Friday Finals: A New Sheriff in Town, Bismarck Now Ranks First in the Central

Photo Credit: Hope Magelky

New Jersey 3 @ Elmira 2 - The New Jersey Titans went on the road to challenge the Elmira Aviators. In just 15 seconds, the Aviators struck first with a goal from Jack Kohlmann, Max Campbell, and Yianni Koukoves with the assist. A minute later, the Titans would answer and get on the board with a goal from Hudson Slenker, assisted by Ryan Kowalsky and Nathan Walsh. Neither team would score again until the second period, when Hudson Slenker put a second one in the back of the net. Ty Creech and Ryan Kowalsky are once again getting the assist. The Titans take the lead into the final period. The Titans would extend their lead to two with a goal from Owen Leahy being assisted by Skogen Schrott and Arseniy Zharikov. The Aviators would make it a one-point game again with a power-play goal from Max Campbell, Brenden Bedorf with the assist. But the Titans would hold on to their lead until the end of regulation. The Titans secure a win on the road over the Aviators, 3-2.

Maryland 7 @ New Hampshire 1 - The Maryland Black Bears took a short trip to New Hampshire to take on the Mountain Kings. Just 30 seconds into the game, the Black Bears would get on the board with a goal from Tanner Duncan, Harrison Smith and Victor Mannebratt with the assist. The rest of the first period would go scoreless. In the second period, the Black Bears would grow their lead with an unassisted goal from Harrison Smith. Then the Black Bears would score again with a power-play goal from Anthony Pellitteri being assisted by Cole Peters. Victor Mannebratt would get a goal on the same power play, Harrison Smith with his third assist, and Tanner Duncan with his first. The Mountain Kings would light the lamp with a short-handed goal from Ben Dias, Tomislav Brennan with the assist. The Black Bears would answer back with another power-play goal, this time from Sokrat Markarian, Owen Drury and Liam Doherty with the assist. In the final period, the Black Bears would score on another power-play, Owen Drury getting a goal, assisted by Jaden Sikura and Daniel Johnson. To end the game, the Black Bears would run up the score again with a goal from Trey Hinton, Owen Drury with another assist and Logan Duelling getting an assist. The Black Bears controlled the night with a 7-1 win over the Mountain Kings.

Maine 4 @ Rochester 3 -The Maine Nordiques went on the road to take on the Rochester Jr. Americans. In the opening period, the Nordiques would strike first with an unassisted goal from Damon Myers. The Jr. Americans would answer back with a goal of their own from Konner Powell, Dexter Kichline with the assist. Less than a minute later, the Jr. Americans would take the lead with a goal from Adam Gionta, assisted by Owen King. With less than a minute left in the first period, the Nordiques would find an equalizer to tie the game going into the second period. Austin Borggaard would find the back of the net for Maine, Ryan Santiago with the assist. The second period would be silent, taking the 2-2 contest into the final period. In the third period, the Nordiques would take the lead back with an unassisted goal from Henry Butte. The Nordiques would then extend their lead to two with a second goal from Austin Borggaard, with Dawson Anderson on the assist. To end the game, the Jr. Americans would make it a 1-point game with an empty-net, power-play goal from Keanan Dewberry, Jackson Schouten, and Ryan Shaw with the assist. But it was not enough, the Nordiques defeated the Jr. Americans 4-3.

Philadelphia 5 @ Johnstown 3 -The Philadelphia Rebels went on the road to take on the Johnstown Tomahawks. The Rebels would strike first, being the only team to score in the opening period. Brayton Frick scored the goal, assisted by Marshall Swanson and Ryan Ickes. In the second period, the Rebels would score again with a goal from Charlie Spencer, Dylan Moran with the assist. The Rebels would extend their lead to three with a goal from Jordan Brothers, Joe Stauber and Billy Sheridan with the assist. The Tomahawks would finally answer back with a goal from Kalib Capecci, Emerson Marshall and Shane Tronoski with the assist. The Tomahawks would keep the momentum with another goal, this time by the captain. Nick Jarmain scored thanks to the setup by Emerson Marshall. The Tomahawks would score their third consecutive goal with Charlie Zetterkvist scoring to tie the game, Jacob Ingstrup and Reed Richeson with the assist. In the final period, the Rebels would take control with a power-play goal from Broxton Ingle, Jordan Brothers with the assist. The Rebels would then score the dagger with a goal from Alex Lunski, Charlie Spencer and Dylan Moran with another assist. The Rebels get a win in Johnstown over the Tomahawks 5-3.

