Saturday Scores: Anchorage Battles From Behind and Wins in Overtime

Photo Credit: Ted Davis

Maryland 6 @ New Hampshire 2 - The Maryland Black Bears, who have been great so far this season, went to New Hampshire to take on the Mountain Kings. The Black Bears would get on the board first with a goal from Brady Anes, Noi Jonasson and Trey Hinton picking up the assist. The Mountain Kings would answer back with a goal from Ben Dias, assisted by Aidan Petroff and Thomas Malawski. The Mountain Kings would then take the lead with an unassisted goal from Gavin Wilkie. The Black Bears would come back with another goal of their own, Anthony. Pellitteri put one in, Trey Hinton with another assist and Owen Drury also picking up an assist. Taking a tie into the second period, the Black Bears would break the knot quickly with a goal from Victor Mannebratt, Tanner Duncan and Mate Tardi getting the assist. The Black Bears would score again this time with a power-play goal from Jonathan Lanza, Jaden Sikura and Trey Hinton picking up his third assist. Harrison Smith would score back-to-back goals for the Black Bears, one in the second period and the other in the third. Daniel Johnson and Owen Drury each got an assist, and Brady Anes assisted on both. The Black Bears go from down 1-2 to a big win over the Mountain Kings, 6-2.

Maine 3 @ Rochester 4 - The Maine Nordiques went on the road to Rochester to take on the Jr. Americans. The Jr. Americans struck first with a goal from Ryan Shaw, Murray Kanerva picking up the assist. Right before the end of the period, the Nordiques would get on the board with a power play goal from Damon Myers, Aiden Farro and Ryan Santiago getting the assist. In the second period, the Jr. Americans would take the lead back with a goal from Adam Gionta, assisted by Ryan Shaw. The Jr. Americans would score again with a power-play goal from Konner Powell, Logan Keup and Adam Gionta credited with the assist. In the final period, the Nordiques would answer back with an unassisted goal from Joe Gasperko. Gasperko would score again, this time on a power play, being assisted by Austin Borggaard. To win the game, Adam Gionta would score his second goal of the game for the Jr. Americans, Ryan Shaw with another assist, and Owen King getting an assist. The Rochester Jr. Americans picked up the win at home over the Maine Nordiques, 4-3.

New Jersey 6 @ Elmira 3 - The New Jersey Titans went on the road to take on the Elmira Aviators. Within the first 20 seconds, the Aviators already took the lead with a goal from Evan Dantas, Matt Maglio and Jake Baratte with the assist. The Titans would get on the board with a goal from Vincent Bronzo to tie the game, assisted by Hudson Slenker. The Aviators would take the lead back with a power-play goal from Matt Maglio, Evan Dantas and Cody Powels picking up the assist. The Aviators would keep the momentum going with another goal, Max Campbell scoring with Yianni Koukoves getting the assist. The Titans would answer back with a power-play goal from Tate Pecknold, Ty Creech and Ryder O’Neil picking up the assist. Before the end of the opening period, the Titans would tie the game with a goal from Owen Leahy, Tate Pecknold picking up the assist. After the action-packed first period, the Titans would keep the energy going with an early goal in the second period, Nikolas Doumas scoring, assisted by Arseniy Zharikov and Skogen Schrott getting the assist. The Titans would extend their lead with a goal from Nathan Walsh, Luke Matthews and Archer Brown getting the assist. In the final period, the Titans would put the nail in the coffin with a power play goal from Tate Pecknold, his second of the game, Ty Creech and Ryder O’Neil getting their second assists of the game. The Titans win an early shootout against the Aviators 6-3.

