Saturday Scores: Lone Star Prevails in the Shootout Against Corpus Christi

Danbury 4 @ Northeast 8 – The Generals erased an early deficit, scoring seven unanswered goals to defeat the Hat Tricks 8-4 on Saturday night, bouncing back after Friday’s loss. Danbury controlled much of the opening period, building a 3-0 lead behind goals from William Cronberger, Gus Rabe, and Brent Beswick. The Generals got on the board late in the frame when Emil Szepsi found the back of the net, cutting the deficit to 3-1 heading into the first intermission. Northeast controlled the second period, scoring five times. Nate Porter started the surge before Dominic Pajkic, Owen O’Rear, and Tyler Kelly each added goals of their own. Porter then scored his second of the night, giving the Generals the 6-3 advantage. Northeast continued to add to its lead in the third with goals from Kody Moyer and Camden Tabb. Danbury’s Nick Petkovich scored late for the Hat Tricks, but the Generals closed out the 8-4 victory after a dominant final two periods.

Maryland 4 @ Elmira 2 – The Black Bears secured a 4-2 win over the Aviators, splitting the weekend series. After a scoreless first period, Maryland broke through in the second when J.P. Saddy scored the game’s first goal after the Black Bears generated 20 shots on net. Just 16 seconds later, Aja Rai carried the puck the length of the ice, firing a shot from nearly the same spot as Saddy, finding the back of net to give Maryland a 2-0 lead. Off the draw, the Black Bears maintained possession in the offensive zone, and Lucas Salvatore capped off the flurry by scoring Maryland’s third goal in less than a minute and extending the lead to 3-0. Elmira responded with a goal from Adam Sebastian Kurka before the second intermission, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Aviators pulled within one early in the third period when Timofei Korober cashed in on the power-play to make it a one-goal game. Maryland restored their two-goal lead with a rebound by Brady Anes to make it 4-2 and secured the win for the Black Bears.

New Jersey 3 @ Johnstown 6 - Johnstown secured the 6-3 victory over New Jersey to push their winning streak to six games on the season. The Tomahawks came out strong in the opening period securing three goals, with Brody Peterson and Alex Gomes grabbing their first goals of the season. It was Peterson who got things started just over three minutes into the period as he was able to find the answer to put his team up by one. New Jersey would be called for a roughing minor almost midway through the period that allowed Duval to secure his second goal of the season, with Gomes joining the first club as he secured his first goal of the season to send Johnstown into the second period up by three. New Jersey responded with three goals of their own, two in the second off the sticks of Pocrnic and Slenker, and again by Doumas in the third. However, the Tomahawks offense remained strong with Coots scoring a powerplay goal in the second period, and Sullivan and Zetterkvist found the answer in the third period to help secure the victory. Johnstown would finish with 38 shots on goal and demonstrated key discipline on the powerplay as they went 2 for 3 in the game. 

New Hampshire 5 @ Philadelphia 2 - The story in this one was all about the special teams as New Hampshire secured a 5-2 win over Philadelphia. Philadelphia got things started in the first period on a goal off the stick of Djurberg, but New Hampshire answered quickly as Dias found the back of the net just 49 seconds later. It was all New Hampshire in the second period as Dias scored his second of the night shorthanded, and Petroff finding the answer on the powerplay to give the Mountain Kings a 3-1 lead. The Mountain Kings struck first again in the third period with Podergois adding his name to the scoring column. The Rebels down by three added another goal to their score column off the stick of Wilson to make it a 4-2 game. However, with just 41 seconds left in the game, Petroff nabbed his second of the night to secure the 5-2 win over Philadelphia. It was a 1 for 4 night for New Hampshire's powerplay, and the penalty kill went 7 for 8 while securing a shorthanded goal. 

El Paso 1 @ Odessa 2 - After a tightly contested matchup, Odessa secured the 2-1 win over the El Paso Rhinos. Midway through the first period Odessa would find themselves on top on a goal from Matar, but their lead would not last long as El Paso responded about a minute and a half later on a goal by Sullivan. Now 1-1, the game remained quiet heading into the second period. While both teams looked for the go ahead goal in the second they each found themselves fighting off penalties as four different minors were called throughout the period. It wasn't until the final minute that Odessa was able to break the score column. When Donatelli secured a pass and rushed towards the net, finding the answer to put his team up by one and hand Odessa the winning goal. Strong defense and stick handling allowed Odessa to control the third period and secure their 12th win of the season. 