Minnesota M 2 @ Watertown 6 - The Minnesota Mallards went on the road to take on the Watertown Shamrocks. In the opening period, Jake Pietila would score the lone goal to give the Shamrocks an early lead. Memphis Wilcox and Edvins Berzins with the assist on the first goal of the game. In the second period, the Mallards would tie the game with a power-play goal from Drew Bowe, Ty Gordon and Wes Berg with the assist. The Shamrocks would answer back with a goal from Andrew Smulkstys, assisted by Justin Obrochta and Jordan Gudridge. Less than a minute later, the Shamrocks would score again with a goal from Zach Boren, Carter Sproule and Justin Bartley with the assist. Before the end of the period, the Shamrocks would extend their lead with a goal from Joe Rice, assisted by Justin Obrochta and Owen Fask. In the final period, the Mallards would score again with a power-play goal from Bryce Wiitala, Drew Bowe and Deke Davidson with the assist. Zach Boren would then score his second goal of the game for the Shamrocks, scoring on the power play and being assisted by Erick Comstock and Kyle Greene. To end the game, the Shamrocks would score on another power-play goal from Owen Chartier, this time, Zach Boren and Kyle Greene picking up the assist. The Shamrocks get the win at home over the Mallards 6-2.

Danbury 5 @ Northeast 2 - The Danbury Hat Tricks went on the road to take on the Northeast Generals. The Hat Tricks would score the first goal with an unassisted goal from Matt Shpungin to take an early lead. The Generals would answer back before the end of the period with a goal from Spencer Hirsch, Kody Moyer and Braydon Hudtloff with the assist. The second period would see neither team scoring. In the final period, the Generals would take the lead with a power-play goal from Owen O’Rear, Cole McKenna and Spencer Hirsch with the assist. The Hat Tricks would answer back to tie the game up with a goal from Evan Regan, Ryan Lukko with the assist. Immediately after, the Hat Tricks would score again to take the lead back, Gavin O’Hara with the unassisted goal. Then Luke Melnik would get an unassisted goal for the Hat Tricks. Finally, Ben Dempster would score an empty net goal to give the Hat Tricks their fourth goal in just 5 minutes, Peter Freel on the assist. The Hat Tricks turn a 1-2 deficit into a 5-2 win over the Generals.

Odessa 3 @ Oklahoma 2 (SO) - The Odessa Jackalopes traveled to the Oklahoma Warriors for a tightly contested Friday night matchup. The Warriors were swept on the road previously, while the Jackalopes split the previous weekend. With both teams looking to return to the win column, it was bound to be a great matchup. The scoring started with Everett James finding the back of the net for the Warriors with less than seven minutes to go in the first. He was assisted by Ethan Gonyeau and Jakub Galnor. Halfway through the second period, Bjorn Bahneman would answer back for the Jackalopes, assisted by Henry Thornton and Caden Ghiossi, tying the contest 1-1. In the third, the Jackalopes would break the tie on a power-play goal by Jeremy Jacobs, assisted by Jack L’Esperance and Shea Barry for a 2-1 lead. However, two minutes later, the Warriors would tie the game up again, also on a power-play goal, by Mason Wright, assisted by Trent Burlison and John Kelly. 60 minutes would not be enough for this one, as the game ended up in a shootout that lasted 12 rounds. Carson Lynch would prove to be the hero for the Odessa Jackalopes, beating Warriors goaltender Billy Stuski. Jackalopes goaltender, Kevin Jones, stopped 41 of 43 shots he faced in the game for a 0.953 save percentage. For the Warriors, Billy Stuski had a very similar impressive performance of 46 of 48 saves for a 0.958 save percentage. The Odessa Jackalopes take this one 3-2, with a rematch set for Saturday.

Chippewa 1 @ Springfield 6 -The Chippewa Steel traveled to Springfield, Illinois, to face the Junior Blues at Nelson Center on Friday evening. The Steel are coming off their first weekend sweep of the season against Janesville at home last week. The Jr. Blues recently returned from a two-week stint in Alaska, after also sweeping the previous weekend against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. The Chippewa Steel struck first two minutes into the game on a goal by Mason Johnson, his third of the season, assisted by teammates Anthony Preskar and Austin Boyce. The Steel’s 1-0 lead did not last for long as the Jr. Blues hit nylon less than a minute later on a goal by Brady Founds, his first of the season, assisted by Josh Zitzman. Four minutes later, the Jr. The Blues would take the lead on a power-play goal, 2-1. In the second, it was all Jr. Blues found the back of the net three times in the first two minutes and thirty seconds of the period, taking a commanding 5-1 lead. The Jr. Blues would take the 5-1 lead into the third. The Steel changed it up in net with Zach Stahl taking over for Max Kogler for the final frame. The third was an evenly matched period, but the Jr. Blues would extend their lead one more time on a goal by Lukas Wallinheimo. The home team would take this one 6-1, with the Steel looking to bounce back with a Saturday night rematch.

