Friday Finals: Grizzlies claim Central Division regular season title
Ethan McCormack had a goal and an assist to help the Oregon Tradesmen to a 4-2 win and help clinch the final playoff spot in the Central Division.
Milwaukee 3 @ Rochester 4 - Buoyed by Matthew DeRosa's two goals, the Grizzlies erased a one-goal deficit with a three-goal third to top the Power 4-3 on Friday night. With the win, the Grizzlies claimed the Central Division regular season title for a second straight season. Dylan Schneider and Blake Arneson rounded out the Rochester scoring, while Nate Stone, Tyler Nelson and Ben Cremers put Milwaukee on the board. Zach Wiese picked up the win between the pipes with 20 stops, and Ewan McDevitt was dealt a tough loss in the Power cage with a 47-save effort in defeat.
Wausau 2 @ Oregon 4 - Sam VanderHoeven's double led the way as the Tradesmen knocked off the RiverWolves 4-2 at home on Friday night and clinched the final playoff spot in the Central Division. Marcus Mack and Ethan McCormack also scored for Oregon in front of 28 saves from Cole Garver, while Jake Minch and Richard Zupan found twine for Wausau. Caleb Sauer and Dylan Baker totaled a combined 58 saves in the RiverWolves' crease.
Helena 2 @ Butte 1 - Gavyn Galloway scored at 8:14 of the third period to break a 1-1 deadlock and net the deciding tally as his Bighorns edged out the Cobras 2-1 in Butte. Corey Miscovich struck first for Helena, midway through the second period, but Kyler Garsjo leveled the scores for Butte before the end of the frame, ahead of Galloway's heroics. Nate Gulsvig got credit for a 33-save victory in Helena's net on Friday, outdueling Butte's Griffen McAndrews, who finished with 27 saves on the night.
Missoula 0 @ Sheridan 10 - The high-powered Hawks' attack was at it again Friday night, riding two-goal efforts from Jonathon Teasdale and Jacob Cummings, plus a 27-save shutout from Christian Wong-Ramos, to a 10-0 win over the visiting Jr. Bruins. Nathan Gilleshammer, Justin Schwartzmiller, Brice French, Jack Harris, Zach Brydges and Nick Wieben rounded out the scoring, and the offense also featured some standout playmaking from Derek Humphreys (2a), Blake Billings (2a) and Davis Smidt (2a). Missoula goaltenders Will Hays and Maxim Currie combined for 57 saves on the night.
Springfield 4 @ New England 6 - Aleksandr Gamzatov scored twice to lead the Sharks past the Jr. Hat Tricks in a 6-4 goal-fest on Friday. George Fomin, Stephen Conklin, Zan Mojzer and Enrico Bozac chipped in the other Sharks goals, while Nick Cullinan (2), Dylan Webber and Misha Mshar put Springfield on the board. Sebastian Couturier earned the win between the pipes, outdueling Nathan Hadley of Springfield.
North Iowa 3 @ New Ulm 2 - Down by one entering the final frame, the Bulls rode goals from Caden Smith and Carter Newpower to a 3-2 win over the Steel on the road. Zach Maillette opened the scoring to put New Ulm up in the first period, before Brayden Uttech of North Iowa and the Steel's Jacob Zowin traded goals in the second, setting the stage for the Bulls' big comeback. Max Gutjahr's 19 saves earned the win, while Griffin Foster stopped 39 in New Ulm's loss.
St. Louis 3 @ Peoria 5 - Ethan Chesney potted a pair, Cole Walter stopped 20 pucks and the Mustangs ousted the Jr. Blues 5-3, despite a standout, 45-save effort from St. Louis netminder Danny Fraga. Heath Drye, Connor Bennett and Jackson Gram each contributed goals to Peoria's cause, while Vinny Servizzi, Mike Deeba and Matt McGowan grabbed goals for St. Louis.
Alexandria 1 @ Granite City 3 - Three different skaters hit the scoresheet and Josh Weyandt stopped 25 of 26 shots to pace a 3-1 win for the Lumberjacks over the Blizzard on Friday. Cody Dias, Troy Dahlheimer and Kullan Daikawa each lit the lamp in Granite City's win. Wyatt Johnson netted the lone Alexandria tally in front of 26 saves from Joey Greilich.
Mass 6 @ Bay State 0 - Philippe Doucette led a rampant Mass offense with two goals while Grant Goodson stopped all 24 shots that came his way as the Titans romped to a 6-0 win over the Bobcats. Eyan Gonzalvez-Helm, Nick Byron, Jonah Sabatini and Jules Jardine each netted as well in Mass' victory. Zack Roncarati of Bay State finished with 18 saves on 23 shots.
Oklahoma City 6 @ Mid Cities 0 - The Blazers were in fine form Friday night, as six skaters lit the lamp and Brandon Shantz posted a 19-save shutout in a 6-0 win over the Jr. Stars. Petr Philippov, Noah Henslee, Brad Crook, Carter Eha, Tommy Duren and Patrick Wyers provided the offense in this one, while Mid Cities goaltenders Sean Guerin and Zach Herron combined for 58 saves in the loss.
Bozeman 4 @ Yellowstone 3 (OT) - The Quake rattled off three unanswered goals in the final 25 minutes to force OT, but Bozeman's Jake Enders ended the game with a strike at 2:18 of the extra frame to seal a 4-3 Icedogs win. Tae Evans struck twice around a Devin Carney goal to give Bozeman an early 3-0 lead through the first half of the game, but Joe McCormick, Wyatt Allan and Brandon Kididis -- at 18:23 of the third period -- helped Yellowstone roar back to send it to overtime. Evan Wittchow's 36 saves earned the win, while Connor Carroll turned aside 32 shots for Yellowstone.
El Paso 2 @ TX Brahmas 6 - The Brahmas flexed some muscle on Friday night, riding goals from six different skaters and 21 saves from Dolan Gilbert to a 6-2 win over fellow South Division contender El Paso. Alec Secord, Matej Palfy, Jack Cooper, Jacob Kalandyk, Mason Mara and Danny Finegan each scored for Texas, outpacing Noah Easterson and Cole Scheider's tallies for the Rhinos. Ryan Nocerino stopped 35 shots in El Paso's cage.
