Friday Finals: A Buzzer-Beater Finish by Bismarck

Noah Ziskie was the hero for Bismarck in overtime

El Paso 4 @ Amarillo 2 - The Amarillo Wranglers hosted the El Paso Rhinos for the teams’ first matchups against each other of the season. Both teams were looking to extend their winning streak, with the Rhinos winning their previous matchup against the Oklahoma Warriors, and the Wranglers winning their previous two matchups against the Odessa Jackalopes. During the first period, the Rhinos were able to capitalize on their power play twice, with forward Jackson Potulny scoring at 14:22, and forward Ethan Woolcott scoring at 3:44. In the second period, the Wranglers attempted to tie up the scoring, with forward Caden Hegarty scoring at 7:34, and forward Alfrons Jentler scoring at 6:37. The tie between the teams would not remain for long, as Rhinos Forward Brendan Murray would score the third goal for the team with 1:21 remaining in the period. In the third, the Wranglers were not able to tie up the score, and Woolcott would score his second of the game for the Rhinos at 10:12 to end the game 4-2. Charles Antoine-Girard started in net for the Wranglers and made 27 saves. Michael Modelski started in net for the Rhinos and made 21 saves.

Johnstown 4 @ Maine 5 (OT) - The Maine Nordiques hosted the Johnstown Tomahawks, both teams’ first matchups against each other for the season. The Tomahawks were looking to break their five-game losing streak, and the Nordiques were looking to extend their five-game winning streak. The first period was relatively quiet, with the lone goal scored by Nordiques forward Aslan Zhussupbekov scoring his first of the season at 12:15. The second period was somehow quieter than the first, with no goals scored by either team. However, when it got to the third period, both teams were quick to score in succession. The Tomahawks got their first goal of the game on a penalty kill, with forward Charlie Zetterkvist tying up the score at 14:19. Tomahawks defenseman Kalib Capecci pulled a lead for the team by netting one at 11:41. The Tomahawks’ lead would not last long. Not even 30 seconds later, Nordiques forward Joe Gasperko tied up the game 2-2. Nordiques forward Henry Butte would extend the team’s lead to 3-2 at 8:06. Nordiques forward Luke Gallo would continue to extend the team’s lead with a goal at 2:20. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, it seemed as though the Nordiques had secured a victory. However, at 1:37, the Tomahawks were able to capitalize on the power play, and Zetterkvist scored his second of the game. The Tomahawks continued their rally back, and forward Nick Jarmain scored the tying goal with eight seconds remaining in regulation time. During overtime, Nordiques forward Josh Itri was able to secure the victory for Maine at 2:29. Matthew Wood started in net for the Nordiques and made 24 saves. Zack Ferris started in net for the Tomahawks and made 15 saves.

New Jersey 2 @ Northeast 3 - The Northeast Generals hosted the New Jersey Titans for their first matchup of the season. The Titans wanted to extend their winning streak to two games, while the Generals wanted to extend theirs to three. During the first period, Generals forward Spencer Hirsch scored the only goal of the period at 1:02. The second period yielded no goals, and in the third, Generals forward Alec Hall would score at 16:09. Generals forward Owen O’Rear would score a shorthanded goal at 14:21. The Titans attempted to come back from their 0-3 gap during the remainder of the first period. Titans forward Owen Leahy scored at 8:48 on the power play and Skogen Schrott scored the team’s second goal of the game at 00:59. Will Mizenko started in net for the Generals and made 35 saves. Andrei Nikolaev started in net for the Titans and made 34 saves.

Elmira 3 @ New Hampshire 6 - The New Hampshire Mountain Kings hosted the Elmira Aviators for their first matchup against one another of the season. The Aviators were coming off a two-game win streak, while the Mountain Kings were coming off a win in their most recent game against the Northeast Generals. In the first period, Aviators forward Jack Kohlmann scored at 12:07. His teammate, Max Campbell, would also score a goal for Elmira at 6:33. In the second period, Aviators forward Maximus McGuire scored a goal with under a minute remaining in the second. In the third period, the Mountain Kings scored a series of goals to complete a comeback. Forward Cole Roenick scored at 12:29. Roenick then scored his second of the game on the penalty kill at 10:19. Dahms scored a goal at 8:43. Roenick proceeded to complete his hat trick with a goal on the power play at 4:09. Mountain Kings forward Alexander Duhon was able to score the sixth goal for New Hampshire shorthanded and with no time remaining in the game. Jake Kunzon started in net for New Hampshire and made 25 saves. Aiden McKenna started in net for the Aviators and made 32 saves.