El Paso 6 @ Shreveport 3 - The El Paso Rhinos traveled to the Shreveport Mudbugs on Friday night. The Mudbugs are on a three-game win streak, and the Rhinos split the previous weekend with the New Mexico Ice Wolves. The scoring opened up with just under ten minutes in the first period. The Rhinos struck first on a goal from Gaige Giblin, assisted by Aidan Bergner and Jackson Potulny. The Mudbugs would not respond until midway through the second period on a goal by Vincent Diiulio, assisted by Ty Easton and Gabriel Lopez. The Rhinos would shortly after add three goals in ten minutes for a 4-1 lead going into the third. The third was a physical one, and the Rhinos kept extending their lead. Kamden Kaiser scored for the Rhinos five minutes in and was assisted by Gaige Giblin and Evan White. The Mudbugs had the edge in shots on goal, but could not break through Rhinos’ goaltender Michael Modelski, saving 35 of 38 shots he faced. The Mudbugs would finally break through on the power-play with three minutes left in regulation on a goal by Johnathon Berndt, assisted by Evan Hoglund and Joseph Samango. Six seconds later, the Mudbugs would strike again, making the game 5-3 Rhinos. The Rhinos would silence any worries of a Mudbug comeback with an empty net goal by Ian Kastamo. The Rhinos win 6-3 and snap the Mudbugs' game win streak.

Lone Star 5 @ Amarillo 1 -The Lone Star Brahmas traveled to the Amarillo Wranglers for a tightly contested matchup, despite the final score being 5-1 Brahmas. The Brahmas would strike first with a goal four minutes in by Van Martin, assisted by Maddox Tulacro and Camden Prier. Seven minutes later, the Brahmas would strike again with Gustav Lexell finding the back of the net for the 2-0 lead over the Wranglers. The second was an evenly matched period, with neither team cashing in. In the third, no scoring would occur until the final three minutes of the period. The Brahmas would score their first empty net goal with 2:40 left to play, taking a 3-0 lead. The Wranglers would score their first of the night with 1:52 left on a goal by Daniel Rassega, assisted by Mason Lupo. The Brahmas would not let up, as they scored two more goals on Amarillo’s empty net despite also being shorthanded. The Brahmas take this one 5-1.

Janesville 5 @ Minnesota W 2 - The Janesville Jets traveled to Cloquet, Minnesota, to take on the Wilderness. The Wilderness were looking to get back into the win column after being swept by the Wisconsin Windigo. Likewise, the Jets are also looking to get a win after being swept by the Chippewa Steel last weekend. The scoring started right away with Janesville striking first at 16:42 on a goal by Grant Dillard, assisted by Nathan Tobey and Jonathan Lyskawa. The Wilderness responded in a timely fashion, just eight seconds later. Halfway through the first, the Wilderness struck again, taking a 2-1 lead. River Freeman is credited with both of the Wilderness goals, while both assists went to Andrei Gudin and Bryce Dahl. The Jets would answer five minutes later with Murray Marvin-Cordes tying the game at two apiece. With just 15 seconds left, Justin Bloink would score on the power play for the Jets to take the Jets 13-3, but had no luck adding to the scoreboard. In the third, the Jets would add two more goals with less than nine minutes left. The Jets take this one 5-2.

Aberdeen 3 @ Bismarck 4 - The Aberdeen Wings traveled to North Dakota to face the Bismarck Bobcats in a physical matchup. Both teams are battling for the number one spot in the Central Division. The first period saw no scoring. The Bobcats broke the scoring stalemate with a power-play goal by Mark Evans, assisted by Royce Pietila and Camden Alemond. Two minutes later, the Wings would answer with Easton Edwards finding nylon, assisted by Matthew Martin and Jibber Kuhl. The Bobcats would strike again on the power play with 33 seconds left, taking a 2-1 lead into the third. In the final frame, the Bobcats struck a little over a minute into the period on the power play, 3-1. The Wings would pull within one halfway through the period on a goal by Brody Dustin. The night was not over yet, as the Bobcats struck one last time with 1:21 left on a goal by Cooper Williams, assisted by Noah Ziskie. The Wings would not go down quietly as Edwards scored his second of the night with 47 seconds left, assisted by Martin and Finn Safir. The Bobcats would survive to take this one 4-3.

