Saturday Scores: Minot Stays Hot

Houston 3 @ Corpus Christi 4 - The Houston Bulls and Corpus Christi IceRays took the ice for their second matchup of the weekend. Lukas Yeck got the Bulls out to an early lead scoring just 13 seconds into the game, with assists from Ivan Bercik and Jace Appelhas. But the IceRays fought their way back into the lead throughout the period, Michael Azzarone found the back of the net first with an assist from Dylan Chabrier and Charles Norris III netted his first of the season to make the score 2-1 at the end of the first period of play. The IceRays narrowly outshot the 9-8 in the middle frame but it was Houston’s Andrej Tomasec who found the equalizer on the power play to even the score at 2-2 heading into the final period. Anthony Pedalino brought Corpus Christi back into the lead with a power play goal early in the third period, but Houston’s Isaiah Castro quickly responded, deadlocking the score at three. It was Oliver Czaja who finally broke the tie, scoring the game winner with just one minute remaining to give the IceRays the 4-3 win and their second win of the weekend. 

St. Cloud 1 @ Bismarck 4 - The St. Cloud Norsemen and Bismarck Bobcats faced off for the second of their two game divisional series. The Bobcats gave themselves an early lead, with Teddy Richardson scoring the lone goal of the first period, while the Bobcats also outshot the Norsemen 11-6. The second period started with an early goal from Mark Evans to double the Bismarck lead before Will Leonard added another goal in the final minutes of the frame to further the Bobcats lead. Bismarck’s leading scorer, Brenden Espenell added his sixth goal of the season to help maintain the Bobcats offensive momentum with 14:46 remaining. The Norsemen used a power play opportunity to find their first goal of the matchup, Mate Tardi found the back of the net with assists from Tucker Lovejoy and Christian Garrity to make the score 4-1. Bobcats goalie Linus Viellard made 26 saves on 27 shots to secure the victory as the Bobcats split the weekend series. 

Minnesota 0 @ Janesville 5 - The Minnesota Mallards and Janesville Jets met for a Midwest Division clash at Forest Lake Sports Center. After a back and forth first half of the opening period the Jets offense found their rhythm, scoring three unanswered goals in the back half of the period. With 10:43 remaining Owen Shadrick got the scoring started, his second goal in as many games, Brendan Russell lit the lamp next, the St. Lawrence commits first goal of the season. Wyatt Dyck rounded out the goals for the period with assists from Harry Minucci and Elijah Covey. The Jet’s momentum continued into the second period with Brendan Russell finding his second goal of the contest to give Janesville a 4-0 lead heading into the final period. A penalty-plagued third period saw only one goal courtesy of Janesville’s Ty Bashaw bringing the final score to 5-0 in favor of the Jets. 

Austin 2 @ Minot 3 - The Minot Minotauros looked to defend home ice and extend their three-game winning streak as they faced the Austin Bruins for game two of their series. The penalty-ridden first period saw Minot dominate the shot column, outshooting the Bruins 9-4. Austin goaltender Dilans Birkans would not budge, saving every shot he faced in the first frame. The teams would head to the first intermission scoreless. The Minotauros would not waste any time getting on the board in the second period. Lucca Ori scored an even-strength goal early in the second frame to give Minot the lead. Minot took advantage of this momentum to find the net a second time thanks to Jax Warren. The Minotauros kept rolling as Mackley Morelli scored an even-strength goal, extending the Minot lead to three. The Bruins finally got on the board, cutting into the deficit with a Tevin Stuckel power-play goal to close out the second period. Both teams traded shots on goal to kick off the third period. The Bruins, searching for a comeback, found gold as Kyle Sorensen scored an even-strength goal to cut into the Minot lead. The Minotauros would not waver in the face of adversity, as they killed two penalties late in the game to hold their lead and secure a 3-2 victory to extend their winning streak to four straight. The Minotauros will look to carry their momentum into their series with the Watertown Shamrocks, while the Bruins will search for a win against the St. Cloud Norsemen. 

