Saturday Scores: Come-From-Behind Shootout Victory for Rochester

Danbury 2 @ New Jersey 5 - The New Jersey Titans secured a solid victory at home, pulling away from the Danbury Hat Tricks with a decisive 5-2 win. Fueled by a strong offensive effort, New Jersey was able to hold off a resilient Danbury squad. Vincent Bronzo kicked off the scoring in the affair with a goal of his own, off the assists from Hudson Slenker and Nikolas Doumas, to give New Jersey the 1-0 lead. Owen Leahy added onto the lead later in the period, with Matt Hanscom helping set up the tally to head into intermission up by two. In the second, Danbury fought back as Gavin Burke found the back of the net off feeds from Ryan Lukko and Willem Kerr. The Hat Tricks eventually tied the game when Austin Michaud scored off an assist from Kai Mencel. However, the Titans responded quickly to regain control. Owen Leahy notched his second of the night to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead, assisted by Ryder O'Neil and Matt Hanscom. Late in the period, Nathan Walsh added a crucial power-play goal off assists from Tate Pecknold and Skogen Schrott to extend the lead. The Titans put the nail in the coffin in the third period when Skogen Schrott buried an empty-net goal, with Tate Pecknold and Andrew Bely picking up the assists to finalize the 5-2 result. This year, the Titans now notched their 19th win of the campaign. On the other side, Danbury drops their 17th loss of the year as it looks to bounce back.

Maryland 2 @ Northeast 7 - The Northeast Generals dominated at home, pulling away from the Maryland Black Bears with a decisive 7-2 victory. Fueled by a strong offensive start and clinical special teams, Northeast was able to take down a tough Maryland squad. Logan Poulin kicked off the scoring in the affair with a goal of his own, off assists from Andrew Gibbons and Kody Moyer, to give Northeast a 1-0 lead. Finn Connor then took over, adding a second goal off feeds from Tyler Kelly and Ryan Solari, before notching a power-play tally assisted by Beckett Hinchsliff and Alec Hall to make it 3-0. Maryland finally answered back late in the period as Ryan Franks found the back of the net off assists from Tanner Duncan and Liam Doherty. In the second, the Generals started to pour it on with back-to-back power-play goals. Braydon Hudtloff found the twine off the sticks of Kody Moyer and Tyler Kelly, followed immediately by Logan Poulin’s second of the night, assisted by Moyer and Cole McKenna. Stephen Fabiano then added to the lead later in the frame, with Moyer and McKenna again helping set up the tally to make it 6-1. Northeast put the nail in the coffin in the third period when Braydon Hudtloff notched his second of the game, assisted by Logan Poulin and Alec Hall. Ryan Franks would add a final goal for the Black Bears off feeds from Jonathan Lanza and Tanner Duncan, but the game ended in a commanding 7-2 result. With the win, the Northeast Generals secure a vital victory at home, while Maryland will look to bounce back tomorrow after a tough road loss.

Rochester 3 @ Johnstown 2 (SO) - The Rochester Jr. Americans continue to show their resilience on the road, pulling off a gritty victory over the Johnstown Tomahawks by a score of 3-2 in a shootout. Rochester jumped out to an early lead and managed to hold off the Tomahawks to secure the extra point in the skills competition. The scoring opened late in the first period when Drew Peterson found the back of the net for Rochester off assists from Aaron Bleier and Evan Kensey. Just as the frame was winding down, Johnstown answered back when Ryan Shaw buried a shot with only one second remaining, following feeds from Owen King and Ryan Flaherty to tie it at 1-1. In the second period, Evan Kensey regained the lead for the Jr. Americans, scoring off the assists from Charlie Zetterkvist and Kirby Perler. The 2-1 lead held until early in the third period, when Clay O'Donnell leveled the game for the Tomahawks with a goal set up by Cameron Doran and John-Paul Saddy. After a scoreless overtime period, the game headed to a shootout where Owen King found the winner to silence the home crowd and secure the victory for Rochester. With this victory, Rochester notches a phenomenal 26th win on the season, while Johnstown continues its campaign, looking to build on the hard-fought point.

New Hampshire 2 @ Maine 3 (OT) - The Maine Nordiques closed out with an overtime win on Saturday night, beating the New Hampshire Mountain Kings 3-2. From the first period, Rylan Oster opened the score for the Nordiques. Later on, Damon Myers snuck one through the pads of Nolan Francis 17 seconds before the buzzer to give the Nordiques a two-nothing lead. However, in the second, the Mountain Kings quickly went to work and tied things up square. At 19:30, Aiden Petroff fed Ben Dias to hammer one in. And then three minutes later, Ronnie Hill tied the game, with Jaden Johnson chipping in. The tied game continued for the remainder of the frame and for the entirety of the third. Therefore, the two foes went into sudden-death overtime. And it wouldn't take long for the Nordiques to work their magic and quickly call it a game, as Marshall McCharles was the OT hero.

