Granite City advances; East and Frontier Finals set
Helena forward Tyler Alldredge had the game-winning goals in both games as Helena advanced to the Frontier Finals with a sweep of Butte.
West Division Semi-Finals, Game 2: Granite City 4 @ Willmar 2 (Granite City wins series, 2-0): The Granite City Lumberjacks took a 4-2 win to advance to the West Division Finals after defeating the Willmar WarHawks. Willmar came out fighting in the first period to take a 2-0 lead with Hudson Zina and Braydon Buckingham scoring late in the period. In the second, the Lumberjacks got a goal with Lyncoln Bielenberg-Howarth for a 2-1 score. In the third period it was all Granite City as the Lumberjacks scored three goals with Reed Hanus, Zak Kennett and Luke Delzer for a 4-2 win. Granite City goaltender Ryan Lehet took the win in net after turning away 49 shots in the win.
Frontier Division Semi-Finals, Game 2: Butte 0 @ Helena 3 (Helena wins series, 2-0): The Helena Bighorns shutout the Butte Cobras on their way to a 3-0 final moving on to the Frontier Division Finals. In the first period, Helena took a 2-0 lead with Tyler Alldredge and Tyler Bloom scoring for a 2-0 lead. In the second, Andrew Deskin scored the final goal of the game to take the win 3-0 for the Bighorns. Keaton French was perfect in net as he stopped all 30 of the shots he faced.
Frontier Division Semi-Finals, Game 2: Gillette 2 @ Sheridan 1 (OT) (Gillette wins series, 2-0): The Gillette Wild defeated the Sheridan Hawks 2-1 in overtime in Game 2 to advance to the Frontier Finals. Isaac Young opened the scoring in the 1st period for Gillette. Ryan McKenna would answer on the power play for the Hawks in the 2nd period. In overtime, the Wild would net the series winner thanks to a power play goal from Anthony Foster. Wild goalie Jake Turek made 21 saves in the win, while Patric Loeffler made 42 saves in the loss.
East Division Semi-Finals, Game 2: Northeast 2 @ Long Beach 1 (Northeast wins series, 2-0) – The Northeast Generals outshot the Sharks 54-12 and picked up a 2-1 win in Game 2 to win the series and advance to the East Finals. After a scoreless 1st period, the Generals went up 1-0 in the 2nd period with a goal from Phil Feinberg. In the 3rd period, Braeden Kennedy added the second goal of the Generals. The Sharks made it a 2-1 contest later in the period with a goal from Christopher Keller, but could not find the equalizer. Ian Kangas made 11 saves in the win, while Ryo Murakami made 52 saves in the loss.
East Division Sem-Finals, Game 3: Norwich 1 @ Danbury 3 (Danbury wins series, 2-1) – Thanks to a 32-save effort from Ryan Maguire, the Jr. Hat Tricks advanced to the East Finals with a 3-1 win in Game 3 of the East Division Semi-Finals. Danbury took a 1-0 lead in the 1st period on a goal from Oleg Egorov. Norwich tied the game later in the period with their lone goal from Sava Makarenko. Danbury would put the game on ice with two more goals in the 2nd period from Kenny Granaker and Lou Caulfield. Sea Captains goalie Brendan Pellerito made 27 saves in the loss.
West Division Semi-Finals, Game 2: Alexandria 1 @ Mason City 3 (Series tied, 1-1) – The Toros forced a third and deciding game thanks to a 3-1 win in Game 2 as goalie Connor Graham led the way with 41 saves in the win. Mason City jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period with goals from Dakota Lenz and Cal Levis III. The Blizzard cut the lead down to 2-1 with a goal early in the 3rd period from Hayden DeMars, but the Toros secured the win with a goal later in the 3rd period from Cullen Hogan. Blizzard goalie Konrad Kausch made 19 saves in the loss.
Central Division Semi-Finals, Game 2: Rochester 0 @ Peoria 3 (Series tied, 1-1) – Mustangs goalie Cam Pendleton stopped all 32 shots that came his way as Peoria tied their three-game series at 1-1 thanks to a 3-0 win in Game 2. The Mustangs jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of 1st period goals from Christopher Kondiles and Ethan Peterson. In the 3rd period, a late goal from Ethan Chesney secured the 3-0 win. Grizzlies goalie Tate Cothern made 21 saves in the loss.
South Division Semi-Finals, Game 1: Louisiana 3 @ Lone Star 4 (Lone Star leads series, 1-0): The Lone Star Brahmas took an overtime win against the Louisiana Drillers in a 4-3 final. After a scoreless first period, the game saw 5 goals in the second between both teams. Micah Maldonado got the scoring going for a 1-0 Drillers lead. The Brahmas added back-to-back goals with Henry McRobets and George Keeley for a 2-1 score. Daniel Crutcher scored and Maldonado netted his second of the game for a 3-2 Drillers lead. In the third, Beau Kralovec scored to even the game 3-3 forcing overtime. In the extra frame, Henry McRoberts scored his second of the night for the Lone Star win, 4-3. Brendan Forden took the win in net after stopping 30 of 33 shots.
