Friday Finals: The Windigo Rallied Past the Red-Hot Wilderness in Overtime

Rochester 1 @ Maine 3 -  The home team had themselves a thrilling third period, shutting down the visiting Rochester Jr. Americans 3-1 Friday night. They eliminated Rochester’s three-game heater in an eastern showdown. In the first period, neither team would put anything on the board. However, in the second, the Americans lit the lamp first, as Corson Maguire opened the scoring all by himself. Then, for the third, the Nordiques took it from there. Pete Luecke did the same thing Maguire did and scored unassisted to tie things up. About two minutes later, Maine broke the tie with the go-ahead goal by Austin Borggaard from some playmaking by Marshall McCharles. With minutes ticking off the clock, the Americans tried everything to tie the game. But the Nordiques simply held their ground and were an offensive and defensive powerhouse, with Lukas Fursten acting as a brick wall in the blue paint. To finish off the game, Rylan Oster tucked one past Jensen Carlstrom to make the final score 3-1.

Danbury 3 @ Elmira 4 - The Elmira Aviators cut off their three-game losing streak last night after defeating the Danbury Hat Tricks 4-3 on home turf. Danbury had a hat trick of goals for this game, but did not start scoring until later in the middle frame. For the first period, the home club opened the scoring when Jack Kohlmann fed Matt Maglio to light the lamp. Then, in the second, Evan Dantas made it 2-0 with some help from Brendan Bedorf. But later into the frame, Kai Elkie broke the ice and put a goal on the board for the Hat Tricks. For the third, both teams clashed by scoring two goals respectively. Matt Dabrowski tied the game up at two when he was set up by Elkie and Matt Shpungin. But then six minutes later, a man with three names, Nico-Patrick Pohjola, broke the tie for the Aviators. However, that was not the only scoring the home club had left in them, as Pohjola grabbed another to give his team the go-ahead goal. Before the buzzer, the Hat Tricks had a little trick up their sleeve, as Rhys Medved made it 4-3 to give Danbury some breathing room. However, breathing room or not, the visiting team would not be able to close this one out. 

Northeast 4 @ New Hampshire 3 - The Northeast Generals squeaked out a road victory Friday night against a resilient New Hampshire Mountain Kings squad. Jackson Hone opened the scoring on the power play in the first period, with assists from Rogiero Cacciarelli and Thomas Quast, giving the Mountain Kings an early edge. Andrew Gibbons tied it up early in the second, finishing a setup from Tyler Kelly and Luke Drury. Later in the frame, Spencer Hirsch gave the Generals their first lead, assisted by Mikey Bartkowski and Jackson Rutherford. Early in the third, Northeast extended its advantage to two when Logan Poulin buried a power-play goal off feeds from Kody Moyer and Bartkowski. Ben Dias quickly answered for New Hampshire to pull the hosts back within one, but Poulin struck again soon after, this time with help from Thomas Klochkov and Alec Hall, restoring the Generals’ cushion. Cacciarelli made things interesting late with a shorthanded goal from Nicolas Vrtiel, but the Mountain Kings’ comeback bid fell short. Goaltender Will Mizenko stood tall for Northeast, stopping 30 shots to secure the win, while Gavin Weeks turned aside 23 in a hard-fought effort for New Hampshire. The victory marks Northeast’s fourth straight win, while New Hampshire continues to search for answers amid a six-game skid.

New Jersey 3 @ Philadelphia 0 - The New Jersey Titans put on a stellar defensive display Friday night, shutting down the Philadelphia Rebels in a 3–0 victory. The Titans limited the Rebels to just 18 shots on goal, eliminating scoring opportunities while generating plenty of their own. Neither side broke through in the first period, sending the game scoreless into the first intermission. Kristofers Krumins gave New Jersey a spark midway through the second, finding the back of the net off a feed from Tyler Rothstein. A few minutes later, Tate Pecknold doubled the lead on the power play, finishing a setup from Blake Jones and Luke Schoen. The Titans carried that 2–0 advantage into the third period. Riding their momentum, Skogen Schrott sealed the win with another power-play goal, making it 3–0. Schoen and Jones each picked up their second assists of the night on the play. In net, Andrei Nikolaev earned the shutout with 18 saves, standing tall against the Rebels’ limited chances. Ilja Nikitins turned aside 38 shots for Philadelphia in a strong effort despite the loss. Philadelphia continues to search for answers amid a seven-game losing streak, while New Jersey rolls on with a red-hot start to the season.

