Day 2 of NA3HL Showcase sees even more close games
Sheridan forward Daniel Shelden hat a hat-trick in a 6-2 win on Monday.
The NA3HL Showcase continued on Monday, December 18th with Day 2 of the event at the Super Rink in Blaine, MN. Besides the over 100+ of NAHL, NCAA, and ACHA scouts that checked in and enjoyed some hockey during the second day of the event, the storyline of Day 2 was even more close games, several outstanding offensive performances, and another great day for the West Division as they went undefeated.
10 of the 17 games were decided by two goals or less and there were two more shutouts. The West Division still leads the way on Day 2 followed by the Frontier.
Divisional Records through Day 2
West: 11-1-0
Frontier: 10-4-2
Central: 5-5-2
South: 5-10-1
East: 3-7-2
The NA3HL Showcase runs from December 17-19, 2023, at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota.
This season marks the 13th year the NA3HL will hold a league-wide Showcase, which features some of the best junior talent in the United States.
All NA3HL teams will play three regular-season games at the Showcase, which is annually one of the most well-attended and scouted events of the entire season for the league, attracting college and junior scouts alike. The NA3HL Showcase brings every NA3HL team under one roof, which allows scouts to see all the great talent the league has to offer.
The NA3HL Showcase was built to pair up evenly matched teams against one another based on the current standings and is also designed to have cross-divisional games with balanced competition. Not only does the showcase see a large presence of NCAA and ACHA scouts, but all the NAHL teams in attendance, furthering the chances for players to earn a call up to the NAHL.
For more details on the 2023 NA3HL Showcase, including hotel, rental car, scouting, venue, and schedule information, visit: na3hl.com/showcase.
All the games at the NA3HL Showcase will be broadcast live on NAHTV
There will be no admission fee for the 2023 NA3HL Showcase. Scouts will also receive complimentary admission to the NA3HL Showcase.
Day 2 recaps
Oregon 4 vs. New Jersey 2 – Oregon jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held off a Titans comeback attempt for a 4-2 win on Monday. Goals from Bryce Stensrud, Reid Watson, and Easton Simpson put the Trademen ahead, 3-0. New Jersey mounted a comeback with a pair of goals from Dante Debueris, but the second goal of the game from Simpson late in the 3rd period secured the 4-2 win. Samuel Pollard picked up the win in goal, making 17 saves, while Avery Rovira-Hewitt made 49 saves in the loss.
Butte 4 vs. Peoria 1 – Carson Streich scored two goals to lead the Irish to a 4-1 win over Peoria. Butte jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Andrew Browe and Toby Kerr. Peoria made it 2-1 in the 2nd period with a goal from Colin Cash. The Irish would pull away later in the game with back-to-back goals from Streich. Braylon Rogers made 30 saves in the win, while Kason Yamada made 17 saves in the loss.
TX Brahmas 3 vs. Badlands 2 (OT) – Brahmas forward Sam Bailey had the overtime-winning goal and an assist as Texas moved to 2-0 at the Showcase thanks to a 3-2 win over the Sabres. The Brahmas jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Alex Cagan and Gabe Arteaga. The Sabres responded back with goals from Peyton Wilson and Brooks Roaldson. In the overtime, Bailey won an offensive zone face-off and tucked home the game-winner with :13 seconds remaining. Brendan Forden made 21 saves in the win, while Easton Eriksmoen made 35 saves in the loss.
Danbury 4 vs. El Paso 2 – The Jr. Hat Tricks jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back as four different players scored in a 4-0 win. Carter Krohn, Lou Caulfield, and Aidan Anderson scored in the 1st period to make it 3-0. In the 2nd period Eryk Fancher scored to make it 4-0. In the 3rd period, El Paso found the back of the net twice with goals from Mackenzie Bolger and Nick Jones. Riley Gorman made 33 saves in the win.
Helena 3 vs. West Bend 2 – The Bighorns picked up their second win of the Showcase as they edged the Power, 3-2. West Bend led 1-0 with a goal early in the 1st period from Owen Drake. Helena responded with three straight goals from Ty Moore, Jason Hammett, and Braden Cunningham to make it 3-1. Colin McMahon added a late goal for the Power to cut the Helena lead to 3-2, but could not find the equalizer in the final seconds. Jesse Schindel made 15 saves in the win.
Bozeman 2 vs. Atlanta 1 – Matthew Ryynanen made 22 saves to lead the Icedogs to their second win of the Showcase as they edged the Capitals, 2-1. Bozeman led 1-0 after two periods thanks to a goal from Lex Steckelberg. In the 3rd period, a breakaway goal from Spencer Wilkinson made it 2-0. Later in the 3rd period, Atlanta netted its lone goal from Landon Hackler. Alex Croy played well in the loss for Capitals, making 42 saves.
Wisconsin 4 vs. New Hampshire 2 – Four different players scored for the Woodsmen as they picked up their second win of the Showcase thanks to a 4-2 decision over New Hampshire. The teams were even after one period as Hugh Deninema scored for Wisconsin, with Jory Veenstra answering for New Hampshire. The Woodsmen then rattled off the next three goals to make it 4-1 as Nolan-James Mix, Caden McDonald, and Landen Schwantes all scored. Leonardo Kahlhammer would add a late goal for the Jr. Mountain Kings. Dixon Ehlers made 18 saves in the win.
