Friday Finals: Bozeman, El Paso play undefeated spoilers
Payne Pent had the overtime-winning goal to help El Paso hand the Brahmas their first loss of the season on Friday.
Helena 0 @ Bozeman 1: The Helena Bighorns saw their undefeated record come to an end tonight as they were defeated by the Bozeman Icedogs by a score of 1-0. Bozeman's lone goal came in the 2nd period with a goal scored by Owen House with 28 seconds remaining in the period assisted by Clayton Brown and Said Ayala. Bozeman was led by their goaltender Cam Milewski who came away with a commanding 50 save shutout, while Jesse Schindel stopped 11 of 12 shots in the loss for Helena.
El Paso 2 @ Texas Brahmas 1 (OT): The El Paso Rhinos came out on top after a thrilling overtime victory over the Texas Brahmas by a score of 2-1. Texas scored the first goal of the game at 18:20 of the first period as that goal was scored by Michael Imala. Then El Paso was able to tie the game up at one a piece when Theo Jakobson got the Rhinos on the board at 7:42 of the 2nd period. This game would remain tied at the end of regulation and needed extra time in order to decide a winner of this contest. El Paso was able to come out on top when Payne Pent was the hero in Overtime at 1:05 of OT. Patrick Boyle was the winner between the pipes for the Rhinos stopping 31 of 32 shots, and Brendan Forden stopped 22 of 24 shots in the loss for the Brahmas.
Minnesota 3 @ Milwaukee 0: The Minnesota Loons were victorious tonight after defeating the Milwaukee Power by a score of 3-0. Minnesota got on the board first at 6:34 in the 1st period as Corbin Schnabel notched his first career NA3HL goal. Then Minnesota extended their lead by a score of 2-0 at 9:12 of the 2nd with Blake Keller getting credited for the goal. In the 3rd period Dimitri Kuleshov put the icing on the cake with 3:43 remaining which ended in a 3-0 final. Keaton French picked up the win in net for the Loons with a 35 save shutout for his first shutout of the year, while Spencer Northway stopped 30 on 33 shots in the loss for the Power.
Sheridan 7 @ Badlands 2: The Sheridan Hawks surged on to a dominated victory over the Badlands Sabres by a score of 7-2. The Hawks were led by Makhai Sparks who had 2 goals and 3 assists totaling for a 5 point night. After 40 minutes of play Sheridan led by a score of 4-1 and their goals were scored by Josh Humphreys, Tie Schumacher, Makhai Sparks, and Parker Norling as Hunter Walla had the lone goal for Badlands. Then in the 3rd period the Hawks added to their lead, lifting them to a 7-2 with goals being scored by Teejay Torgrimson, Danny Shelden, and Makhai Sparks with Mason Martin picking up the only goal in the final period for the Sabres. Jack Wood turned away 27 of 29 shots in the victory for Sheridan, while Zach Broxterman stopped 35 of 42 shots between the pipes in the loss for Badlands.
Gillette 8 @ Yellowstone 3: The Gillette Wild got a huge win in a hard fought battle over the Yellowstone Quake by a score of 8-3. It was a back and forth contest through 40 minutes as the Gillette Wild took a 4-3 lead heading into the final period as Gillette had goals coming from Sky Solig, Connor Wendell, Cade Voge, and Wyatt Schmitz. Yellowstone received goals from Teagan Scheurer, Joey Good, and PJ Comose. Then in the 3rd period the Wild dominated by winning the game 8-3 with a 4 goal period with goals coming from Theodore Naidu, Adam Severson, Anthony Foster, and Jace Johnson. Cole Wheaton stopped 33 of 36 shots in the victory for the Wild, and John Hughes turned away 53 of 61 shots in the loss for the Quake.
Butte 3 @ Great Falls 4 (OT): Great Falls defeated the Butte Cobras in a thrilling matter by coming out with a victory that needed extra time by a score of 4-3 in overtime. This game was a back and forth contest as Great Falls got the game started with a goal coming at 1:50 of the 1st period as that goal was scored by Russ Rassmussen. Shortly after that Butte tied the game with a goal scored by Luke Schleusner at 5:26 of the 1st period. Then in the 2nd period Butte took a lead with Luke Schleusner notching his 2nd goal of the night at 10:19 of the 2nd. That lead did not last long as the Americans shortly tied it up at 12:29 of the 2nd with a goal coming from Silas Hughes. In the 3rd period Butte took the lead at 7:43 of the 3rd period with a goal coming from Micah Williamson, then Great Falls was able to tie the game at three as William Fallman had the tieing goal at 13:37 of the 3rd period. This game needed extra time to decide a winner as Great Falls was able to come out on top with Silas Hughes getting his 2nd of the game and becoming the overtime hero for the Americans. Josh Koziol stopped 42 of 45 shots in the victory for Great Falls, while Nikolai Wallery turned away 38 of 42 shots in the loss for the Cobras.