Philadelphia 4 @ Johnstown 1 - The Philadelphia Rebels went on the road to take on the Johnstown Tomahawks. The Tomahawks would score the lone goal in the opening period, a power play goal from Shane Tronoski, Kalib Capecci and Emerson Marshall picking up the assist. In the second period, Emerson Marshall would get a goal of his own, Nick Jarmain and Jack Genovese picking up the assist to push the Tomahawks' lead to two. In the third period, the Tomahawks would keep the momentum going with another goal, this time Nick Jarmain getting a goal, and Emerson Marshall with his second assist of the game. The Rebels would finally answer and get on the board with a goal from Brayon Frick, Alex Lunski getting the assist. The Tomahawks would then score the dagger with a power-play goal from Charlie Zetterkvist, assisted by Jack Roberts and Jack Genovese, getting his second of the game. The Tomahawks featured a bounce-back win over the Rebels 4-1.

Danbury 2 @ Northeast 3 - The Danbury Hat Tricks hit the road to take on the Northeast Generals. The Generals would strike first with an opening goal from Alejandro Blum, Eli Shulman and Vinny Ipri with the assist. Before the end of the first, the Generals would extend their lead to two with a goal from Robert Savaglio, assisted by Thomas Klochkov and Kody Moyer. In the second period, the Hat Tricks would get on the board with an unassisted goal from Ben Dempster. Soon after, the Generals would answer back with a goal from Kody Moyer, Braydon Hudtloff and Ryan Solari picking up the assist. In the final period, the Hat Tricks would make it a one-point game once again with a goal from Evan Regan, Austin Michaud with the assist. Despite the late push from the Hat Tricks, the Generals hold on to their lead to take the win 3-2.

Chippewa 1 @ Springfield 6 - The Chippewa Steel went on the road to challenge the Springfield Jr. Blues. In the opening period, the only goal would be scored by the Steel. Trevor Brodie is taking an early lead for the Steel, Boone Kindseth and Hunter Whisenand picking up the assist for the opening goal. In the second period, the Jr. Blues would get on the board with a goal from Sarunas Baltrunas, assisted by Owen Lowe. The Jr. Blues would take the lead with a goal from Drew Albrecht, Logan Sutton picking up the assist. With just 18 seconds left in the second period, the Jr. Blues would score their third unanswered goal, Zach Howard scoring, assisted by Brady Turner. In the third period, the Jr. Blues would continue their pace with another goal, this time on the power play with Jame Marshall scoring, Logan Sutton with another assist, and Josh Zitzman picking up an assist. Just 15 seconds later, they would score again, Dennis Emesibe getting the goal, Ryan McPartland and Padraic Whited getting the assist. To finish the game, James Marshall would score his second goal of the game for the Jr. Blues, with Drew Albrecht as the assist. The Springfield Jr. Blues took a 0-1 deficit and then ripped off six unanswered goals to beat the Chippewa Steel 6-1.

St. Cloud 4 @ North Iowa 2 - The St. Cloud Norsemen traveled to Mason City, Iowa, to take on the North Iowa Bulls in a single game this weekend. The Norsemen are looking to get back into the win column after being swept by the Bismarck Bobcats, who now hold first place in the Central Division. The Bulls recently split last weekend with the Aberdeen Wings. The Norsemen opened up the scoring halfway through the first on a goal by Samuel Misak, assisted by Sam Crane and Riley Fast. In the second, the Norsemen would add to their lead with two more goals in the last two minutes of the period. Both goals came within 36 seconds of each other. The North Iowa Bulls would answer back with 14 seconds left on the clock on a goal by DJ Parouse, assisted by Denis Hodas and Vitaliy Korolyuk. Entering the final frame, the Norsemen would have a 3-1 lead. The Bulls would hit nylon halfway through the period on a goal by Hodas, assisted by Carter Davis and Korolyuk. The Norsemen would seal the win with seven seconds left on an empty net goal by William Esterbrooks, assisted by Wyatt Farrell and Gabe Gallivan. Despite the Norsemen being outshot 33-14, they would skate away with the win in this one, 4-2.