Bismarck 5 @ Austin 4 (OT) - The Bismarck Bobcats sought redemption Saturday night in a rematch against the Austin Bruins. Will Harker started the scoring early in the first period, putting the Bobcats on the board. The Bruins responded with a power-play goal from Logan Lambrecht. The Bobcats quickly answered with a goal from Matyas Jonak to end the first period. The Bruins opened the second period with a wrist shot from Victor Nilsson-Dalsjo. Jonak rounded out the scoring for the second period, giving the Bobcats a 3-2 lead. During the third period, Nolan Newton scored on the rebound to tie the game 3-3 for the Bruins. Less than a minute later, Logan Brown scored, giving the Bruins their first lead of the night. During a stretch of 4-on-4 hockey, Luc Plante scored to tie the game at 4-4 for the Bobcats. With the clock winding down in overtime, Harker scored on the power play to secure a 5-4 victory for the Bobcats.

Wisconsin 5 @ Springfield 2 - The Wisconsin Windigo looked to split the series with the Springfield Jr. Blues. Springfield jumped out to an early lead with a goal from Gavin Wilkie. The Windigo tied the game with a goal from Blake Arrowsmith. Brayden Severin found the back of the net with less than two minutes remaining in the first period, giving Wisconsin a 2-1 lead. Daniel Greenbaum opened the second period with a goal, extending the Windigo’s lead. The Jr. Blues responded with a goal from Alex Whitlock off a turnover. With time dwindling in the third period, Aidan Hickok scored on the power play, giving Wisconsin a 4-2 lead. Emils Brakse scored the final goal of the night, an empty-net goal for the Wisconsin Windigo, securing a 5-2 victory.

Minot 2 @ Watertown 4 - The Watertown Shamrocks looked to split the series Saturday night in a rematch against the Minot Minotauros. The Minotauros struck first with a goal late in the first period from Shawn Swavely. The second period opened with a goal from Ivan Sidorov, giving Minot a 2-0 lead. The Shamrocks answered with a goal from Jordan Brothers off a turnover to cut the deficit to 2-1. Kirill Borodulin scored for the Shamrocks to tie the game at 2-2. During the third period, Maksims Pumpins scored off a turnover, giving the Shamrocks their first lead of the night. Justin Obrochta scored the final goal of the night, securing a 4-2 victory for the Watertown Shamrocks.

Minnesota 3 @ Janesville 8 – The Janesville Jets beat the Minnesota Wilderness 8-3. Janesville started strong with Carter Oliphant scoring not even a minute into the game. Near the end of the first period, Ty Bashaw scored a power-play goal to give the Jets a 2-0 lead going into the second period. The Wilderness struck first in the second period with Robinson Djian finding the back of the net to cut the Jets' lead in half. However, they responded soon after with multiple back-to-back goals. Hans Hedlund and Grant Dillard both scored for the Jets on the power play. Then, Brendan Russell scored to give the Jets a 5-1 lead. To end the second period, Jackson Reeves scored for the Wilderness. Early in the third period, Jackson Lackas scored for Minnesota, making the score 5-3. However, the Jets controlled the rest of the game. Wyatt Dyck scored a short-handed goal for the Jets. Kingston King also scored for the Jets, which marked his first of the season. Finally, Russell scored his second of the game to secure the 8-3 win for Janesville at home. 

Lone Star 4 @ Corpus Christi 3 (SO) – The Lone Star Brahmas defeated the Corpus Christi IceRays 4-3 in a shootout. The game started slowly, with neither team scoring in the first. However, Justin Thibault scored about halfway through the second period for the IceRays. The Brahmas responded quickly with Sam Black and Vincenzo Capano scoring back-to-back goals to give Lone Star a 2-1 lead going into the third period. Caleb Romph opened the scoring in the third period for the Brahmas to extend their lead. However, Corpus Christi was not going down without a fight. Brodie Hankel scored with about five minutes left in the game. Then, Willem Kerr scored on the power play to force overtime. Neither team was able to find the back of the net during overtime, forcing a shootout. Lone Star made 2 shootout attempts, while the IceRays made none, which secured the Brahmas 4-3 win.

