Saturday Scores: Philadelphia Powers to Shootout Victory

Maryland 4 @ Elmira 3 (OT) - The Elmira Aviators hosted the Maryland Black Bears for their sixth matchup of the season and second matchup of the weekend. Maryland won in overtime during their previous game on Friday. The first period was scoreless, and Elmira was the first to score in the second period with a goal from forward Matt Maglio at 13:35. The Black Bears were able to tie up the score on the power play with an unassisted goal from Ryan Franks. Maglio would proceed to give Elmira the lead again off of a shorthanded goal at 2:18. However, Maryland was able to capitalize on their power play, and forward Tanner Duncan scored at 1:12 to tie up the game going into the third. In the third period, Maryland pulled forward with a lead off of forward Harrison Smith’s goal at 5:22. However, with 45 seconds remaining in the third, Elmira forward Evan Dantas was able to capitalize on the power play with a goal. The game proceeded to overtime, where Smith scored the unassisted game-winning goal for the Black Bears at 2:56. Dom Gatto started in net for Maryland and made 21 saves on 24 shots. Aiden McKenna started in net for Elmira and made 35 saves on 39 shots.

Philadelphia 3 @ New Hampshire 2 (SO) - The New Hampshire Mountain Kings hosted the Philadelphia Rebels for their sixth matchup of the season and second matchup of the weekend. The Mountain Kings had won the previous game in overtime on Friday. In the first period, New Hampshire opened up the scoring with a goal from forward Ronnie Hill at 6:13. Philadelphia was able to tie up the game and build a lead before the end of the period with a pair of goals from forward Jake Schultz at 5:43 and 1:51. In the second period, the Mountain Kings were able to even up the score with a shorthanded goal from forward Cole Roenick. The second period ended 2-2, and neither team was able to score in the third period. The game headed into overtime, where neither team was able to score again, and the game proceeded into a shootout. In the first round of the shootout, Rebels forward Abzal Alibek scored the only goal of the shootout to make it a win for the Philadelphia Rebels. Ben Varsa started in net for Philadelphia and made 33 saves on 35 shots. Nolan Francis started in net for New Hampshire and made 25 saves on 27 shots.

Maine 2 @ Danbury 5 - The Danbury Hat Tricks hosted the Maine Nordiques for their second matchup of the season and weekend. Maine won Friday’s game 2-1. In the first period, Danbury struck first with a goal from forward Peter Freel at 16:35. His teammate, forward Tanner Terranova, would score the second of the period at 3:49 to extend Danbury’s lead to two by the end of the period. In the second period, Freel would score his second of the game at 8:42 to extend Danbury’s lead to three goals. Maine was able to narrow the gap with an unassisted goal from forward Jack Klevby at 3:12, ending the period 3-1 for Danbury. In the third period, Danbury would extend their lead again with a power play goal from forward Matt Dabrowski at 17:59. Maine would narrow Danbury’s lead back to two goals with an unassisted goal from forward Damon Myers at 12:15. Danbury was able to capitalize once again on the power play with an unassisted goal from forward Kai Elkie at 2:52, ending the game in a 2-5 win for the Hat Tricks. Jon Dukaric started in net for Danbury and made 48 saves on 50 shots. Matthew Wood started in net for Maine and made 26 saves on 31 shots.

Anchorage 5 @ Chippewa 1 - After dropping Friday night’s series opener, the Anchorage Wolverines got back on track with a 5-1 win to earn a series split with the Chippewa Steel on Saturday. The Wolverines got the win off the back of a two-goal performance from Luc Bydal, who recorded his NAHL-leading 24th and 25th goals of the season in the game. Goaltender Drake Owens also shined for Anchorage in Saturday’s contest, recording 30 saves on 31 shots faced. Owens had to be sharp in the second period, where his team was outshot 14-7 but only allowed one goal. Anchorage gained two more points of separation from sixth-place Janesville, who lost Saturday, with the win for a three-point cushion in the Midwest Division. Chippewa remain in last place in the Midwest – nine points behind seventh-place Kenai River. The Wolverines broke the ice midway through the opening period. Leon Buzek tallied his third of the year to get Anchorage going. Bydal added his 24th of the year with just under three minutes to play in the period to give Anchorage a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Chippewa started the second period strong, as Lucas Mann cut the Anchorage lead in half just under three minutes in. The goal was Mann’s fourth of the campaign. The game remained close until Bydal (25th) and Duke Gentzler (fourth) scored 56 seconds apart late in the middle frame to give Anchorage a commanding 4-1 lead heading to the third period. Andrew Karkoc (10th) extended the lead to 5-1 just under five minutes into the final period to dash any hope Chippewa had of a comeback. Owens and the rest of the Wolverine defense suffocated the remaining Steel attack to secure a 5-1 win for Anchorage.

