win for the Wolverines. In net, Manzi stopped 22 in the win, while McElroy had an impressive 29 in the loss. 

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