Houston 3 @ New Mexico 4 (SO) - The New Mexico Ice Wolves defeat the Houston Bulls for their first home win of the season. After failing to score on an early power play, the New Mexico Ice Wolves opened the scoring when defenseman Koen Harrold joined the rush and slipped one past Aaron Sachs. The Ice Wolves kept the momentum throughout the period, including on the penalty kill. Caleb DeBruyne finessed his way into the Bulls' zone and scored a shorthanded goal to make it 2-0. The Bulls responded strongly in the second period. After a disallowed goal due to a high stick with 10 minutes left, Vitaliy Korolyuk scored right off a face-off two minutes later to make it 2-1. Despite the continuous pressure from the Bulls, Conner Boulay’s seeing-eye shot with two minutes left in the period restored the Ice Wolves' two-goal lead going into the third period. However, the Bulls wouldn’t go away. Nicholas Russ scored a power-play goal with 13 minutes left to make it 3-2. Ice Wolves goaltender Jackson Silverberg made 13 saves in the third period, including several sprawling stops in the final minute. However, with 27 seconds left in regulation and coincidental penalties assessed to both teams, the Bulls pulled their goalie and tied the game. Russ cleaned up a rebound in front with four seconds left, forcing overtime. Even with the Bulls outshooting the Ice Wolves 8-1 in overtime, a shootout was needed to determine the winner. The shootout opened with goals by Ryder Sorensen and Tanner Ross for their respective teams. With Silverberg making a save to start the fourth round of the shootout, Harrold weaved in on Sachs, beating him on the blocker side to win the game for the Ice Wolves.

Billings 4 @ Pueblo 0 – The Billings Cattle Punchers shut out the Pueblo Peppers 4-0. The game started off slow but physical, as neither team scored in the first period. Not even a minute into the second period, Landon Jamieson scored first for the Cattle Punchers. Then, Alec Johnson and Felix Pomerleau both scored to give Billings a 3-0 lead going into the third period. They kept the momentum going in the final period as Joey Kubas scored a power-play goal to secure the 4-0 win for Billings. 

Idaho Falls 1 @ Ogden 5 - The Ogden Mustangs exploded for five unanswered goals to defeat the Idaho Falls Spud Kings 5-1. A scoreless first period saw the Ogden Mustangs outshoot the Idaho Falls Spud Kings 13-4. That trend continued in the second period, with the Mustangs registering 19 shots on net and breaking the ice first. In the opening minutes of the second period, a turnover at the Spud Kings' blueline allowed Benedetto-Antonio Masi to walk down the slot and score his second goal of the season. Just over a minute and a half later, a 50-second shift in the offensive zone for the Mustangs resulted in a goal by Sam Gero, extending the lead to 2-0. The Spud Kings killed a penalty to keep it 2-0, but the Mustangs got back on the board shortly after when Jakub Habla scored a third unanswered goal. The Mustangs continued their run into the third period, where Gero scored his second of the game in the opening minute. Erich Jaques also scored his third goal of the season with 14 minutes remaining to make it 5-0 for the Mustangs. However, on the next shift, Tyler Rothstein found a shooting lane, beating Jack Foy on the blocker side to spoil his shutout and get the Spud Kings on the board. Still, the Mustangs cruised to a 5-1 victory.

Minnesota M 3 @ Fairbanks 2 (SO) - Minnesota Mallards netminder Roman Batih recorded 45 saves against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, leading the Mallards to victory in a shootout. After losing to the Mallards the night before, the Ice Dogs came out firing in the opening frame, logging 11 shots in the first eight minutes of the first period, which included a deflection goal by Ben Green. But the Mallards answered back two and a half minutes later on just their second shot of the game. A two-on-one rush led by Franklin Loo set up Jackson Mosley to tie the game. The Ice Dogs found themselves in penalty trouble all night, including a five-on-three in the first period that they killed off. But with two and a half minutes left, Mosley scored again to give the Mallards a 2-1 lead. In the opening minutes of the second period, Dub Eunice III’s strong forecheck led to Dean Andrews tying the game. Both teams traded chances throughout the second period, with the shots totaling 16-13 in favor of the Mallards, but the game remained deadlocked at 2-2. Once the third period began, the goaltenders stole the show, and the game remained tied. Even during overtime, despite the Ice Dogs having two three-on-one opportunities they couldn’t capitalize on, Mallards goaltender Roman Batih stood strong with 45 saves, while Ice Dogs goaltender Izaak Kalis made 33 saves. A shootout was needed to decide the winner. Andrew Migliore scored on the backhand to give the Mallards the lead, and Batih then stopped Green’s attempt to secure the victory for the Mallards over the Ice Dogs.