Philadelphia 2 @ Rochester 6 - The Rochester Jr. Americans hosted the Philadelphia Rebels for their third matchup against each other in the 2025-26 season. In their previous meetings, Rochester won both games. Before their third meeting, the Rebels were coming off a win while the Jr. Americans were coming off a two-game losing streak. In the first period, Rebels forward Billy Sheridan scored a goal at 11:42. In the second period, Jr. Americans forward Ryan Shaw scored a goal at 19:06, and then proceeded to score again two minutes later, giving Rochester the lead 2-1. Rochester was not able to hold on to the lead, and Rebels forward Charlie Spencer capitalized on the power play at 3:26. In the third period, the Rebels and Jr. Americans were tied 2-2. Rochester forward Keanan Dewberry was able to score on the power play at 13:45. 24 seconds later, his teammate, Colin Dustin, was able to score, extending Rochester’s lead to 4-2. Shaw completed his hat trick with a little over six minutes remaining in the third, and Rochester won the third matchup of the season against Philadelphia. Jensen Carlstrom started in net for the Jr. Americans and made 19 saves. Ben Varsa started in net for the Rebels and made 34 saves.

Minot 2 @ St. Cloud 0 - The Tauros head to St. Cloud to take on the Norsemen for a two-game set. Kicking things off on Friday night, Minot got the scoring started with a power-play goal by Brady Zugec, a Western Michigan commit. As the game moved into the second period, both teams traded opportunities to score. However, no one was able to notch a goal in the second. Moving into the final period, the lamp would not light again until the final 30 seconds on the clock when Zugec tallied his second goal of the night, this time an empty-netter, to give the Tauros a 2-0 shutout victory. Between the pipes for Minot, Devin Rustlie produces his first shutout of the season with a 24-save performance. In the blue paint for the Norsemen, Beck Liden turned away 17 out of 18 shots. 

New Mexico 4 @ Oklahoma 0  - New Mexico Ice Wolves’ goaltender Conner Roff was the star of the show Friday night, pitching a shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Oklahoma Warriors. Roff recorded 38 saves in the contest, earning first star of the game honors. The shutout win helped New Mexico keep pace with first-place Lone Star, sitting five points out of the top spot with 20. The first period was uneventful, as neither team found a way to beat Roff and Oklahoma goaltender Billy Stuski despite a combined 29 shots on goal. New Mexico finally broke the ice just over two minutes into the middle frame. George McCaffrey’s fourth tally of the year got the Ice Wolves off and running. Sean Gibbons added to the New Mexico lead just over two minutes later, beating Stuski for his sixth marker of the campaign. Oklahoma kept pace in the shots department, but could not solve Roff as the teams entered the second intermission with New Mexico leading by a pair of goals. The Warriors pressed their attack throughout the third period, sending 11 more shots on Roff to New Mexico’s eight third-period shots. The Ice Wolves goaltender stood tall, turning all 11 Warrior shots away. New Mexico sealed the 4-0 final with two goals inside the final two minutes on Brock Fairbanks’ seventh and Andy Earl’s ninth goals of the season.

North Iowa 6 @ Minnesota M 1 - Helping to tighten up the race to the top of the Central Division standings, North Iowa secured some crucial points in Minnesota. The matchup kicked off with North Iowa showing up on the scoresheet first. Vitaliy Korolyuk tallies a power-play goal at the 2:44 minute mark in the first frame to give the Bulls the lead heading into the second. The middle frame featured a dominating offensive performance by North Iowa. Brody Dietz lights the lamp first with a goal at the 14:47 minute mark. Following him almost a minute later, Bobby Thornton scores his second goal of the season. Two minutes later, Denis Kuzmenkov found the back of the net on the man advantage for the Bulls. Korolyuk extends North Iowa's lead with his second power-play goal of the contest with less than four minutes in the middle frame. The Mallards were able to tally their lone goal of the night thanks to Drew Bowe scoring at the 48-second mark in the second period. Moving into the final 20 minutes of play, both teams traded chances to score; however, the offensive production picked up once again for North Iowa when Jack Sullivan notched a short-handed goal at the 1:05 minute mark in the final frame. The Bulls secured a dominant 6-1 victory, while North Iowa’s netminder, Aaron Sachs, turned away 18 out of 19 shots. 