Minnesota M 4 @ Watertown 6 - The Watertown Shamrocks finished their weekend homestand with another win over the Minnesota Mallards, pushing their record above .500 and rising to sole possession of fourth place in the Central Division. Carver Hasbargen got the night started on the power play for the Mallards after rebounding a Joseph Delaurentis shot on net. In the dying moments of the first period, Jordan Fanti wired a puck from the point to extend the Mallards' lead to two. After winning in convincing fashion the night prior, the Shamrocks needed to find their winning ways in the second period, and they did. Not even two minutes into the frame, Owen Fask picked the corner and cut the lead in half. Not even a minute later, Zach Boren scored a goal of his own and, in the blink of an eye, the Mallard lead was wiped off the board. Continuing the scoring for the Shamrocks was Antons Macijevskis, but Ty Gordon came right back and tied the game up for the Mallards. Then, just a minute later, Fanti scored yet another shot from the point and regained the Minnesota lead. The Shamrocks had to play catch-up yet again heading into the third period, and Erick Comstock understood the assignment when he ripped a one-timer into the back of the net and evened the score at four. Gaining the lead for the Shamrocks was Owen Chartier, and adding some insurance in the final moments of the game was Joe Rice, who set the score at 6-4 upon the final buzzer. Adversity is inevitable, and responding to said adversity is the testament of a great hockey club. Five of this game's ten goals happened in a six-minute span in the second period, and chaos ensued for both squads. Ultimately, the Shamrocks were the ones who responded with poise and closed out this game on top.

Fairbanks 2 @ Springfield 1 (SO) - The Springfield Jr. Blues hosted the Fairbanks Ice Dogs for their sixth matchup of the season and second matchup of the weekend. Fairbanks won Friday’s game 3-1 against Springfield. Both teams were evenly matched throughout regulation, with neither team being able to score in the first two periods. In the third period, Fairbanks forward Matthew Volkman opened up the scoring at 15:45. Springfield was able to tie up the game in the last few minutes with a power-play goal from forward Drew Berres. They headed into overtime, where neither team was able to score, and proceeded to a shootout. In the third round of the shootout, Fairbanks defenseman Sami Johnson scored the lone goal and won the game for the Ice Dogs. Miles Roberts started in net for Fairbanks and made 29 saves on 30 shots. Amir Valiullin started in net for Springfield and made 35 saves on 36 shots.

Austin 4 @ St. Cloud 1 - The Austin Bruins continued their dominant season with a suffocating 4-1 victory over the St. Cloud Norsemen. After getting out to a quick lead, the Bruins slowly managed to stifle their opponent and clean up the victory on the road. Scoring first for the Bruins was Matsvei Marshchanok in the slot off a great feed from Gavin Hruza. Around the midpoint of the first period, Michael Coleman continued the scoring on the rush with a perfectly placed wrister. The Bruins took a late-period penalty that sent the Norsemen to the man advantage. This then was conveyed for St. Cloud as Billy Biedermann potted his second goal of the 2025-26 campaign on the power play to cut the Bruins' lead in half. The second period was largely uneventful until the Bruins got a power play of their own with three minutes remaining in the frame, which allowed Hruza to score his 19th goal of the season. In the third period, the Norsemen failed to create high-quality chances and only produced six shots. Ultimately, EJ Paddington extended the Bruins' lead late in the period and finished this rather lopsided game off. On one side, you have the Austin Bruins sitting atop the Central Division with one of the best records in the NAHL, and on the other, you have a developing St. Cloud team still trying to find their way. The disparity in the progress of these two teams was clear on the ice this evening as the Bruins took care of business at the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex.