Grand Junction 3 @ New Mexico 2 - The Grand Junction River Hawks looked to ride the momentum of their game one comeback win as they faced the New Mexico Ice Wolves. The first period began with both teams trading penalties, but neither would take advantage. The frame was highlighted by gritty defense. New Mexico goaltender Jackson Silverberg finished out the period with a series of miraculous saves in the final minutes to send the teams into the locker room after a scoreless first period. Grand Junction found some momentum in the second period as Brodie Donovan found the net on an even-strength strike. The River Hawks followed this with a penalty kill and a second even-strength goal, this time from Lincoln Martin. Grand Junction finished off a productive second period with a third goal by way of Kason Harrold with just 16 seconds left in the frame, increasing their lead to three goals. The Ice Wolves started rolling in the third period, collecting ten shots on goal. Parker Thompson found New Mexico’s first goal of the night midway through the third frame. Thompson would drill a second consecutive goal late in the game, but it would not be enough to earn the victory. The River Hawks took a 3-2 win and will prepare for their series with the Billings Cattle Punchers, while the Ice Wolves will look to make some changes ahead of their series with the Houston Bulls.

Amarillo 1 @ El Paso 4 - The El Paso Rhinos took on the Amarillo Wranglers after their impressive victory in game one of the series. The opening period of game two saw a more balanced spread of shots between the two teams, with each putting up 12 shots on goal. El Paso would be the first to find the goal as Aidan Bergner scored an even-strength strike late in the first frame. The Rhinos left enough time in the period for Amarillo to retaliate. Harout Arutyunyan evened the score with a 4-on-4 goal to send the teams to the locker room tied up. The Rhinos started to take over offensively in the second period, outshooting the Wranglers 16-5. Raphael Laviolette scored the go-ahead goal for El Paso midway through the second frame. The Rhinos would continue to apply pressure on offense as Austin Michaud scored a power-play goal with only 25 seconds left in the second period, giving El Paso a two-goal lead heading into the intermission. El Paso kept their foot on the gas in the third period, again dominating the shot column. Jesse Gauthier tacked on another goal midway through the third frame to extend the Rhinos’ lead to three goals. Goaltender Logan Hughes held down the fort, saving 25 out of 26 shots and helping the Rhinos secure a win. El Paso will look to take on the Odessa Jackalopes, while the Wranglers hope to make some changes ahead of their matchup with the Oklahoma Warriors. 

Billings 3 @ Ogden 4 (OT) - The Ogden Mustangs faced the Billings Cattle Punchers hoping to get some revenge for Billings’ comeback victory in game one of the series. The Cattle Punchers, looking to beat the Mustangs for a fourth straight time this season, would strike first as Alec Johnson buried an even-strength goal midway through the first period. The rest of the period proved to be more defensive than the teams' last meeting. The frame only saw seven total shots, with Billings outshooting Ogden 5-2. The second period saw Ogden find a rhythm, putting up shot after shot. They finally found the net late in the second period as Jakub Habla tied up the game with an even-strength goal. The Cattle Punchers were quick to steal the lead back as River Freeman scored a power-play goal less than two minutes later, sending the game to the second intermission. The Mustangs started the third period with a sour taste in their mouth. Ty Simonet lit the lamp in the opening minutes of the frame with a power-play equalizer for Ogden. The deadlock would not last long as Billings responded again with an even-strength goal by way of Landon Rodgers. The Mustangs struck gold just as all hope seemed lost. Cooper Struckel scored a power-play equalizer with just over a minute remaining in regulation, making this the sixth straight game that Ogden has gone to overtime. The game seemed as if it would go into another shootout, but Liam Sheward drilled a power-play goal with nine seconds left in the overtime period, giving the Ogden Mustangs a much-needed win over Billings. 