Austin 1 @ Watertown 2 (OT)  - In an electric come-from-behind contest, the Shamrocks produced an upset with some puck luck in the final moments of the matchup. The game kicked off with the Bruins lighting up the scoreboard first, thanks to a goal by Air Force commit Zander Lipsett in the final two minutes of the first frame. The second period was scoreless as both teams traded chances. In the third period, it looked like Austin would secure a 1-0 shutout victory; however, with seven seconds on the clock, Watertown’s Roy Chung tallied his first goal of the season in a critical moment. He tied up the game, forcing the matchup to move into overtime. As the game went into extra minutes, the Shamrocks were able to secure the victory with a power-play goal by Junior Podein at the 3:18 minute mark in overtime. Serving as the hero for the Shamrocks between the pipes, Mason Gudridge featured a stellar performance, stopping 38 out of 39 shots on net.

Wisconsin 3 @ Springfield 2 - The Wisconsin Windigo extended its winning streak to four games Friday night, taking down the Springfield Jr. Blues in a tightly-contested 3-2 showdown. Wisconsin’s AJ Bongiorno tallied the game-winning goal four minutes into the second period. His goal helped the Windigo jump ahead of the Jr. Blues for fourth place in the Midwest Division with 15 points. Springfield now sits in fifth place with 13 points. The teams spent most of the opening frame deadlocked in a scoreless tie despite a combined 26 shots. Wisconsin finally broke the ice just 19 seconds before the buzzer, off the stick of Payton Mithmuangneua. His goal stood as the lone marker of the period to send the game to the break with the Windigo leading 1-0. The offense carried over to the second period right away for Wisconsin, as Theodore Richardson scored just 50 seconds in to double the Windigo lead. The Jr. Blues had a quick answer. Josh Zitzman did it all himself with an unassisted goal just two minutes later to cut Wisconsin’s lead back down to one. Just as Springfield had a quick answer, Wisconsin struck right back. Bongiorno’s goal, the eventual game-winner, restored the Windigo’s two-goal lead just over a minute after Zitzman’s goal. The offense settled down for the remainder of the period, sending the teams to the final 20 minutes with Wisconsin up 3-1. Springfield furiously searched for offense to get back in the game, but was shut down for most of the period by Wisconsin goaltender Max Kogler. Jr. Blues’ Logan Opgrand made things interesting with just 2:41 remaining to cut the deficit back down to one, but Kogler stood tall during the final Springfield attack to secure a 3-2 win for Wisconsin.

Janesville 3 @ Minnesota W 2 - It was a thriller on Halloween night in Cloquet, Minnesota, as a clutch, last-second goal from Janesville’s Mason Minsky propelled his Jets to a 3-2 victory over the first-place Minnesota Wilderness. Minsky notched the power-play marker with just one second remaining on the clock to steal a massive road victory over the division leaders. Janesville now sits in third place in the Midwest Division with 18 points. The loss was Minnesota’s third straight, while the win began a win streak for the Jets at two in a row. Minnesota flexed its muscles early in the game, taking a 1-0 lead thanks to Zachary Homer’s 10th goal of the season. The Wilderness also outshot Janesville 10-6 in the opening frame. The Jets entered the second period with new fire. Grant Dillard notched his seventh of the season to tie the game at one goal apiece just under five minutes into the period. Then, 10 minutes later, Murray Marvin-Cordes tallied his fourth goal of the campaign on the power play to give Janesville its first lead of the night. Janesville held the edge in play during the middle frame, outshooting Minnesota 15-12. The Wilderness squared the game back up with 9:01 to play, thanks to Noah Dziver’s 12th marker of the year. The teams remained deadlocked through the late stages of the game. The door finally opened for Janesville as Minnesota’s Olle Karlsson took a crucial holding penalty with just 1:28 remaining. Minsky made no mistake on the ensuing power play, finding the net for his fifth goal of the year and the clutch game-winner with one second left. Janesville’s power play came up with two clutch goals in the contest, going two-for-five and bringing its season power-play percentage to 31.25%.