Norwich 4 @ New Jersey 1: Similar to last weekend, the Norwich Sea Captains took the first of two in their series against the Titans in a 4-1 victory Friday night. The scoring started when Norwich’s Carson Dutcher found the back of the net just four minutes into the contest. Shortly after, Jack Kinahan buried his fourth goal of the season to double the lead. Halfway through the 2nd, Ryan Talorico cut the lead in half with a goal for New Jersey but Angelo Donzella lit the lamp minutes later to bring the lead back to two. In the final frame, Nicolas Piluso sealed the deal with a powerplay goal late in the period. Andrew Yocum stayed on his strong form, stopping all but one of 26 shots faced. Jake Agoglia and Antonio Vaccaro each spent time in the net for the Titans, Vaccaro being dealt the loss.
New Mexico 3 @ Louisiana 4: A hot streak of three goals in three minutes led the Drillers to a 4-3 victory over the Ice Wolves. New Mexico’s Jo Kawagishi opened up the scoring just 34 seconds into the 2nd period. From there, Louisiana scored three consecutive goals from Micah Maldonado, Daniel Crutcher, and Lukas Dany. They continued their offensive prowess in the 3rd as Crutcher found his second of the night early. New Mexico found a pair of unassisted goals from Liam Mooney and Ethan Secord to draw within one but Louisiana was able to hold on for the win. John Moriaty was spectacular in net for the Drillers, making 44 saves on 47 shots. Krzysztof Jakubowski kept out 30 shots in the loss.
Granite City 3 @ Peoria 2: The Lumberjacks battled back in the 3rd period, capping off a comeback victory with Luke Delzer’s game-winning goal with just 53 seconds left in regulation. The Lumberjacks held a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes with Addy Powell’s score early in the period. Tristan Trudel scored his sixth of the season to even the scores early in the 2nd period. In the 3rd, Robin Kuusik found the back of the net five minutes into the 3rd to give Peoria their first lead of the night. From there, Coby Weber evened the score 10:33 into the frame and Delzer sealed it with his late goal. Xander Roberts came away with the win, only allowing two goals on 29 shots. Cam Pendleton made 33 stops in the loss.
Austin 4 @ Atlanta 7: Forward Nick Jameus scored a hat trick and added two more assists to lift the Capitals past the Ice Bats on home ice. Anthony O’Neal and Jameus each lit the lamp in the 1st for Atlanta while Austin’s Troy Landschoot’s goal helped keep the deficit within one. In the 2nd, O’Neal and Jameus both scored their 2nd goals of the game while Luke Bradley and Salvator Pierro IV kept the Ice Bats’ offense rolling with goals. The Capitals opened things up in the final frame as Jazek Terrell, Jameus, and Joe McLaughlin all tickled twine. Ben Allen scored the final goal for Austin. In net, Damian Vandanacker was the victor as he made 28 saves on 32 shots. Collin Lemanski made 40 saves for the Ice Bats.
Oregon 4 @ Willmar 2: The Tradesmen grabbed the first game of two in their weekend bout against Willmar, taking them down by a final score of 4-2. Nathan Walker broke the deadlock eight minutes into the game for Oregon with Willmar’s Marcus Mack answering shortly after with a score. In the 2nd, Carter Watters found the back of the net on the powerplay to give Oregon a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes. Christian Tavare and Watters both buried goals in the 3rd for the Tradesmen while Luke McCarthy helped Willmar stay within grasp with a goal. Tyler Fromolz had a strong performance between the pipes for Oregon, stopping 34 of 36 shots in the win. Will Kunka kept out 30 shots for the WarHawks.
St. Louis 5 @ New Ulm 6: The New Ulm Steel outlasted the Jr. Blues in a back and forth battle, beating them by a final score of 6-5. Lahoussine Salama and Bryce Hall both buried goals for the Steel while Aaron Hemmer scored for St. Louis to leave a 2-1 score heading into the 2nd. In the middle frame, Charlie Sullivan, Charlie Kielty, and Jack Laser powerd the Steel’s offense with scores. Matthew Mahoney and Carson Pishkur kept the Jr. Blues in it with goals. In the 3rd period, Gus Immken potted a pair of goals for St. Louis to tie the game early, both goals coming within 60 seconds after puck drop. New Ulm’s Nicholas O’Brien scored the eventual game winner 11:15 into the period to provide the victory. Alex Benson and Dixon Ehlers shared the net for the Steel, combining for 32 saves. Ian Zeumer was dealt the loss while making 39 stops.
Rochester 8 @ Mason City 4: Rochester forward Spencer Klotz dominated on the ice Friday night, scoring four goals in the Grizzlies’ 8-4 victory on the road against the Toros. Klotz and Owen Van Tassel both lit the lamp in the 1st for the Grizzlies while Mason City’s David Loarh’s goal kept them in it. Klotz scored two more in the 2nd period while Lyncoln Bielenberg-Howarth added another to continue to keep the offense rolling. Cullen Hogan gave Mason City another goal before the 2nd intermission. In the final frame, Klotz buried his fourth while Zachary Laurila and Bielenberg-Howarth helped extend the lead with goals. Mason City’s remaining goals were scored by Hogan and Ethan Peterson. Kaleb Bents was the victor in net, making 20 saves on 24 shots for the Grizzlies. Zack Ortolano and Connor Graham shared the crease for the Toros, Graham being dealt the loss making 9 stops.