Corpus Christi 4 @ New Mexico 1 - The IceRays hit the road to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a weekend series against the Ice Wolves. Corpus Christi was hungry to pick up their first win in November, looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The matchup kicked off with a scoreless first period, both teams trading chances in the first frame. New Mexico outshot Corpus Christi 17-16 in the opening 20 minutes. The second period saw the lamp lit first by Corpus Christi’s alternate captain, Johnny Maruna, at the 17:11 minute mark. Halfway through the period, New Mexico’s alternate captain, Sean Smith, finds the back of the net to equalize the contest. Moving into the final 20 minutes of play, Corpus Christi was on the attack, looking to snap their four-game losing streak. The IceRays scored a trio of goals starting at the 16:25 minute mark. Chase Nehring buries a goal first to give Corpus Christi the lead. Following a little over a minute behind him, Jonathan Cifaldi tallied his first junior goal to extend the IceRays' lead. With less than eight minutes remaining in the frame, William Stewart notches the final goal of the contest, securing a 4-1 victory for Corpus Christi. Between the pipes for the IceRays, Valdislav Bryzgalov stands tall, turning away 35 out of 36 shots. With this win in the blue paint, the netminder featured a season-high .972 save percentage. The Ice Wolves look to respond on Saturday night.

Austin 5 @ Minot 1 - Heading into this Friday night matchup, the Minot Minotauros were riding hot spotlighting a four-game heater. While the Austin Bruins were in the hunt to return to their winning ways after three consecutive losses. The matchup kicked off with Austin’s leading scorer, Siamion Marshchanok, finding the back of the net on the penalty kill midway through the opening frame. Following less than a minute later, Dominic Pajkic lit the lamp for Minot, tying up the contest 1-1. Heading into the middle period, the Bruins secured their lead again when Gavin Hruza showed up on the scoresheet with a goal thanks to a setup by the Marshchanok twins. A  minute and a half later, Austin found the back of the net again, this time with a short-handed tally by Sam Kline. As the contest moved into the final 20 minutes of regulation, the Bruins capitalized on the scoresheet. Austin’s EJ Paddington scores midway through the frame to give his team a 4-1 lead. With 2:32 left on the clock, the Bruin’s Austin Doyle secured his first goal of the year with an empty-netter. In the blue paint for Austin, T1ER alumnus Jack Solomon showcased a 35-save performance and helped his team secure the win.

Wisconsin 6 @ Kenai River 3 - The Windigo continued their Alaska road trip as they headed to play the Kenai River Brown Bears. Wisconsin strikes first in the contest with Devin Berg finding the back of the net on the man advantage at the 18:20 minute mark. That lone goal would be the only scoring in the opening frame. Moving into the second period, the Windigo put on an offensive clinic with four goals. Ryan Mottau was the first Wisconsin player to score with a tally two minutes into the period. Following less than two minutes behind him, Alexios Georgaklis found the back of the net to continue the Windigo’s lead. Will Doherty and Michael Ryan finished out the scoring in the middle frame with tallies at the 5:17 minute mark and 4:19 minute mark. Heading into the final 20 minutes, the Brown Bears were looking to respond to Wisconsin’s dominance in the first two frames. While on the power play, Kenai River’s Carter McCormick lights the lamp for the Brown Bears. Three minutes later, Massimiliano Monson continued the scoring for the Brown Bears with another power-play goal for Kenai River. Wisconsin’s Mottau secured his second tally of the night at the 7:25 minute mark. Finally, with nine seconds left on the clock, Kenai River finds the back of the net, helping to inch closer to Wisconsin’s lead. The WIndigo would finish the night with a 6-3 road win. 

Anchorage 3 @ Fairbanks 4 - In a battle of the Club 49 Alaska Airlines Cup, the Anchorage Wolverines head north to play against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. The contest kicked off with the Ice Dogs lighting the lamp first, thanks to a tally by Mack Diggins at the 17:41 minute mark. Later in the frame, the leading goal-scorer in the NAHL, Luc Bydal, tallied his 18th of the season to even the score. Moving into the middle frame, Fairbanks struck first again, this time with a goal by Gage Leonard. The Wolverines responded with a power-play tally by Sam Evert at the 14:07 minute mark and another goal minutes later by Caleb Mahar. With less than five minutes on the board for the middle frame, Clarke Nehmens evens up the contest for Fairbanks thanks to a setup by Ian Christian and Luca Ricciardi. Ian Christian was just traded from the Wolverines to the Ice Dogs; this contest marked his first game wearing the Fairbanks sweater. Moving into the final 20 minutes of regulation, Fairbanks found the back of the net quickly again with a goal by Mason Knaffla at the 18:49 minute mark. The Ice Dogs were able to hold off the Wolverines from responding and were able to snap their four-game losing streak. Fairbanks skates away with a 4-3 victory.