West and South shine on final day of the NA3HL Showcase

The third and final day of the 2023 NA3HL Showcase featured the closest games of the event with the West and South dominating action on Day 3 as teams and players had one more chance to make a statement.

A final day push by the West Division gave them the best record of the event. The South also made a statement on the final day going 7-1.

Over 140+ NAHL, NCAA, and ACHA scouts checked in during the event, which also saw some NCAA Division I teams and coaches represented.

Tuesday Box Scores

Divisional Records for the 2023 NA3HL Showcase

West: 15-3-0 (.833)

Frontier: 14-8-2 (.625)

South: 12-11-1 (.520)

Central: 7-8-3 (.472)

East: 3-13-2 (.222)

Day 3 recaps

TX RoadRunners 5 vs. Northeast 3 – Noah Easterson and Adrian Sanchez each had two goals and an assist to lead the RoadRunners to a 5-3 win over the Generals. After an opening goal from Northeast’s Levente Pakozdi, the RoadRunners seized control of the game in the middle of the contest with five straight goals, including two from Sanchez, two from Easterson and one fro Noble Cook. The Generals would get two goals later in the game from Reese Tamburo and John Rodgers. RoadRunners goalie Krzysztof Jakubowski made 36 saves in the win.

El Paso 4 vs. Long Beach 1 – Rhinos goalie Ryan Piekarski made 38 saves to lead his team to a 4-1 win over the Sharks. The Rhinos jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Zach Ware in the 1^st period and Rocco Romita and Mackenzie Bolger in the 2^nd period. The Sharks got on the board late in the 2^nd period with a goal from Nolan Nemecek, but the Rhinos answered with a goal from Julian Martinez. Jackson Black made 32 saves in the loss for the Sharks.

Helena 5 vs. Norwich 1 – The Bighorns completed a perfect 3-0 run at the Showcase thanks to two goals and an assist from Tim Mattingly in a 5-1 win over Norwich. Helena jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Owen Ramsay and Mattingly. Norwich cut the lead down to 2-1 in the 2^nd period with their lone goal from Blake Alexander. The Bighorns then went onto score three more goals from Jason Hammett, Jack Lambert, and another from Mattingly. Malik Johnson made 28 saves in the win.

Atlanta 5 vs. Butte 2 – Capitals forward Anthony O’Neal had two goals and an assist to lead his team to a 5-2 win over the Irish. After an opening goal from Butte’s Toby Kerr, the Capitals ran off four straight goals, including one from O’Neal and others from Brett Phillips, Isaac Fuller, and Aidan Besedic. Patrick Crooks would score in the 3^rd period for Butte to make it 4-2, but O’Neal would answer late in the game to complete the 5-2 win. Austin Durkop made 26 saves in the win.

TX Brahmas 3 vs. New Jersey 1 – The Brahmas completed a perfect 3-0 run through the Showcase in Blaine thanks to a 3-1 win over the Titans. The Brahmas got a goal in the 1^st period from Cameron Colberg and two goals in the 2^nd period from Max Brooks and Jake Malzone. New Jersey netted their lone goal of the game in the 3^rd period off the stick of George Hinds. Luke Romney made 13 saves in the win, while Aidan Patterson made 37 saves in the loss.

Bozeman 2 vs. New Hampshire 0 - The Icedogs ran their winning streak to six straight games as they went a perfect 3-0 at the Showcase thanks to a 2-0 shutout win over New Hampshire. Goaltender Matthew Ryynanen made 19 saves in the shutout win. Bozeman goals came from Chris Porciuncula in the 2^nd period and Mason Czarnecki in the 3^rd period. New Hampshire goalie Manny Pantow made 27 saves in the loss.

Mid Cities 5 vs. Yellowstone 3 – Seth Dragojevic and Kade Brayman each scored twice and Andrew Kolka added four assists as the Stars took down the Quake, 5-3. The Quake had a 2-1 lead after one period thanks to goals from Zach Orwig and John Kotsilidis, while Nick Temple scored for the Stars. It was mostly Mid Cities the rest of the way as Dragojevic added two goals in the 2^nd period and Brayman scored twice in the 3^rd period. Troy Czapar had the third goal for the Quake. Jon Sanches made 30 saves in the win.

Sheridan 4 vs. Danbury 2 – Four different players scored and Tyler Outen made 29 saves to lead the Hawks to a 4-2 win over Danbury. All four Hawks goals came in the 1^st period as Tanner Freed, Bowen Lopez, Jackson LeBrasseur, and William Clark all found the back of the net. Lucas Nafe and Eryk Fancher scored goals for the Jr. Hat Tricks in the loss.