Pueblo 6 @ Idaho Falls 4 - The Idaho Falls Spud Kings looked to extend their five-game winning streak against the Pueblo Peppers after defeating them in a shootout in game two. The Spud Kings would be the first to strike as Bravery Esplin found the net with an even-strength goal in the opening minutes of the game. Esplin wasn’t finished, scoring his second consecutive goal on a power play minutes later to give Idaho Falls an early two-goal lead. The Peppers would get past the Idaho Falls defensive line to find their first goal of the night, with Grady Knuston scoring on the power play just before the first intermission. The Peppers stayed hot coming out of the break, as Mykyta Bondariev scored an even-strength equalizer minutes into the second frame. The Spud Kings would snatch the lead back just after, courtesy of Tyler Atchison’s fourth goal in three games. Idaho Falls’ Ronnie Wade would add his name to the scoresheet with a shorthanded goal, extending the Spud Kings’ lead to two. The Peppers refused to go down lightly, as Brody Barta scored his first goal of the season to cut the lead to one and end the second period. The third period saw the Peppers’ special teams unit shine. Matts Tarlton scored a 5-on-3 power-play equalizer midway through the third frame. The game-tying goal was immediately followed by a power-play goal by Pueblo’s Michael Mathison, giving the Peppers their first lead of the night. Mykyta Bondariev would add his second goal in the final moments of the game, giving the Peppers a 6-4 victory and ending the Spud Kings’ streak. The Pueblo Peppers will look forward to their series with the Billings Cattle Punchers, while Idaho Falls will seek to get their swagger back against the Ogden Mustangs.

Aberdeen 3 vs. Watertown 2 - The Aberdeen Wings rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Watertown Shamrocks 3-2 Saturday night at Odde Ice Center. Watertown jumped ahead in the opening period as Justin Obrochta struck first before Owen Chartier doubled the advantage, sending the Shamrocks into the intermission with a 2-0 lead. Aberdeen responded in the second, with Noah Keyes putting the Wings on the board before David Hruby buried the equalizer with just 1:11 remaining in the period. Hruby wasted little time completing the comeback in the third, scoring his second goal of the night just 21 seconds into the frame to give Aberdeen its first lead. The Wings held firm the rest of the way, outshooting Watertown 39-22 behind a 20-save performance from goaltender Willum Braun. Watertown's Mason Gudridge stopped 36 shots, but Aberdeen's three unanswered goals proved decisive in the comeback victory.

Minnesota 4 vs. Springfield 0 - The Minnesota Wilderness delivered a dominant performance Saturday night, shutting out the Springfield Jr. Blues 4-0 at Northwoods Credit Union Arena. Jackson Knight opened the scoring late in the first period, giving Minnesota an early advantage before Jackson Reeves doubled the lead with a power-play goal in the second. The Wilderness continued to pull away in the third as Frantisek Netusil capitalized on another power-play opportunity before Robinson Djian sealed the victory with just 12 seconds remaining. Netusil finished with a goal and an assist, while Reeves also recorded a two-point night. Between the pipes, Ryan Gerlich turned aside all 24 shots he faced to secure the shutout, while Minnesota outshot Springfield 32-24. The Wilderness finished 2-for-5 on the power play and successfully killed all six Springfield opportunities to complete the commanding victory.

Shreveport 4 vs. Lone Star 2 - The Shreveport Mudbugs bounced back Saturday night, defeating the Lone Star Brahmas 4-2 at NYTEX Sports Centre behind two-goal performances from Duke Ehrhard and Robin Israelsson. Ehrhard powered Shreveport to an early 2-0 advantage with a pair of first-period goals, but Lone Star battled back in the second as Niko Smilovic and Colvin Callahan scored to even the contest heading into the final frame. With the game hanging in the balance, Israelsson broke the deadlock with 13:52 remaining in the third before adding an empty-net goal in the closing minutes to secure the victory. Shreveport goaltender Jack Greenwell delivered a strong performance between the pipes, stopping 27 of 29 shots as the Mudbugs narrowly outshot the Brahmas 30-29. Both teams were held scoreless on the power play, but Shreveport's late offensive surge proved decisive in splitting the weekend series.