Johnstown 1 @ Maryland 4 - The Maryland Black Bears continued their immense win streak to nine-straight wins after defeating the Johnstown Tomahawks 4-1 on home ice. With a win streak like that, the Black Bears have not lost a game at home, and that would stay after last night's slate. For the first period, the Black Bears quickly lit the lamp, as Petr Pavelec would open the scoring at 1:17. Then, four minutes later, they would score again, when Tanner Duncan tucked one in from a pass by Anthony Pellitteri and Trey Hinton. But at the six-minute mark, the Tomahawks went on the board for the first and final time. Emerson Marshall would bank one off of Ryan Denes, after being fed by Chayse Laurie, to trail by a goal. Heading into the second, the Black Bears finished off the Tomahawks after scoring two unanswered. Pevelc set up Dominik Boltnar to shoot and score on Nikita Oleksiienko. And with less than a minute to play, the Black Bears grabbed their final goal of the game, when Duncan netted his second of the night to seal the deal. 

Bismarck 2 @ Minnesota M 1 (OT) - The reigning Robertson Cup Champions, the Bismarck Bobcats, are on the road to take on the Minnesota Mallards. The Mallards strike first and fast with a goal less than three minutes into the game. Joseph Delaurentis scores thanks to an assist by Minnesota native, Bryce Witala. The score would stay the same until the Bobcats answered late in the second period. Cooper Williams scored on the power play thanks to an assist by Charlie Kresl. The third period would remain scoreless, forcing the contest to head into overtime. In overtime, George Poirier scores the game-winning goal, marking his second of the season, with just 35 seconds left on the clock for Bismarck. The Bobcats squeak out a close one with the Mallards and secure a 2-1 overtime victory.

El Paso 3 @ Oklahoma 4 (SO) - The Oklahoma Warriors pulled out a thrilling shootout win Friday night over the El Paso Rhinos in a back-and-forth contest. London Kearney opened the scoring in the first period, giving the Warriors a 1–0 lead. Wonjun Yun and Jakub Galnor picked up the assists on the only goal of the frame, sending Oklahoma into intermission on top. El Paso responded in the second as Kamden Kaiser tied the game on the power play against a tough Warriors penalty kill, with Troy Hunka and Ian Kastamo setting it up. Kearney answered again later in the period for Oklahoma, assisted by Ben Likness and Keaton Martin, to regain the lead. But El Paso struck back before the buzzer when Ethan Woolcott buried a late goal off feeds from Kastamo and Hunka, sending the game into the third tied 2–2. Early in the final frame, Diago Hotta gave El Paso its first lead of the night, putting the Rhinos ahead 3–2 with assists from Woolcott and Hunka. Midway through the period, Oklahoma evened things back up when Likness converted off a setup from Nathan Da Silva and Kyle Sorensen. The 3–3 deadlock carried through overtime and into a shootout, where Sorensen came through with the game-winner to lift Oklahoma to victory. In goal, Billy Stuski was outstanding for the Warriors, stopping 50 shots in the win. Michael Modelski was sharp for El Paso as well, turning aside 46 in a strong effort. The Rhinos see their three-game win streak snapped, while Oklahoma keeps rolling at home and looks to carry the momentum into Saturday night’s rematch.

Springfield 4 @ Janesville 2 - The Springfield Jr. Blues went on the road to take on the Janesville Jets. The Jets would score first with a goal from Illinois native Grant Dillard. The Jr. Blues would answer back quickly with a goal from Dennis Emesibe, marking his first goal of the season. With 51 seconds left on the clock in the first, third-year veteran Niko Laus tallies a goal to give the Jr. Blues the 2-1 lead leading into the second period. The middle frame featured a power-play goal by Janesville’s Sean Truby to even up the score. However, the Jr. Blues were hungry to gain a lead. Brayden Sprickman tallied his first goal of the season at the 1:27 minute mark to give Springfield the 3-2 lead. The contest would feature the Jets having more opportunities to even up the matchup; however, with 11 seconds on the clock, Laus tallies his second goal of the night, short-handed, to give the Jr. Blues the 4-2 lead and eventual victory.