Amarillo 3 @ Corpus Christi 6 - A furious comeback effort fell just short for the Amarillo Wranglers Saturday, falling to the Corpus Christi IceRays by a final score of 6-3. Entering the third period trailing 4-1, the Wranglers cut the deficit down to 4-3 but were unable to find the equalizer before two empty-net goals sealed the game for the IceRays. Corpus Christi was led on the scoresheet by Andrej Paricka, who tallied two goals and two assists in Saturday’s weekend-series clinching win. The IceRays pulled ahead of Odessa for seventh-place in the South Division with the win, now sitting in sixth place with 33 points. The Wranglers have now lost three straight contests, with the loss and are in the South Division basement, two points behind Odessa. Paricka (12th) got the IceRays going just over five minutes after puck drop for the 1-0 lead. Amarillo had an answer 3:31 later. Jake Thornton (second) knotted the game back up at one goal apiece. The score held to the first-period buzzer as the teams entered the break deadlocked at 1-1. The IceRays needed only 2:42 to grab the lead back in the second period. Chase Nehring notched his 12th tally of the year to put Corpus Christi back on top. Amarillo was awarded a power play just over the midway through the period, but the only offense came from the IceRays. Nick Sinani (fifth) potted a shorthanded goal with 7:37 left in the middle frame to double Corpus Christi’s lead heading to the third period. Special teams remained hot for the IceRays into the third period as Johnny Maruna (10th) scored on the power play 30 seconds into the final period. The goal was assisted by Paricka Amarillo’s comeback effort began when Caden Hegarty (fifth) scored a power-play goal with just over 15 minutes remaining. Ty Izadi (12th) made things interesting just past the midway point of the period, cutting the deficit to one with nearly 10 minutes to go. The Wranglers desperately searched for the game-tying goal, but IceRays goaltender Xander Miceli turned away the remaining Amarillo attack. Justin Thibault (seventh) and Paricka (13th) each potted empty-net goals to secure the 6-3 win for Corpus Christi.

Aberdeen 6 @ North Iowa 2 - The Aberdeen Wings completed a convincing 6-2 victory on the road against the North Iowa Bulls. The Wings did an excellent job of spreading out their offense up and down the lineup and scored in bunches, en route to their 18th win of the season. Around the midpoint of the first period, Caden Lee found Sam Scheetz for a breakaway that led to the Wings' first goal of the game. Not long after, the Wings found themselves on the power play, where Cooper Anderson scored his fourth tally of the season. In the second period, only one goal was scored, and it was Brody Dustin extending the lead to three for the Wings. At this point, shots were 21-16 in favor of the Wings, and both teams looked to continue to lay on the offense in the third period. Just a minute and a half into the frame, Fugi Suzuki stole the puck on the penalty kill and scored shorthanded to get the Bulls' first goal of the game after 41 minutes and 12 seconds of play. This momentum was then quelled with two Wings goals courtesy of Jack McDonough and Zan Spari-Leben. Some brief light was provided by Denis Hodas scoring the second North Iowa goal of the evening, but Caden Lee scored the final goal of the game just a minute and 40 seconds later for the Wings. Having star players to look to when scoring is needed is important, but having depth to supplement the offense is just as crucial. The Wings had six unique goal scorers and 13 players leaving their mark on the stat sheet, some with plenty of points on the season and some with few. Hats off to the Wings and their ability to produce offense at a high level in this contest.

New Mexico 3 @ Shreveport 5 - The Shreveport Mudbugs defeated the New Mexico Ice Wolves 5-3 at George’s Pond. New Mexico opened the scoring on the power play when Aiden Connell scored, assisted by Sloan Farmer. The Ice Wolves extended their lead later in the period as Anton Malyshev scored with an assist from Tyler Hess. Shreveport responded with two power-play goals before the end of the first, both scored by Evan Hoglund. His first was assisted by Evan Adams, while the second was unassisted, tying the game 2-2 after one. New Mexico regained the lead in the second period when Nayan Pai scored, assisted by Aiden Connell, giving New Mexico a 3-2 advantage heading into the third. Shreveport controlled the final period with three unanswered goals. Jeremiah Roberts tied the game on the power play with an assist from Grayson Gerhard. Evan Hoglund then completed his hat trick with another power-play goal, assisted by Jeremiah Roberts and Grayson Gerhard. Vincent DiIulio sealed the win with an unassisted empty-net goal. New Mexico outshot Shreveport 34-31, but Shreveport’s 4-for-7 performance on the power play proved to be the difference.