Long Beach 3 vs. Yellowstone 0 – Sharks goalie Colten McIntyre stopped all 18 shots that came his way as Long Beach won their second game at the Showcase with a 3-0 win over the Quake, who remained winless on the season. The Sharks took a 1-0 lead in the 1st period with a goal from Sam O’Neil. Nolan Nemecek and Chris Keller scored in the 2nd period to make it a 3-0 game. Quake goalie John Hughes played well in the loss, making 41 saves.
Granite City 3 vs. TX RoadRunners 2 (OT) – Despite 49 saves from RoadRunners goalie Krzysztof Jakubowski, the Granite City Lumberjacks came from behind to beat the Texas RoadRunners in overtime, 3-2. Jake Arnold opened the scoring in the 1st period for the RoadRunners. The Lumberjacks answered back in the 2nd period with a goal from Hayden Johnson. Texas went back up by one at 2-1 as Shayden Davis scored later in the 2nd period. Early in the 3rd period a goal from Christian Carto tied the game at 2-2. Just over a minute into overtime, Jack Louko won the game with s sharp angle shot. Anyon Bennett picked up the win in goal.
Gillette 3 vs. Northeast 2 (SO) – The Wild needed some shootout heroics to run their win streak to 22 straight games as they edged the Northeast Generals, 3-2. The Generals led 1-0 in the 1st period thanks to a goal from Sean Gorman. Gillette answered back in the 2nd period with a goal from Isaac Young that made it 1-1. The Generals went back up by one as John Rodgers scored to make it 2-1. The Wild answered back with a goal from Matt Siems to make it 2-2. In the shootout, Chase Hapka, Isaac Young, and Wylee Gladen all scored for the Wild to secure the win. Weston Gerke made 25 saves in the win, while Ian Kangas made 31 saves in the loss.
Rochester 3 vs. New Mexico 1 – The Grizzlies scored two goals in the 3rd period to pull away from the Ice Wolves in a 3-1 final on Monday. New Mexico held the early lead on a goal from Trey Erramouspe. Rochester answered back with a goal from Matt Haun to make it 1-1 at the end of one period. In the 3rd period, goals from Wyatt Witham and Andrew Bastian secured the 3-1 win. Riley Swanson made 14 saves in the in, while Pierson Haislet made 28 saves in the loss.
Wausau 7 vs. Norwich 4 – John Kriz scored twice and added an assist as the Cyclones picked up a 7-4 win over the Sea Captains. The Cyclones had a balanced scoring attack in each period. Dominick Bourdon and Connor Dvorak scored in the 1st period. Kriz, Chase Chapman, and Anderson Brien added goals in the 2nd period, and Gabe Randel and Kriz scored in the 3rd period. Norwich got two goals from Brian Essing and others from Sava Makarenko and Chris Hamilton in the loss. Tanner Bonjernoor made 18 saves in the win.
Sheridan 6 vs. St. Louis 2 – Sheridan forward Daniel Shelden had a hat-trick to lead the Hawks to a 6-2 win over the Jr. Blues. Sheridan jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back as Shelden scored twice and Elijah White, Tanner Freed, and Ayden Attungana also found the back of the net. In the 3rd period, the Jr. Blues got goals from Mason Wright and Fred Bramstedt, but Shelden would answer one more time for his third goal of the game. Hawks goalie Zach Broxterman made 23 saves in the win.
Minnesota 7 vs. Mid Cities 3 – Josh Serino had two goals and an assist and Silas Larsen had a goal and three assists as the Loons took care of the Stars, 7-3. The Loons scored twice in the 1st period with goals from Anthony Launderville and Kyler Couture. They would then add five more goals in the 2nd period, including two from Serino, one from Larsen, and others from George Moore and Broden Fawcett. Jeffrey McKinney, Seth Dragojevic, and Andrew Kolka scored for the Stars. Nathan Jensen made 21 saves in the win.
Alexandria 3 vs. Great Falls 1 – The Blizzard got 26 saves fro Nolan LaCosse in a 3-1 win over the Americans. The score was tied at 1-1 after the 1st period as Eli Fletcher scored for the Blizzard with Sebe Perez answering for the Americans. In the 2nd period, the Blizzard would put the game out of reach with goals from Justin Wasvick and Karsten Senden. Americans goalie Kaden Ryhder made 39 saves in the loss.
Willmar 7 vs. Austin 0 – It was all WarHawks from start to finish as Zane Irion led the way with two goals in a 7-0 shutout of the Ice Bats. Shane Dean opened the scoring in the 1st period. Spencer Bergman, Gus Cantwell, and Irion added 2nd period goals, and Irion, Luke McCarthy, and Dome Szabo scored in the 3rd period. Josh Mack had to make just 9 saves in the win, while Jadon Mammen made 48 saves in the loss.
Mason City 8 vs. Louisiana 2 – Eight different players scored for the Toros in a decisive 8-2 win over the Drillers. The game was decided early as the Toros jumped out to a 7-0 lead through two periods, which included goals from Marcus Fritel, Sam Menne, Dominic Despenes, Dominic Thomas, Jax Schauer, Bryan Wiggins, and David Loahr. Both Drillers goals came in the 3rd period from Jake Bergstrom and Johnathon Bernt. Miles Berg capped off the scoring for Mason City. Devin Peck had to make just 12 saves in the win.