New Mexico 3 vs. Gillette 1 – The Ice Wolves got a 29-save effort from goalie Owen Zenone as they snapped the 22-game winning streak of the Gillette Wild thanks to a 3-1 win on Tuesday. New Mexico jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1^st period thanks to goals from Ian Mohr and Jack Arnold. In the 3^rd period, the Wild cut the lead down to 2-1 on a goal from Isaac Young, but the Ice Wolves held the fort and got a late goal from Makato Sudoh to secure the win. Cole Wheaton made 21 saves in the loss.

Peoria 4 vs. Minnesota 1 – Peoria forward Paul Allison had a hat-trick to lead the Mustangs to a 4-1 win over the Loons. The Mustangs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1^st period with goals from Eddie Peterson and Allison. The Loons made it a 2-1 game thanks to a 2^nd period goal from Blake Biermaier. The Mustangs pulled away in the 3^rd period with two more goals from Allison to complete the hat-trick. Mustangs goalie Kason Yamada made 17 saves in the win.

Badlands 4 vs. Mason City 1 – Sabres goalie Dakota Jahnke made 28 saves to lead his team to a 4-1 win over the Toros. The Sabres opened the scoring with a 1^st period goal from Benjamen Larson. Mason City tied the game at 1-1 early in the 2^nd period with their lone goal from Miles Berg. The Sabres took the lead for good at the end of the 2^nd period thanks to a goal from Mason Witt. Hunter Walla and Jack Walters would add goals in the 3^rd period to secure the win.

Louisiana 5 vs. Great Falls 1 – Five different players scored for the Drillers and goalie Daegen Love made 30 saves as Louisiana beat Great Falls, 5-1. The Drillers jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to goals from Jake Bergstrom, Roman Vitolo, Brody Neish, and Jaxon Nault. In the 3^rd period, Great Falls got on the board with their lone goal from Dmitri Kuleshov. Charlie Benisch would add Louisiana’s fifth goal late in the 3^rd period.

St. Louis 5 vs. Austin 2 – Five different players scored for the Jr. Blues in a 5-2 win over the Ice Bats. St. Louis jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead thanks to goals from Miles Watson, Kenneth Henning, Brady Ernst, and Mason Wright. Austin tried to come back in the 3^rd period with goals from Ashton Morin and Arys Perardi, but the Jr. Blues cemented the win with a goal from Kelly Coldwater. Mason Brooks made 15 saves in the win.

Granite City 4 vs. Oregon 1 – The Lumberjacks got two goals and an assist from Parker Mitchell as they completed a perfect 3-0 run through the Showcase thanks to a 4-1 win over the Tradesmen. Nolan Widman scored the lone goal of the 1^st period to give Granite City a 1-0 lead. In the 2^nd period, the Lumberjacks made it 4-0 with a pair of goals from Mitchell and one from Hayden Johnson. Bryce Yates would score the lone goal of the 3^rd period for the Tradesmen. Anyon Bennett made 17 saves in the win.

Rochester 6 vs. West Bend 5 (OT) – In one of the most exciting games of the Showcase, the Grizzlies capped of a perfect event by coming from behind and a hat-trick from Owen Van Tassel in a thrilling 6-5 overtime win. The Power held a lead for almost the entirety of the contest. Bryce Garber, Tommy Kindinger, Odin Klebba, Andrew Butler, and Max Mudge all scored for West Bend. Spencer Klotz had the Grizzlies first goal, which was followed by three straight from Van Tassel. With just :08 seconds remaining in regulation, Leo Milan tied the game for the Grizzlies and then Lennard Habeck scored the overtime-winner. Nick Kurtiak made 24 saves in the win.

Alexandria 4 vs. Wausau 1 – The Blizzard got 16 saves from Jayden Serene and goals from four different players as they completed a perfect run through the Showcase thanks to a 4-1 win over the Cyclones. Alexandria scored three times in the opening period with goals from Markus Olson, Joe Gronholz, and Jake Dube. Eli Fletcher would add a goal in the 2^nd period. Anderson Brien netted the lone goal for the Cyclones in the loss.

Willmar 4 vs. Wisconsin 1 – In the final game of the Showcase, Tyler Misialek scored twice to lead the WarHawks to their 6^th straight win and a perfect record at the Showcase thanks to a 4-1 win over the Woodsmen. Misialek scored back-to-back goals in the 1^st period to make it 2-0. Nicholas O’Brien scored for the Woodsmen later in the period to make it 2-1. In the 3^rd period, goals from Gus Cantwell and Shane Dean secured the win for Willmar. Jesse Easterwood made 28 saves in the win.