Kenai River 3 @ Minnesota W 6 - The Minnesota Wilderness earned a 6-3 win over the Kenai River Brown Bears at Northwoods Credit Union Arena. Minnesota opened the scoring early when Andrei Gudin scored, assisted by Noah Dziver and Bryce Dahl. Kenai River responded shortly after with an unassisted goal from Massimiliano Monsoni. Minnesota regained the lead before the end of the first period as Noah Dziver scored shorthanded, assisted by Deegan Hoffbauer, to make it 2-1 after one. The second period was scoreless as both teams tightened defensively. Minnesota extended its lead early in the third when Zachary Homer scored with an assist from Noah Dziver. Kenai River cut into the deficit on the power play as Carter McCormick scored, assisted by Thomas Gunderson and Austin Petersen. Minnesota answered quickly with Zachary Homer’s second goal of the night, assisted by Andrei Gudin and Noah Dziver. Kenai River kept the game within reach when Joe Gillespie scored with assists from Parker Newman and Anthony McIntosh. Minnesota pulled away late with two empty-net goals, as Avery Anderson scored with assists from Noah Dziver and Owen Smith, followed by Zachary Homer completing the hat trick, assisted by Jack Martens and Noah Dziver. Minnesota finished the game with a 27-23 edge in shots.

El Paso 3 @ Lone Star 1 - The El Paso Rhinos defeated the Lone Star Brahmas 3-1 at NYTEX Sports Centre. The opening period ended scoreless as both teams were unable to convert on their chances. El Paso opened the scoring in the second period on the power play when Troy Hunka scored, assisted by Ethan Woolcott and Tommy Shore. Lone Star answered later in the period as Logan Lambrecht scored with assists from Isaac Suh and Vladimir Saibel. El Paso regained the lead before the second intermission when Nolan Smith scored with 18 seconds remaining, assisted by Simon Nealy and Tommy Shore, giving El Paso a 2-1 advantage after two periods. The third period remained tight defensively until Kamden Kaiser sealed the win with an unassisted empty-net goal in the final seconds. Lone Star outshot El Paso 27-22, but El Paso held Lone Star scoreless on three power-play opportunities.

Wisconsin 4 @ Janesville 2 - A stellar performance from forward Beau Kralovec helped the Wisconsin Windigo earn a weekend-series sweep with a 4-2 win over the Janesville Jets Saturday night. Kralovec put the Windigo on his back Saturday, recording a hat trick. In a back-and-forth affair, all of Kralovec’s goals gave his team the lead. Kralovec also accounted for the only non-empty net goals for the Windigo. The win pushes the Windigo within one point of third-place Springfield, who have now lost two straight games, in the Midwest Division. Janesville continues its tailspin with the loss, having now dropped three straight games and only winning two of its last 10 games. The Jets sit in sixth place in the Midwest – three points behind Anchorage. Kralovec foreshadowed his epic performance early in the contest, nabbing his fourth goal of the year just 1:19 into the game to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead. The Jets had a quick response. Joey Fankhanel (sixth) knotted the game at 1-1 just 3:10 after Kralovec’s opener. The teams remained tied at one apiece after 20 minutes. Neither team found the back of the net in the second period, as Wisconsin goaltender Max Larsson and Janesville goaltender Kaenan Smith turned all 19 shots aside. Kralovec wasted little time getting his team the lead in the final period. He snatched his second goal of the game and fifth of the year just over three minutes in to put Wisconsin up 2-1. Wyatt Ezman (sixth) quickly tied the game at 2-2 just 29 seconds later as the teams continued going blow-for-blow. With 14:13 remaining in the game, Kralovec emulated Superman again and completed the hat trick to give his team the lead for the third time. The goal was his sixth of the season and the eventual game-winner. The Jets couldn’t find their third answer to Kralovec as Larsson and the rest of the Wisconsin defense held until an empty-net goal from Callen Grilz (third) sealed the 4-2 win for the Windigo.

Bismarck 3 @ Minot 0 - The Bismarck Bobcats earned a 3-0 shutout over the Minot Minotauros at Pepsi Rink at Maysa Arena. The opening period was scoreless as both teams traded chances but held strong defensively. Bismarck broke through in the second period when Eddie Revenig scored, assisted by Jordan Mayo and Frantisek Broz, giving Bismarck a 1-0 lead heading into the third. Bismarck added to their lead late in the game. Charlie Kresl scored in the third period with assists from Royce Pietila and Camden Alemond, and Cooper Williams capped the scoring with help from Camden Alemond and Eddie Revenig. Bismarck finished with a 33-28 advantage in shots while holding Minot off the scoreboard.