Danbury 2 @ New Jersey 3 (OT) - The New Jersey Titans shake off a quick start by The Danbury Hat Tricks, comeback to win in overtime at home. New Jersey was playing with a desire to stop their skid after they lost the last two games but it was looking scary for them early as Danbury scored just over three minutes into the game after Tucker Mears put home a rebound in front of goaltender Simon Krcmar. Danbury would put another on the board just over a minute later after Brent Beswick scored his ninth goal of the season after he snuck behind the defense and put home a pass from Liam Storch that beat Krcmar through his five hole. New Jersey was able to settle things down afterwards but were still looking for an answer until Joe Pocrnic scored on the power play after he skated full speed down the right side boards past the defense and then fired a goal past Danbury goalie Charlie Mistretta. Mistretta and company then killed off a 5-on-3 penalty kill with Mistretta especially coming in clutch, making incredible saves. Pocrnic would eventually break through on a slightly controversial goal that was initially called dead but after replay assist the referees had credited him with a goal, tying the game for new jersey. The game afterwards became a tense contest where it felt that each team knew whoever scored next would win, and they both played aggressively looking for that goal. Both Krcmar and Mistretta played phenomenally throughout this game, but eventually we would need an extra frame to determine a winner. Overtime was mostly controlled by New Jersey and they would finally put a goal home after Martin Prizgintas found himself open on the far side of Mistretta, and scored on a pass from Hudson Slenker to be the hero in overtime.   

Maryland 1 @ New Hampshire 2 - The New Hampshire Ice Kings stun the first place Maryland Black Bears to get the upset win at home. The biggest talking point in this game was the goaltending on both ends. Maryland’s Michael Iliff and New Hampshire’s Ethan Moser both had fantastic nights, and it started in the first period where neither one of them gave up a goal. While the action was daily even in the first period the second was anything but as Maryland doubled New Hampshire in shots for the period, including a goal from Brayden Wade after he shot the puck past Moser that beat him under the legs to open the scoring. While the Ice Kings would get outshot in the period 18-9 they would get a timely goal by Aidan Patton after some chaos in front of the net to break the tie. Later, as the period was winding down, New Hampshire would score again after Benjamin Marcolini broke into the zone and fired a puck past Iliff to break the tie in what would end up being the game winning goal. New Hampshire committed to playing defensively after this and even though Maryland would register 14 shots on net in the third period, Moser was sharp and stopped all of them as the Ice Kings would get the win, and Moser would get the first star of the game for his performance. 

Oklahoma 3 @ Odessa 5 - The Odessa Jackalopes score three in the third, defend home ice against the Oklahoma Warriors. Oklahoma struck early in this game, getting on the board near the first minute of play after Jackson Hone threw it to the front of the net and it took a friendly bounce off of Odessa goaltender Cody Niesen. Jeremy Sprung would score to increase Oklahoma’s lead on the powerplay off of a pass from Tyler Wilmoth. Odessa would eventually get one past Oklahoma goalie Nathan St-Pierre after Johnathan Cifaldi tipped a puck in front of the net on a shot attempt by defenseman Lucas Goodfellow to give Odessa some momentum going into the period break. After some back and forth play, and some back and forth penalties, Odessa would tie the game after Goodfellow fired a shot from the high slot that beat St-Pierre high blocker side. The Jackalopes would score again not too long after when Bjorn Bahneman collected a power-play goal, firing a rocket from the top of the right circle that gave Odessa their first lead of the night. Before the period ended, Odessa would extend their lead further after team captain Adam Matar buried a rebound from Max Pieninkeroinen (who had three assists on the day) to really hammer the pressure on Oklahoma going into the third period. In the final frame, both teams would register double digit shots but both goalies stood tall. In the final minute, Oklahoma’s Jack Dunne would score on the power play to give the Warriors some life, but Odessa’s Ryan Staples would score an empty net goal around 20 seconds after to put the game on ice, and secure the win for Odessa. 