Aberdeen 5 @ St. Cloud 2 - The Aberdeen Wings dominated the St. Cloud Norsemen while on the road for Saturday's slate. The Wings quickly lit the lamp first in the first period, when David Hruby snapped one in from a saucer pass by Owen Pitters. In the second, however, the Norseman responded and tied the score. At 12:00, Billy Biedermann grabbed the response goal, with Avry Shaw chipping in. Six minutes later, Biedermann notched another one to tie things up, with Shaw carrying the primary assist. However, a minute later, Easton Edwards capitalized on the power play and punched in the go-ahead goal. For the third, Edwards’ go-ahead goal would amplify the momentum for the Wings, as they racked up three more unanswered before the buzzer sounded. At 18:23, they capitalized on another power play opportunity, as Owen Pitters buried the biscuit. Fast forward to 15:00, Anthony Ciaramitaro kept the scoring going. And then at the two-minute mark, Matt Martin finished the scoring streak and sealed the deal for Aberdeen.

North Iowa 3 @ Watertown 4 - The Watertown Shamrocks sought their revenge over the North Iowa Bulls on home turf after getting shut out by the Bulls during Friday night's disappointment. In the first period, the Shamrocks opened the score and scored three unanswered goals. In the first three minutes of play, Sebastian Haborak lit the lamp first when Vincent Curasi converted off the o-zone turnover and delivered an open-house feed. Less than two minutes later, Jordan Gudridge made it two-nothing. Then, before the buzzer sounded at 0:26, Payton Struck tucked one in. For the second, Fugi Suzuki capitalized on the power play late in the frame. In the third, the Bulls kept the momentum running, as they would punch in two more goals. 1:30 in, Denis Kuzmenkov would capitalize on another power play opportunity. Minutes later, they would convert on another power play opportunity, when Michael Malatino got it done with Brody Dietz setting him up to tie the game at three. However, the Shamrocks bounced back and broke the tie before the final buzzer, as Haborak would be the one to get it done. 

Odessa 4 @ Corpus Christi 3 (OT) - The Odessa Jackalopes shocked the home crowd at American Bank Center, stealing a 4–3 overtime victory after weathering a furious IceRays comeback. Odessa came out red-hot in the first period, lighting the lamp three times and seizing early control. Corpus Christi slowly clawed back into it, cutting the deficit in the second before storming back with two third-period goals to force overtime. Momentum was on the IceRays’ side late, but the Jackalopes flipped the script in the extra frame, burying the game-winner to silence the building. Odessa finished with a 42–37 shot advantage and sealed the win despite penalty trouble, snapping the IceRays’ rally in dramatic fashion.

Minnesota M 0 @ Austin 6 - The Austin Bruins put on a clinic at Riverside Arena, rolling past the Minnesota Mallards with a commanding 6–0 shutout. Austin set the tone early with two first-period goals, then completely blew the game open in the second by pouring in four more. The Bruins’ power play was ruthless, striking four times and keeping Minnesota on its heels all night. Despite the Mallards’ efforts to push back, Austin’s defensive structure and goaltending smothered any chance of a comeback. A quiet third period sealed the deal as the Bruins skated away with a dominant road victory and one of their most complete performances of the season.

Springfield 5 @ Janesville 4 - The Springfield Jr. Blues walked into Mercy Health Arena and survived a full-on battle, edging the Janesville Jets 5–4 in a back-and-forth thriller. Janesville came out firing in the opening frame, striking twice to grab a 2–1 lead after one. But Springfield answered in a big way during the second, erupting for three goals and swinging momentum completely in their favor. Special teams played a massive role, as the Jr. Blues made the Jets pay on the power play and carried a 4–3 advantage into the final period. Both sides found the back of the net in the third, but Springfield stayed composed under pressure and slammed the door late. With shots deadlocked at 29 apiece, the Jr. Blues’ ability to cash in on their chances proved to be the difference in a hard-fought road win.

Chippewa 5 @ Wisconsin 2 - The Chippewa Steel looked to bounce back after a 5-1 loss to the Wisconsin Windigo on Friday night. The Windigo lead the season series 2-0. The Windigo struck first on a goal by Ryan Mottau, assisted by Callen Grillz and Henry Steele, seven minutes into the game in the first. The Steel would respond with three minutes left on the power play with a goal scored by newcomer Kaid Pawlanta, assisted by Mason Johnson, to tie it up at one. In the second, Johnson would find twine for the Steel, assisted by Austin Boyce, for the Steel to take the lead for the first time this weekend. Four minutes later, the Steel would add to their lead on a goal by recent trade acquisition, Grady Knutson. Despite the Steel being outshot 29-10, the Steel took a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. In the third, the Steel wasted no time adding to their lead on a power play goal by Joc Bukovec, his second of the season, to make it 4-1 a minute into the period. Mottau would find the net for the Windigo on the power play, his second of the game, to cut the Steel's lead 4-2. Despite pressure from the Windigo, the Steel sealed the deal with an empty net goal by Blake Graff with two minutes left in regulation. The Steel picked up their first win of the season against the Windigo 4-2. Steel goaltender Zach Stahl made 40 of 42 saves for a 0.952 save percentage.

