Saturday Scores: Corpus Christi Secures Home Sweep

Johnstown 0 @ New Jersey 4 - The New Jersey Titans controlled the game from start to finish on Saturday night, shutting out the Johnstown Tomahawks 4-0. New Jersey set the tone early with two first-period goals. Nathan Walsh opened the scoring, finishing a setup from Owen Leahy and Ryder O’Neil. Minutes later, Skogen Schrott scored another, assisted by Nikolas Doumas and Arseniy Zharikov. In the second period, New Jersey added to their lead on the power play. Arseniy Zharikov scored, converting on a pass from Blake Jones to make it 3-0. New Jersey wrapped up the night with one more in the third.  Hudson Slenker scored off assists from Kristofers Krumins and Vincent Bronzo, sealing the 4-0 win. New Jersey outshot Johnstown 45-13 and finished 1-for-5 on the power play.

Danbury 4 @ Maryland 8 - The Maryland Black Bears earned an 8-4 win over the Danbury Hat Tricks on Saturday night, pulling away with a dominant second period. Danbury scored first on the power play when Kai Elkie scored with assists from Brendan Boring and Kai Mencel. Danbury added another soon after as Gavin O’Hara scored, assisted by Matt Shpungin. Maryland answered with two goals of their own. Brady Anes scored off passes from Joshua Frenette and Jonathan Lanza, and Victor Mannebratt followed, finishing a setup from Owen Drury and Cole Peters. Maryland took control in the second period with four straight goals. Daniel Johnson scored with assists from Trey Hinton and Anthony Pellitteri. Jaden Sikura added another from Johnson and Pellitteri. Ryan Franks extended the lead, assisted by Harrison Smith and Tanner Duncan. Liam Doherty capped the period with a power-play goal from Peters and Anes. In the third, Danbury got one back when Patrik Ula scored, assisted by Mencel. Maryland responded with a power-play goal from Trey Hinton, assisted by Frenette and Pellitteri. Danbury added a power-play goal when Jeremy Sprung scored from Elkie and Shpungin, but Maryland sealed the game with an empty-netter by Harrison Smith, assisted by Duncan and Franks.

Maine 6 @ Northeast 2 - The Maine Nordiques skated to a 6-2 win over the Northeast Generals on Saturday night, powered by a three-goal first period and steady scoring throughout. Maine opened the game with three straight goals. Rylan Oster scored first off assists from Joe Gasperko and Henry Butte. Aiden Farro added another with help from Dante Rodriguez and Pete Luecke. Cole Estev extended the lead shorthanded, finishing a setup from Oster and Billy Biedermann. Northeast responded with a power-play goal from Alec Hal, assisted by Thomas Klochkov and Vinny Ipri. Maine added to its lead in the second period when Austin Borggaard scored on the power play, assisted by Butte and Gasperko. Maine kept control in the third with two more goals. Oster scored his second goal on the power play from Rodriguez, and Luke Gallo followed with another tally. Northeast closed the scoring with a goal from Stephen Fabiano, assisted by Klochkov and Ryan Solari.

Rochester 4 @ Elmira 3 (SO) - The Elmira Aviators hosted the Rochester Jr. Americans for their second matchup of the season. Their previous matchup, which was held on Friday, ended in a 3-2 win for the Aviators. All goals scored in regulation were from power plays. In the first period, Rochester forward Stone Rolston scored at 15:25. The Aviators were quick to strike back, with a series of goals scored by forward Yianni Koukoves at 11:34 and forward Jack Kohlmann at 10:15. In the second half of the second period, Rochester retook the lead with goals from forward Konner Powell at 9:46 and forward Ryan Flaherty at 5:51. In the third period, the Aviators were able to tie up the score and send the game into overtime with a goal by forward Andrew Horn at 15:59. Both teams were not able to score in overtime, and the game ended in a shootout where Rochester forward Keanan Dewberry scored the lone goal in the third round, resulting in a 4-3 victory for Rochester. Jensen Carlstrom started in net for the Jr. Americans and made 24 saves. Aiden McKenna started in net for the Aviators and made 40 saves.

Janesville 3 @ Springfield 4 - The Springfield Jr. Blue hosted the Janesville Jets for their fourth matchup of the season. In their previous matchup on Friday, Springfield won 5-4 against the Jets. In the first period, the Jets struck first with defenseman Brady Olson netting one at 18:54. His teammate, forward Mason Minsky, was able to capitalize on the power play, and extend the Jets’ lead to 2-0 with a goal at 10:10. Springfield forward Zach Howard managed to tie up the score at the end of the period, with his first goal of the game at 3:07, and his second goal of the game scored on the power play with 43 seconds remaining in the period. In the second period, Springfield forward Brayden Sprickman scored four minutes into the period to give his team a one-goal lead. Janesville, however, was able to tie up the game with a goal by forward Hans Hedlund on the power play at 3:55. In the third period, with a little over a minute remaining, Springfield forward Owen Lowe was able to score the game-winning goal for his team for a 4-3 win. Sam Doyon Cataquiz started in net for the Jr. Blues and made 30 saves. Roman Batih started in net for the Jets and made 28 saves.