Minnesota M 4 @ Watertown 3 - After losing to the Shamrocks the previous night, the Mallards looked to get revenge. The Shamrocks struck first just 13 seconds in on a goal by Carter Sproule, assisted by Zach Boren and Kyle Greene. The Mallards would answer shortly after with Drew Bowe finding nylon, assisted by Mitch Vanderway and Deke Davidson. The Mallards would take the lead with eight minutes left in the first, 2-1. In the second, Jordan Gudridge of the Shamrocks would tie up the game on the power play with a minute left in the second. However, the Mallards would retake the lead with 32 seconds left on a goal by Bowe, his second of the night, 3-2. Halfway through the third, Sproule would once again tie it up for the Shamrocks on the power play, 3-3. Keanan Pearman would prove himself the hero with seven minutes left in regulation, taking the lead back for the Mallards, assisted by Joseph Delaurentis and Ryan George. The Mallards would take this one 4-3 and split the weekend.

Odessa 6 @ Oklahoma 3 - After the previous night’s game, going to a twelve-round shootout that the Odessa Jackalopes ultimately won, the Oklahoma Warriors looked to get revenge and split the weekend. However, the Jackalopes came to play. The Warriors would open the scoring five minutes in on a goal by Mack Blue, assisted by Ben Likness and Dominik Kiss. The Jackalopes would respond ten minutes later on the power play with two goals by Adam Matar and Gabe Pankratz for the 2-1 lead into the second. In the middle frame, it was all Jackalopes as they added three goals to their lead by Matar, Jeremy Jacobs, and Alex Thomas, for the 5-1 lead. The Warriors would cut into the deficit they faced with a goal by Kyle Sorensen halfway through the third. The Warriors would strike again on the power play with three minutes left, making the score 5-3. The Jackalopes squandered any momentum the Warriors gained as the Jacks scored an empty-netter with a minute left in the game. The Jackalopes came away with the 6-3 win and the weekend sweep over the Warriors.

El Paso 3 @ Shreveport 4 (SO) - The El Paso Rhinos looked to sweep the Mudbugs on the road, while the Mudbugs looked to avenge their previous loss during their teddy toss night. The Rhinos struck first on the power play three minutes into the first on a goal by Troy Hunka, assisted by Tommy Shore and Ian Kastamo. The Mudbugs would not answer until the second, where they scored a goal at 16:54 by Owen Case, sending the bears flying onto the ice. The Mudbugs would score again with six minutes left by Chase Secriskey, for the 2-1 lead. The Rhinos would strike back in the third with just under six minutes left. The Rhinos scored two within 18 seconds for the 3-2 lead on goals by Raphael Laviolette and Ethan Woolcott. The Mudbugs would not give up, however, with Evan Hoglund finding the back of the net with 4:41 to go, tying up the game at three apiece. Sixty minutes would not be enough for this one as the game went to a shootout. Duke Ehrhard would be the hero in the shootout for the Mudbugs, slipping one past Rhinos goaltender, Michael Modelski. Despite being credited with a loss, Modelski stopped 39 of 42 shots he faced for a 0.929 save percentage. The Mudbugs skated away with the 4-3 win on teddy toss night.

Lone Star 3 @ Amarillo 1 - The Lone Star Brahmas look to continue their long-standing win streak, while the Wranglers are looking to avenge their previous loss. In the first, there was no scoring, but physicality was at its peak. The Brahmas would break through in the second with a power-play goal at 15:21 by Camden Prier, assisted by Christian Venticinque and Jackson Vaites. The Brahmas would strike again four minutes later on a goal by Gustav Lexell, assisted by Leo Isaksson. The Brahmas continued to add on to their lead, 3-0 on a goal by Vincenzo Capano. In the third, the Wranglers would finally answer back on a goal with 8:51 left in the game by Jacob Miller, assisted by Tiernan O’Rourke and Mason Lupo. Despite the Brahmas being held to only 13 shots versus the Wrangler’s 36, the Brahmas skated away with the 3-1 win and weekend sweep.

