Nashville, West Michigan and North Iowa win on Day 1
Nashville 3 vs. Metro 2 (2OT) – A face-off win and perfect shot from Nashville forward Jon Severson gave the Jr. Predators a thrilling 3-2 double overtime win on Thursday in Game 1 of the NA3HL Silver Cup Tournament. After a scoreless 1st period, Metro got on the board early in the 2nd period as they took advantage of fresh ice and a power play as just 1:13 into the period Metro forward Ryan Bloom took advantage of a neutral zone turnover and raced in on a 2 on 1 and beat Nashville goalie Nathan Klebe for a 1-0 Metro lead. Late in the period, Nashville drew even as a shot from the point was redirected by Nick Mammel past Metro goalie Jake Stephan tying the game at 1-1. The Jr. Predators took their first lead of the game just over seven minutes into the 3rd period as Colton Anderson pounced on a rebound to put a shot past a sprawled Stephan. Metro would end up tying the game on a broken play as a shot as stopped by Klebe, but the rebound bounced up behind the goalie and was put in by Cooper McLean. No one could find the back of the net the rest of the way and the game would go to overtime. In the first overtime, both Klebe and Stephan made some unbelievable saves keeping both their clubs in the game for the first set of extra 20 minutes. In the second overtime, a face-off deep in the Metro zone would lead to the game-winner. Spencer Michaud won a draw right back to Jon Severson who snapped a shot over the blocker of Stephan for the winner. Klebe made 28 saves in the win, while Stephan played very well in the OT loss, making 44 saves. Boxscore
West Michigan 3 vs. Great Falls 1 – A fast start, two goals from Michael Tratar and 28 saves from Hunter Vorve led the Central Division champion West Michigan Wolves to a 3-1 win over the Great Falls Americans from the Frontier Division. Tratar scored the opening two goals in the 1st period in almost identical fashion as on his first goal he got a nice pass from Austin Buchholz and scored on a breakaway. His second goal came 13 minutes later on a nice pass from Corey Siwula and again raced in on a breakaway and scored past Great Falls goalie Jordan Moran to make it 2-0. It didn’t take long in the 2nd period for the Wolves to add to their lead as just :10 seconds in Devin Farkas took a pass and fired a shot from the slot over the blocker of Moran to make it 3-0. Great Falls would answer back four minutes later for their only goal of the night as a slapshot from the point from Milles Giorgione eluded a screened Vorva to put Great Falls on the board. However, that is all Vorva and the Wolves would allow as both teams piled on the shots in the 3rd period, but could not find the back of the net. Moran made 29 saves in the loss. Boxscore
North Iowa 7 vs. Granite City 4 – North Iowa jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and never looked back as they beat the Granite City Lumberjacks, 7-4. Just :46 seconds into the game, Bulls forward Brett Gravelle found himself 1 on 1 down the right side and he slipped a backhand through the legs of Lumberjacks goalie Kendall Meyer. Less than three minutes later, Ryan Durant found himself open on the left side and streaked in on a 2 on 1 and fired a shot past Meyer that would end his night after the first two shots. Granite City inserted goalie Jesse Garcia, but it wouldn’t go any better for the ‘Jacks as just :30 seconds after Durant’s goal, Johnny Panvica sent a shot to the net that went off a Lumberjacks skate and over the shoulder of Garcia for a 3-0 North Iowa lead. Back-to-back power play goals from Brett Gravelle and Conor Durgan made it 5-0 North Iowa midway through the game. Granite City finally broke through on a goal from Dallas Marvin. However, the Bulls would strike again with their third power play goal of the period with Panvica’s second of the game. Granite City cut into the lead and made it 6-2 with a 3rd period power play goal from David Horsmann. North Iowa regained their five goal lead with a goal from Sam Naegele. Granite City tried to make a game late in the 3rd period with goals from Adam Marty and Dallas Marvin, but it would not be enough. Boxscore