Elmira 2 @ Philadelphia 3 - Goaltending and special teams drive the Philadelphia Rebels past the Elmira Aviators to get their third straight win. This chippy game started out with a penalty early after Elmira’s Lucas Novak was called for holding, Philadelphia forward Paxton Couture would capitalize on the man advantage to give his team a 1-0 lead. Adam Sebastian Kurka would tie the game late in the period, firing a one-timer from Jacob Baratta that beat goaltender Jeremy Lowe. Capturing all the momentum before the break, Elmira kept up the pressure, generating 18 shots in the second, but Lowe was able to turn every shot away. Philadelphia did run into some penalty trouble in this period, but they were able to kill off every one of them to prevent a goal. With momentum swung back in their favor, Philadelphia would score again when Couture scored his second of the game, scoring a goal after some chaos in front of Elmira goalie JD Low. The back and forth game continued once Elmira’s Cruz Ferguson scored on a 2-on-1 advantage after Kurka slid him the pass on the rush. As Elmira put the pressure on to get another goal, Philadelphia would eventually swing things back their way after Dylan Moran took a puck from his own end, deked around three different defenders before cutting in front of the net and putting a backhand shot past Low to give Philadelphia a lead they would not give up. A highlight reel goal and a worthy one for the game winner. Philadelphia would kill the rest of the time to win their third game in a row.

Kenai River 3 @ Anchorage 6 - In an exhilarating showdown at Sullivan Arena, the Anchorage Wolverines triumphed over the Kenai River Brown Bears with a decisive 6-3 victory. The Wolverines wasted no time, with Oliver Morris opening the scoring at 17:18 of the first period, assisted by Easton Walters and Seth Carlson. Caleb Mahar doubled the lead at 14:18, courtesy of assists from Sheldon Rioux and Michael Kotora. Just under eight minutes later, Balint Lobenwein added a third goal, assisted by Leon Buzek, at 06:46. The Brown Bears clawed back with Calvin Basile scoring at 06:18, assisted by Leo Krchnavy, but the Wolverines’ onslaught continued as Michael Kotora netted a power-play goal at 03:35. Seth Carlson, involved in a later heated exchange, further extended the Wolverines' lead with a goal at 01:25, with Oliver Morris assisting. The second period saw Karim Kazhibekov pulling one back for the Brown Bears with a power-play goal at 00:08. Brady Morrell added another for the visitors in the third at 03:30, but Mahar sealed the game with an empty-netter at 00:38. Filip Hornáček was stellar in goal for Anchorage, making 21 saves, earning him the first star. Standout performances also came from Rioux and Buzek. The Wolverines’ power play was efficient, capitalizing on one of five opportunities, while Kenai River scored twice in four chances.

Wisconsin 2 @ Fairbanks 9 - In an electrifying showdown at the Big Dipper Ice Arena, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs triumphed over the Wisconsin Windigo with a commanding 9-2 victory. The Ice Dogs showcased their dominance early, with Maverick Timmons netting the opening goal on a power play at 13:41 of the first period, assisted by Vincent Arnone and Samuel Johnson. Just over a minute later, at 2:59, Torii Schmidt leveled the score for the Windigo, assisted by Artis Skrebels and Jona Zimbalatti. However, the Ice Dogs quickly regained the lead as Charlie Rutz found the net at 2:21 of the first period, with assists from Ben Green and Dane Gatmaitan. The second period saw a flurry of goals, starting with Dub Eunice III scoring at 19:21, followed by Ben Green’s two goals at 4:28 and 3:19, establishing a solid lead for Fairbanks. In the third period, Gage Leonard extended the lead at 16:25, and power-play goals from Dub Eunice III and Conor Stark further cemented the victory. Dane Gatmaitan added the final nail in the coffin with a power-play goal at 10:22. Alex Woller was stellar in goal for the Ice Dogs, saving 18 out of 20 shots, while Owen Lunneborg faced a relentless 48 shots, saving 39 for the Windigo. Ben Green was the star performer, contributing two goals and three assists, earning the first star of the game. The Ice Dogs excelled with four power-play goals from eight opportunities. This emphatic win keeps the Ice Dogs soaring at the top of the Midwest Division, showcasing their offensive prowess and defensive solidity.