Bismarck 3 @ Minot 4 (OT) - The Minot Minotauros looked for revenge on their in-state rival, the Bismarck Bobcats, after losing in overtime the previous night. The Tauros struck first with a power-play goal by Ty James to take a 1-0 lead early in the first. In the second, the Bobcats would answer back on a power-play goal by Oscar Jonsson two minutes into the period. A minute later, the Tauros would respond with a goal by Briggs Knott to retake the lead 2-1. With just under two minutes left in the second, Philip Wiklund found twine for the Tauros on the power play, extending their lead 3-1. In the third, the Bobcats came back from a two-goal deficit with goals by Ben Rakowski and Jonsson, his second of the night. Sixty minutes were not enough for this one, and the game went to overtime for the second time. Getting deja vu from the night before, the Tauros wanted to rewrite the ending of this one. Veteran Ty James proved to be the hero, his second of the night, assisted by Dane Ramirez in overtime to secure the win for the Tauros, 4-3, splitting the weekend with the Bobcats.

Amarillo 4 @ El Paso 3 - The El Paso Rhinos continued their homestand with a contest against the Amarillo Wranglers on Saturday night! The matchup kicked off with Troy Hunka finding twine for the Rhinos midway through the opening period. Minutes later, Amarillo’s captain, Jacob Miller, lights the lamp for the Wranglers to even the scoreboard 1-1. However, the Rhinos would take the lead heading into the first intermission  when Gaige Giblin tallied a goal at the 2:04 minute mark. In the middle frame, the Wranglers would take the lead when Daniel Rassega scored back-to-back goals. Rassega’s first goal was scored three minutes into the period. Less than five minutes later, the second-year veteran finds twine on the man advantage, giving his team a 3-2 lead. However, the Rhinos would even the scoreboard when Hunka lit the lamp short-handed. Heading into the final 20 minutes of regulation, the score was tied 3-3. Midway through the final frame, Amarillo’s Danylo Dolin scores the game-winner at the 10:29 minute mark for his team. The Wranglers would skate away with a 4-3 victory on their road trip.

Minnesota W 4 @ Fairbanks 5 (OT) - In an overtime thriller at the Big Dipper Ice Arena, the Ice Dogs would pick up their first win against their in-division rival, the Minnesota Wilderness. The contest kicked off with Fairbanks striking first with Dean Andrews finding twine for the first time this season. Less than a minute later, the Wilderness would even the score with Noah Dziver lighting the lamp. The scoring would continue in the opening frame as Fairbanks’ Harrison Kaszubowski scored with 5:11 on the clock. Like last time, the Wilderness would even the score once again. This time, Caleb Kim would notch a tally less than two minutes later. Moving into the middle frame, the Wilderness would take their first lead of the night. Minnesota’s River Freeman scores his 13th of the season to give his team a 3-2 lead into the third period. A little over a minute and a half into the third frame, the Ice Dogs scored, evening the score thanks to Oliver Barna. The Wilderness again responded with a goal less than a minute later, with Kim securing his second tally of the night. The third period would be quiet until the final few minutes of the period. Fairbanks would find twine in game-tying fashion. Mack Diggins scores his ninth of the year, helping to send his team into overtime. With extra minutes on the clock, the Ice Dogs were hungry to secure a home victory for their fan base. The hero in overtime would be Dean Andrews of the Ice Dogs. His second tally of the year would come in game-winning fashion.

Anchorage 2 @ Kenai River 3 (OT) - With a continued battle in the Land of the Midnight Sun, the Kenai River Brown Bears would look to notch a series win and their second victory against Anchorage this season. The contest kicked off with a bang in the opening period, with Duke Gentzler finding twine on the man advantage at the 15:30 minute mark. The contest would go quiet in the second period as both teams traded chances. In the third frame, the Brown Bears would strike, securing two tallies in the period. First, Koen Burkholder lights the lamp with 16:59 on the clock. Following him a little over five minutes later, Parker Newman helps Kenai River take their first lead of the night. However, the Wolverines would not back down from a battle. With 1:13 on the clock, Anchorage’s Chase Trompeter finds twine, tying up the contest 2-2. As the game is forced into extra minutes, the Brown Bears would score the game-winner within the first minute of the period. Benhamin Tauscher scores at the 4:09 minute mark, helping to lift his team to a 3-2 overtime victory.