Janesville 0 @ Minnesota W 3 - The Minnesota Wilderness looked to avenge their loss to the Janesville Jets from the previous night, and came away successful. The Wilderness struck first with 2:44 left in the first frame on a goal by Zachary Homer, assisted by Logan Nagle. In the second, Noah Dziver extended the Wilderness’ lead to 2-0, assisted by Kevin Lysohir and Robinson Djian. In the third, Zachary Homer scored an unassisted goal to add to the Wilderness’ lead. Despite featuring 23 shots on net, Janesville could not find the back of the net. The Wilderness returned to the win column with a 3-0 shutout win over the Janesville Jets.

Aberdeen 5 @ Bismarck 2 - Heading into game two of the series, the Aberdeen Wings were looking for revenge against the Bismarck Bobcats after falling to them the night before. The contest kicked off with the Bobcats lighting the lamp first, thanks to a tally by Charlie Kresl at the 15:18 minute mark. Following that opening goal, the Wings responded with a power-play goal by the captain, Owen Pitters, in the final few minutes of the frame. With the scoreboard tied, the Wings got to work offensively. Second-year veteran Cooper Anderson scores in the first three minutes of the period to give Aberdeen the lead. Following behind him eight minutes later, Matthew Martin extends the Wings’ lead with his 13th tally of the year. With 7:11 on the clock, Bismarck’s Noah Ziskie tightened the contest with a goal. However, that offensive push by the blueliner would not be enough. The Wings continued their scoring ways with Finn Safir tallying his first goal of the season and Martin finding the back of the net on the man advantage, securing his second goal of the game. The final 20 minutes featured both teams exchanging chances; however, neither team was able to score. Between the pipes for Aberdeen, Willum Braun featured a 26-save performance, notching a win in the blue paint.

Corpus Christi 1 @ New Mexico 2 (OT) - Looking to continue their winning ways, the Corpus Christi IceRays head into game two against the New Mexico Ice Wolves. The first period featured the IceRays lighting the lamp first, thanks to a power-play tally by the alternate captain, Johnny Maruna. That lone goal would sit alone on the scoresheet until the third period of the contest. The second frame spotlighted both teams exchanging chances, and New Mexico outshooting Corpus Christi 20-7 on goal. As the low-scoring affair moved into the third period, the Ice Wolves were hungry to find twine. With 3:19 on the clock, New Mexico’s Andrey Moskvitin tallied his first goal of the season, knotting up the contest 1-1. With the third-period heroics, the matchup was forced into extra minutes. In overtime, the alternate captain of the Ice Wolves, Sean Smith, would be the hero of the game. He scores quickly in the extra period, finding the back of the net 31 seconds in. The Ice Wolves secure a 2-1 overtime win and so far a series split heading into Sunday’s final game. Despite earning the loss, Corpus Christi Vladislav Bryzgalov turned away 44 out of 46 shots, spotlighting a .957 save percentage. 

Austin 7 @ Minot 5 - The Austin Bruins face off with the Minot Minotauros in game two of the weekend series in North Dakota. The Bruins are in the hunt to continue their win streak against the Tauros, while Minot is looking to bounce back from a Friday night loss. The first frame featured the lamp being lit multiple times by the two teams. Less than 30 seconds into the opening period, Minot’s Arseni Vorobyov gets the Tauros on the board first. A little over two minutes later, Dane Ramirez extends Minot’s lead with his fifth tally of the year. While on the power play at the 13:27 minute mark, Lucca Ori scores to give Minot the 3-0 lead. Over a minute later, the Bruins respond when Michael Coleman finds twine to get Austin on the scoreboard. However, the scoring frenzy by the Tauros would not stop. Minot veteran skater Ty James shows up on the scoresheet thanks to a goal midway through the frame. The offensive clinic would wrap up with Austin’s Michael Coleman cutting the Minotauros’ lead in half with a power-play tally around the seven-minute mark, making the game 4-2 heading into intermission. The second period saw the Bruins in the hunt to respond to Minot’s dominant opening frame. Less than two minutes into the second period, Austin’s Trace Day scored to bring the Bruins within one. Midway through the frame, Gavin Hruza ties up the contest thanks to a setup by the Marshchanok twins on the man advantage. As the game moved into the final 20 minutes, the contest was tied 4-4. The Bruins showcased their battle-back mentality in the final period in regulation. EJ Paddington finds the back of the net on the man advantage to give the Bruins their first lead of the night. Following a little over a minute later, Alvin Elisson scores for Austin, extending their lead to  6-4. With less than five minutes on the clock, EJ Paddington finds twine again on the power play, helping to give Austin some breathing room in the final minutes of the game. A little over 30 seconds later, the Tauros were able to find the back of the net once again when Anthony Spadaro scored his first goal of the season, bringing the game to 7-5. The Bruins secure the victory in a come-from-behind fashion.