Bismarck 5 @ Aberdeen 4 (OT) - In the battle for the top of the Central Division standings, the Bismarck Bobcats visit the Aberdeen Wings for the start of a two-game set on Friday night. The scoring started quickly thanks to a tally by Aberdeen’s Easton Edwards 50 seconds into the contest. The Bobcats quickly responded with goals scored by Charlie Kresl and Ben Rakowski. Bismarck would have the 2-1 edge heading into the middle frame. The second period saw Bismarck extend their lead over the Wings. Jimmy Dodig tallied a goal at the 13:08 mark to give the Bobcats a 3-1 lead. However, a little over two minutes later, Aberdeen’s Sam Scheetz finds the back of the net to tighten the contest 3-2. With less than eight minutes of the clock in the second, Bismarck strikes again, this time a goal from Mark Evans to double the Bobcats' lead heading into the third period. With their backs against the wall, Aberdeen got to work. Lighting the lamp first was Charlie Burchfield at the 15:51 minute mark for Aberdeen. The teams would exchange chances to score; however, the Wings were able to tie up the contest thanks to a short-handed goal by Matthew Martin with less than four minutes on the clock. The game would move into overtime, but the late-game heroics would happen at the final moment of the matchup. With no time left on the clock, Bismarck’s Noah Ziskie scores the game-winning goal on the man advantage in a buzzer-beater fashion. This win extends Bismarck’s win streak to five straight games and puts them one point behind Aberdeen in the Central Division standings.

Shreveport 2 @ Odessa 3 (OT) - Two short-handed goals and a heroic overtime goal from Jeremy Jacobs propelled the Odessa Jackalopes to a 3-2 overtime win over the Shreveport Mudbugs Friday night. The goaltenders for both sides stood tall, as the game saw a lot of offensive chances but only five goals. The shots totaled 56-45 in favor of Odessa, but Jacks' goaltender Kevin Jones and Shreveport goaltender Tyler Hodges stood on their heads. Jones recorded 43 saves while Hodges racked up 53 stops. The win gave Odessa a small amount of breathing room in the jam-packed South Division, as they are now tied with El Paso and Oklahoma for third place. Shreveport falls to seventh place with the loss, but only two points behind the third slot and one point behind sixth-place Amarillo. Shreveport got off to a hot start in the contest. Duke Ehrhard notched the only goal of the period for either side to give the Mudbugs a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. The goal was Ehrhard’s fourth of the campaign. The short-handed tallies began just under halfway through the middle period. Daniel Kuczkowski’s third of the year got Odessa back to even. Then, 4:27 later, Adam Matar recorded his second of the season for Odessa’s second short-handed goal of the period. Ehrhard finally put a stop to Odessa’s short-handed frenzy with 2:25 left in the middle frame with a power-play marker to send the game to the third period even at two goals apiece. Odessa dominated the third period, outshooting Shreveport 18-6. Hodges turned all 18 aside, and Jones stopped the six he saw to push the game to overtime. Jacobs notched the game-winner just 48 seconds into the extra frame to send the Odessa fans home happy with their team on the right end of a 3-2 final.

Anchorage 4 @ Kenai River 3 - The Anchorage Wolverines traveled to Soldotna, Alaska, to play the Kenai River Brown Bears. The visiting Wolverines struck first on a goal from Connor Jalbert, assisted by Chase Trompeter. However, the Brown Bears immediately answered thirty seconds later on a goal by Massimiliano Monson, assisted by Gavin Jensen. The teams would be tied at one heading into the first intermission. In the second, the scoring opened up for both teams. The Brown Bears scored just under two minutes into the period for a 2-1 lead. Anchorage answered back eighteen seconds later and again two minutes later. Both goals were scored by Trompeter and assisted by Jack McKenna. The Brown Bears answered back again two minutes later on a goal by Joe Gillespie, assisted by Parker Newman. The teams would enter the second intermission tied up again at 3-3. During the third, Anchorage would break the tie with just under six minutes left on a goal by Luc Bydal, assisted by his brother Rylan Bydal and Landon Greenough. The Wolverines went on to win 4-3 over the Brown Bears.

Chippewa 1 @ Fairbanks 4 - The Chippewa Steel traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska, to face the Ice Dogs in a three-game series this Halloween weekend. The Ice Dogs struck first on the power play with just over ten minutes left in the first to take a 1-0 lead on a goal by Luca Riccardi, assisted by Kyler Rohrer and Mason Noble. Five minutes later, the Steel would take a penalty that would lead to another Ice Dogs power play goal by Rohrer, assisted by Clarke Nehmens and Mack Diggins. The Ice Dogs took a 2-0 lead into the start of the second. Halfway through the second frame, the Steel cut into the Ice Dogs' lead with a goal from veteran defenseman Michael Gravina. The Ice Dogs kept their 2-1 lead into the third. The final frame of the game was a physical one. The Ice Dogs added to their lead with Rohrer finding the back of the net for the second time that night. The Dogs would close out the game with another goal on the power play with a minute left, taking game two of three versus the Steel this weekend, 4-1.