Shreveport 1 @ Corpus Christi 2  - The Corpus Christi Ice Rays hosted the Shreveport Mudbugs in a physical match where special teams proved to be the difference as all three goals between the two teams were on the power play. The Ice Rays struck first with a power play goal at 6:53 in the first by Grayson Gerhard, assisted by Maruna and Richard. In the second period, the Mudbugs tied it at one a piece on a goal at 14:05 by Jared Greiner, his first of the season. He was assisted by Adams and Paricka. A minute into the third Trent Coleman, assisted by Maruna would find the back of the net to give the Ice Rays a 2-1 lead. The Ice Rays lead would eventually turn into a 2-1 win in front of the home crowd.

St. Cloud 4 @ North Iowa 5 (OT) - The St. Cloud Norsemen went on the road to North Iowa to take on the Bulls. The Bulls were looking to continue their winning ways at home after defeating the Aberdeen Wings last weekend in overtime. The game started with a Norsemen goal from Alex Sandhu. Right before the end of the period, the Bulls would answer back with a goal from Vitaliy Korolyuk. Less than a minute into the second period, the Norsemen would score again to take the lead. Sam Crane notched the goal at the 19:05 minute mark, with the assist coming from Alex Sandhu. The Bulls would answer again with a power-play goal from Denis Hodas. To start the final period, the Bulls would take their first lead of the game with another power-play goal, this time from Carter Davis. The Norsemen would respond with a power-play goal of their own. Alex Sandhu tallies his second goal of the night to tie up the contest. The Bulls would take the lead back with a goal from Parker Osborn. The Norsemen would send the game to overtime with another power-play goal, this time by William Esterbrooks at the 7:53 minute mark. The Bulls would extend their winning ways at home when Vitaliy Korolyuk found the back of the net with less than three minutes on the clock. North Iowa’s Brody Dietz was influential in the contest, tallying four assists for the Bulls in their 5-4 overtime victory.

Odessa 4 @ Amarillo 3 - The Amarillo Wranglers hosted the Odessa Jackalopes in their home opener on Friday night. The Odessa Jackalopes spoiled the fun coming away with the 4-3 win. Amarillo out-shot the Jackalopes 27-23. The Jackalopes opened the scoring with a goal by Jack L’Esperance, assisted by Puricelli. The Wranglers answered seven minutes later with a goal by Ty Izadi, assisted by Mccorrister at 8:31 in the first. The Jackalopes took the lead back with a goal by Shea Barry, assisted by Puricelli and Toms. In the second, the Jackalopes extended their lead 3-1 on an unassisted goal by Luke Mcpherson. The Wranglers cut into the deficit with a power play goal by Jacob Miller, assisted by Hegarty and Smith 3-2. In the third, Alex Thomas extended the Jackalopes lead to 4-2 assisted by Jacobs on the power play. The Wranglers would try to come back on a goal by Alfons Jentler, assisted by Schaefer, but the Jackalopes would remain victorious.

Wisconsin 4 @ Minnesota W 3 (OT) - Michael Ryan’s second goal of the night was the key to ending the Minnesota Wilderness win streak at eight as the Wisconsin Windigo netted a 4-3 overtime victory over the Midwest Division leaders. Andrei Gudin opened the scoring for Minnesota midway through the first but Ronnie Hill countered with a power play goal in the final minutes of the opening frame to bring us even at one. Noah Dziver gave Minnesota the lead again in the second period with his team-leading 11th of the year. In the third, Ryan’s first of the evening tied the game again for Wisconsin before Henry Steele’s first of the season gave them their first lead of the evening. The Wilderness would not go quietly as Landon Cottingham’s first of the campaign tied the game with 2:40 left in the action. That set the stage for Ryan’s game winner that was set up by Teddy Richardson and Alexios Georgaklis. Easton Cody was the winner in the blue paint with 32 saves. Valdemar Andersen was stuck with the loss despite making 30 stops. 