New Hampshire 2 @ Philadelphia 4 - The Philadelphia Rebels hosted the New Hampshire Mountain Kings for their fourth matchup of the season. The Mountain Kings were looking to break their six-game losing streak, with their last loss coming on Friday in a 1-5 loss to the Rebels. In the first period, Rebels forward Alex Lunski scored at 11:43. His teammate, forward Billy Sheridan, was able to extend the lead with a goal at 5:26. With 38 seconds remaining in the period, Mountain Kings defenseman Mikhail Cherepanov was able to convert on the power play to reduce the Rebels’ lead to one goal. In the second period, the only goal was scored by Rebels forward Jordan Brothers at 18:38. In the third period, Mountain Kings defenseman Joey Sylvester scored at 7:43 to bring the game down to a one-goal difference again. However, New Hampshire was not able to complete a comeback, and Rebels forward Broxton Ingle scored the fourth goal for Philadelphia at 1:18. Ilja Nikitins started in net for Philadelphia and made 32 saves. Jake Kunzon started in the net for New Hampshire and made 22 saves.

Austin 5 @ St. Cloud 1 - The Austin Bruins took care of business Saturday night, easily handling the St. Cloud Norsemen by a final score of 5-1. Austin was led offensively by Trace Day, who tallied two goals in the contest – both in the second period. The Bruins controlled the pace in the game, outshooting the Norsemen 43-21. The win extends the Bruins’ unbeaten streak to five games and moves them into a first-place tie with Bismarck in the Central Division with 31 points apiece. St. Cloud remains in a sixth-place tie with Minot at 17 points. The Bruins’ attack got started halfway through the opening period. EJ Paddington notched his 10th goal of the season on the power play to give Austin the 1-0 lead. His tally was the lone goal of the period. Austin Doyle doubled the Austin lead just 50 seconds into the second period on his second goal of the season. Late in the middle frame, Day notched both his goals just 1:35 apart to extend the Bruins’ lead to 4-0 after 40 minutes. The goals were Day’s seventh and eighth of the campaign. The Norsemen finally stopped the bleeding with 7:46 to go in the game. William Esterbrooks potted his seventh goal of the year via the power play to cut Austin’s lead to 4-1. St. Cloud could not muster any more goals for the remainder of the game. Gus Elbert put the 5-1 score on ice with a short-handed empty-net goal with 41 seconds left to seal the win for the Bruins. The Bruins return home to begin a heavyweight series in the Central Division with the first-place Bismarck Bobcats at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Riverside Arena in Austin, Minnesota. The Norsemen prepare to face the Aberdeen Wings at 7 p.m. Friday at the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

New Mexico 2 @ Corpus Christi 4 - The Corpus Christi IceRays earned another massive victory over the New Mexico Ice Wolves Saturday, taking down their South Division rival 4-2 and securing the weekend-series win. Two goals in the second period from Corpus Christi’s Chase Nehring carried the IceRays to their third win over New Mexico in five-straight matchups against each other. The IceRays catch up to the Oklahoma Warriors – who have dropped five-straight games – with the win, pushing the teams into a tie for sixth place in the South Division. New Mexico drops down to sole possession of third place with the loss, two points behind second-place El Paso, which swept Amarillo this weekend. New Mexico found the only offense of the opening period. Tim Hewko (second) broke the ice with 8:33 to go in the period to get the Ice Wolves out to a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Nehring put the IceRays on his back in the second period. Goals at 12:11 and 9:37 put his team in front after 40 minutes of play. Both Nehring's goals were assisted by Charles Norris III and Jack MacKenzie. The goals were Nehring’s fifth and sixth of the season. The Ice Wolves did not go away after their rough second period. Andy Earl buried his 12th of the year just under three minutes into the final period to equalize the game at 2-2. The teams battled into the final 10 minutes, searching for the go-ahead goal. Corpus Christi’s Easton Swift finally found that clutch goal with 8:45 remaining to put the IceRays back on top. New Mexico again searched for the game-tying score, but IceRays goaltender Vladislav Bryzgalov and the rest of the Corpus Christi defense stood tall to keep their team in front. Andrej Paricka (seventh) provided the empty-net dagger with 55 seconds remaining to seal the 4-2 weekend-series clinching win for the IceRays. The Ice Wolves head home to take on the Lone Star Brahmas, who lead the South Division. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The IceRays look to carry the momentum into a weekend series against the Odessa Jackalopes. The two-game weekend series begins at 7:15 p.m. Friday at Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, Texas.