Wisconsin 5 @ Kenai River 4 (OT) - In the Wisconsin Windigo’s final game on their Alaska road trip, they take on the Kenai River Brown Bears in a Saturday night battle. The Brown Bears struck first when Massimiliano Monson scored an unassisted goal at the 17:34 minute mark. Following him 10 minutes later, Gavin Jensen extends the Brown Bears' lead with a tally. A minute later, the Windigo responded with Alexios Georgaklis finding the back of the net to cut Kenai River’s lead in half. With four seconds on the clock in the opening period, Brendan Finley scored to tie up the contest for Wisconsin. The middle frame featured Wisconsin taking the lead with Aidan Hickok scoring at the 3:28 minute mark. As the game progressed, the third period started with Kenai River tying up the matchup and taking the lead. Parker Newman tied the contest in the first four minutes of the frame, and Kenai River’s Jensen found the back of the net for the second time at the 6:38 minute mark. With less than three minutes left in regulation, the Windigo responded with Finley notching his second goal of the night, forcing the game to move into overtime. As the teams battled to secure the overtime victory, the Windigo would come out victorious when Joshua Sardo scored the game-winning goal at the 2:41 minute mark. 

Anchorage 7 @ Fairbanks 6 (OT) - In a continuation of the Club 49 Alaska Airlines Cup, Anchorage and Fairbanks are looking to secure some points for tournament and standing purposes. The first period featured a scoring frenzy at the Big Dipper Ice Arena. Andrew Karkoc fires Anchorage’s first goal with a tally at the 15:43 minute mark. Less than two minutes later, Fairbanks’ captain, Luca Ricciardi, tied the contest 1-1 with his goal. Halfway through the period, Sam Evert lights the lamp for his 8th goal of the year for Anchorage. That 2-1 Wolverines was short-lived with the Ice Dogs scoring a trio of goals to end the frame. Sami Johnson finds the back of the net first at the 8:05 minute mark. Following him three minutes later, Fairbanks’ Mack Diggins scored on the man advantage to give Fairbanks their first lead of the night. With 22 seconds on the clock, Oliver Barna lights the lamp on the power play to give Fairbanks the 4-2 edge heading into the second frame. The second period featured the Wolverines responding and putting on an offensive clinic on the power play. Anchorage’s Karkoc finds the back of the net for the second time, this time on the man advantage. Following behind him at the eight-minute mark, Bowen Burke converts on the power play to tie up the contest once again. The NAHL’s leading scorer, Luc Bydal, buries a goal with 6:15 on the clock to give Anchorage the lead. Finally, Sam Evert scores an unassisted power-play goal to end the frame, extending the Wolverines’ lead to 6-4. As the game moved into the third period, the Ice Dogs were looking to rally on home ice. At the 13:13 minute mark, Fairbanks’ Jace Sebert finds the back of the net on the power play, to bring the contest within one. In buzzer-beater fashion, Oliver Barna scores with one second on the clock to force the game into overtime. With the contest tied 6-6, the teams were hungry to secure the win in extra minutes. Both teams exchanged chances; however, it was Anchorage’s Connor Jalbert who became a hero for the Wolverines when he found the back of the net with 37 seconds on the clock in overtime. Anchorage skates away with a 7-6 overtime victory and a weekend split with the Ice Dogs.