Lone Star 4 @ New Mexico 3 (OT) - The New Mexico Ice Wolves hosted the Lone Star Brahmas for a tightly contested game on Friday night. Both teams sit in the top two spots of the south division currently. The Lone Star Brahmas would eventually come away with the OT win 4-3 extending their win streak to 5. The home team struck first five minutes in with a goal by Nicholas Petkovich for the Ice Wolves. In the second, the Wolves extended their lead to two with a goal by Sean Smith less than three minutes in. The Brahmas would finally answer with less than five minutes left in the second on a goal by Blake Patterson, his first of the season. In the third, the Brahmas would tie it up 2-2 on an unassisted goal by Camden Prier. Four minutes later, Oskar Edberg would pull the Ice Wolves back out front. The Brahmas would tie the score up once again with 2:21 to go on a goal by Denver Damphousse to send the game to overtime. The Ice Wolves took a penalty with 44 seconds left in the third, which carried over to the extra session. The Brahmas took advantage, scoring a power play goal by Gustav Lexell, assisted by Leo Isaksson picking up the win for the Brahmas.

Aberdeen 3 @ Minot 7 - The Aberdeen Wings went on the road to take on the Minot Minotauros in a battle of the Dakota teams. The Wings are coming off their win streak, being broken by the North Iowa Bulls, and were looking to get back to their winning ways. The Minotauros have had a rough go early in the season, and they are looking to get their season back on track with a big win against the Wings. The Minotauros came out swinging early with a goal from Michael Solominsky at the 16:25 minute mark. The Tauros followed it up with a power-play goal from Brady Zugec. The Wings were able to get on the board with 20 seconds left in the first period with a goal scored by Charlie Burchfield. In the second period, the Minotauros would extend their lead with a goal from Daniil Afonin, marking his first goal of the season. The offensive prowess continued when Zugec tallied his second goal of the night, this time on the man advantage for Minot. The final period would open with a quick goal from the Wings thanks to a power-play goal by Sam Scheetz. The Wings would score again with a goal from Caden Lee, marking his first tally of the year. With 5:35 left on the clock in the final frame, the Tauros put on an offensive masterclass with Dane Ramirez finding the back of the net twice in two minutes to give Minot the 6-3 lead. The Minotauros would put the final nail in the coffin with a power-play goal by Dominic Pajkic, marking his first goal of the season. The Minotauros upset the Wings 7-3 and secured their first home victory of the season.

Chippewa 2 @ Anchorage 7 - In a commanding performance at Sullivan Arena, the Anchorage Wolverines claimed a decisive 7-2 victory over the Chippewa Steel. The Wolverines dominated from the outset, with Luc Bydal opening the scoring early in the first period. Anchorage's offense continued to excel with Blake Mahar, Bowen Burke, and Chase Trompeter all contributing goals, while Rylan Bydal added another late in the game. Liam Ernst was exceptional between the pipes for Anchorage, earning the game's first star with 32 saves on 34 shots, maintaining a 0.941 save percentage. Chase Trompeter and Luc Bydal were pivotal in the Wolverines' offensive onslaught, earning the second and third stars respectively. Despite a power-play goal from Gage Martell and a tally by Michael Gravina, Chippewa struggled to keep pace, particularly in the face of Anchorage's relentless attack that saw them outshoot the Steel 37 to 34. 

Kenai River 2 @ Fairbanks 3 - In a thrilling match at the Big Dipper Ice Arena, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs secured a narrow 3-2 victory over the Kenai River Brown Bears. Fairbanks took an early lead with Clarke Nehmens finding the back of the net at 16:17 in the first period, assisted by Chris Hodges and Mack Diggins. The Kenai River responded in the second period with David Greene's power-play goal, assisted by Alex Ballard, leveling the score.The third period was a flurry of action. Fairbanks' Luke Osborn, with an assist from Parker Nyitray, reclaimed the lead at 07:04. Kenai's Samuel Sisik equalized shortly after. However, it was Parker Nyitray who clinched the game for Fairbanks, scoring at 02:27 with assists from Osborn and Mason Knaffla. Mason McElroy was stellar in goal for Fairbanks, recording 25 saves on 27 shots, earning him the third star of the game. Nyitray and Greene were awarded first and second stars, respectively. Despite a valiant effort, Kenai River's Connor Mackenzie faced 24 shots, saving 21.