Shreveport 3 @ Lone Star 2 - The Shreveport Mudbugs put together a resilient win against a scorching-hot Brahmas team that refused to quit. This tense matchup was close all the way until the final buzzer, but ultimately, the visiting Mudbugs were able to walk into NYTEX Sports Centre and leave with the win. The Mudbugs wasted no time as Jeremiah Roberts scored his first goal of the year a little over a minute after the first drop of the puck. The Mudbugs extended their lead thanks to Johnathon Berndt, with Joseph Samango getting a helper on the goal and Grayson Gerhard picking up his second assist of the night. The second period featured a lot of penalty minutes and tense battles, but eventually those penalties came to a head when Berndt picked up his second of the night on the power play. With just a minute remaining in the second period, the Brahmas finally got on the board thanks to Jackson Vaites. The third period came and went, and it seemed to be an uneventful frame, but Aaron Vanwie managed to cut the lead to just one goal with the net empty and the Brahmas in desperation mode. Ultimately, the Mudbug withstood the final push from the Brahmas and finished out the 3-2 win. The Lone Star Brahmas have been excellent this season, and the Mudbugs knew they had their work cut out for them. The Brahmas outshot Shreveport 31-20, and they had a great deal of momentum heading into the third period despite being down two goals. The Mudbugs did a great job of capitalizing on each of the Brahmas' mistakes and focusing on the small details of the game that great teams excel at.

Watertown 8 @ Minot 2 - The Watertown Shamrocks posted another impressive offensive outing on the road against the Minot Minotauros. The Shamrocks were able to capitalize early, defend and extend their lead, and ultimately sweep the weekend. The game started with a quick Watertown power play that led to Zach Boren lighting the lamp just 57 seconds into the contest. About five minutes later, Kyle Greene got in on the action with Boren getting an assist and his second point of the evening. Another five minutes later, it was Boren posting his second goal of the evening, and Carter Sproule getting his third assist of the night just ten minutes into the game. Vincent Curasi scored his second goal of the year, and the Shamrocks had a dominant start entering the first intermission. Minot needed to respond quickly to start the period, and they did with Dane Ramirez scoring just 23 seconds after the drop of the puck. Despite this positive start, both teams went silent until the final two minutes when Justin Bartley picked up a power-play goal for the Shamrocks. With the score at 5-1 heading into the third period, the Shamrocks were looking to tack on and defend their lead, while the Minotauros were just looking for a spark. Owen Fask scored unassisted four minutes into the third period, while Sproule followed him up just a minute and a half later for a goal of his own. Briggs Knott gave the Minotauros some much-needed hope at the midpoint of the period, but Boren scored his hat-trick goal on the power play just a minute later. The 8-2 lead persisted, and the Shamrocks left in the win column. For those putting together their own three stars of the game, it must include Zach Boren and Carter Sproule to some capacity. Boren scored a hat trick and had two assists, while Sproule had one goal and four assists for a pair of five-point outings. These two were stellar and led the offensive onslaught that the Watertown Shamrocks administered at Maysa Arena.

Amarillo 1 @ El Paso 4 - Looking for revenge from the night before, the Amarillo Wranglers were hungry for a victory on Saturday night against the El Paso Rhinos. The matchup kicked off with Amarillo lighting the lamp first, thanks to Alexander Raskin netting his first of the year. With 6:25 on the clock in the opening frame, El Paso’s Jackson Potulny finds the back of the net to tie up the contest. In the second period, Ian Kastamo scored on the power play quickly for the Rhinos, finding the back of the net at the 18:50 minute mark. Following that lone goal, both teams traded chances, and the game moved into the final 20 minutes of regulation. The Rhinos added to their lead when Aidan Bergner tallied a goal midway through the frame. In the final second of the contest, El Paso added one more to the scoresheet with Nolan Smith notching an empty-netter to finish off the game. The Rhinos now move to second place in the divisional standings with a weekend sweep. Between the pipes for El Paso, Michael Modelski spotlighted a 30-save performance and a win.

Kenai River 3 @ Fairbanks 5 - The Fairbanks Ice Dogs were looking to respond to a Friday night loss against the Kenai River Brown Bears. The matchup kicked off with Kenai River striking first. Parker Newwman found the back of the net a little over five minutes into the opening frame. The Ice Dogs responded in the final few minutes of the period when Mack Diggins scored his fourth of the season to tie up the game 1-1. The second period featured Fairbanks securing their first lead of the night midway through the frame. The captain, Luca Ricciardi secured a tally at the 9:56 minute mark. Following him 30 seconds later, Matthew Volkman finds twine to give the Ice Dogs a 3-1 lead. In the final seconds of the frame, Braden Hansberger scored short-handed to bring Kenai River within one heading into the last 20 minutes. The third period featured the Ice Dogs doubling their lead when Oliver Barna lit the lamp on the man advantage at the 14:37 minute mark. The Brown Bears were able to show up on the scoresheet once again when Thomas Gunderson buried a goal to make the contest tight in the final minutes of the game. The Ice Dogs were able to secure an insurance goal thanks to Diggins netting his second of the night. The Ice Dogs secure a 5-3 home victory and stay in the race for the top of the division. Between the pipes for Fairbanks, Mason McElroy stopped 27 out of 30 shots and helped to lift his team to a win.