Friday Finals: Ice Wolves Extend Win Streak to Six
by Justice Covert
Both Jake Wenner (top) and Vincent Leaf (bottom) each registered hat tricks in their teams respective wins
New Hampshire 3 @ Norwich 2 (SO) - In a contest between East Division foes, the fourth-place New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings bested the third-place Norwich Sea Captains by a score of 3-2, requiring a shootout to decide the victor. New Hampshire forward Jacob Landry ultimately was the hero for the Jr. Mountain Kings, who scored a goal in regulation and slapped in the deciding score in the shootout to secure the win. The victory helps New Hampshire narrow the gap in the East Division standings, as they now sit three points behind Norwich.
Long Beach 0 @ Maine 4 - The Long Beach Sharks suffered their fifth shutout of the season to the Main Nordiques, falling 4-0. The Sharks had a tough time developing an offensive attack against the Nordiques, totaling just 15 shots on goal compared to Maine's 50. The low production in scoring has been a theme for a Long Beach squad that has scored 67 goals on the season, the lowest in the East Division. Maine forward Jaxson Sardhina scored two goals in the win, bringing his season total up to five. The shutout victory was Maine goalie Riley Burnett's first of the year.
New Jersey 0 @ Binghamton 4 - For the second straight game between Binghamton and New Jersey, the Buzz shut out the Titans and won 4-0. The offensive output was lopsided, as the Buzz produced 49 shots on goal, 31 more than the Titans. A different skater scored each of the four goals, and the win was Binghamton goalie Dalton Elliott's second shutout of the season. An outcome that's expected in a matchup between the first-place Buzz and last-place Titans of the East Division. The Titans have now lost four straight and have allowed 113 goals this year, the second most in the division.
Texas B 1 @ Louisiana 4 - In a battle between the top two teams in the South Division, the first-place Louisiana Drillers ended the second-place Texas Brahmas' seven-game winning streak with a poignant 5-1 win. Three unanswered goals in the first period by the Drillers notably chased Texas goalie Luke Romney from the net, replacing him with Connor Broderick for the rest of the game. Louisiana forward Brody Neish had an especially productive game as he slashed two of the first-period goals and added an assist in the win. Neisch now has 29 goals this season, the most on his team, and tied for sixth in the NA3HL. Louisiana forward Derek Johnson also produced two goals, bringing his season total up to three.
Austin 4 @ Tulsa 1 - The Austin Ice Bats captured their fourth straight win as they took care of business against the Tulsa Jr. Oilers, winning 4-1. It was much of the same story for the Jr. Oilers, who had a tough time creating offense against the Ice Bats. Tulsa is last in the South Division and has scored 49 goals this season, the lowest of any team in the NA3HL. Conversely, the Ice Bats had a well-structured attack that featured forward Guhnar Hillman scoring his eighteenth goal of the season and adding two assists.
New Mexico 5 @ Texas R 2 - A hat trick by New Mexico forward Jake Wenner put the Ice Wolves over the top in their 5-2 win over the Texas Roadrunners. Wenner had a goal in each period, bringing his total to 12 this season. The Roadrunners kept it tied in the first period 1-1 but saw their shots on goal decrease in the subsequent two periods, with eight in the second and just four in the third. The win was the Ice Wolves' sixth in a row, and they now sit one point behind the third-place Austin Ice Bats and second-place Texas Brahmas.
Wausau 4 @ Minnesota W 3 - Two goals from Connor Dvorak paced the offense for the Wausau Cyclones as they knocked off the Minnesota Wilderness 4-3. Jack Dawley and John Kriz scored 22 seconds apart in the third period to provide the insurance the Cyclones would need to secure the win. Tyler Webb, Jordan Fanti and Tyler Starich were the goal scorers for Minnesota. Tanner Bonjernoor got the win in the crease as he stopped 25 shots. Jay Svaren suffered the defeat in net as he ended the night with 28 saves.
Alexandria 0 @ Willmar 2 - Kai Girard was a perfect 30 for 30 in net as his shutout lifted the Willmar WarHawks over the Alexandria Blizzard 2-0. After 35 scoreless minutes to begin the game, Mason Wanka’s 14th goal of the season put Willmar in front for the first time. Gabriel Adams added a goal for his 12th of the year to expand on the lead. Keegan Montgomery assisted on both goals in the win for Willmar. Kyle Abrahamson took the loss in net after making 32 stops.
Peoria 3 @ Wisconsin 6 - Three unanswered goals in the third period led the Wisconsin Woodsmen to double up the Peoria Mustangs 6-3. Six different players found the back of the net as Joshua Kauppinen and Maxim Lazo had a goal and an assist. Viktor Budik, Tyler Osborne, Vincent Greene and Nolan Mix all lit the lamp for Wisconsin. Colton Cox had three points including a goal and two helpers for Peoria. Rex Rhodes had a goal and an assist while Wyatt Duke also tickled the twine. Steven Kelley was the winner in goal as he needed just nine saves. Albert Ancinec was busy most of the night as he finished with 49 saves.
Helena 5 @ Great Falls 4 (OT) - In an instant classic, the Helena Bighorns pulled off an epic comeback to top the Great Falls Americans 5-4 in overtime. After a scoreless opening frame, the Americans jumped out to a 3-0 lead as John Lang, Chase Hapka and Aiden Kennedy all found the back of the net. Austin Uecker and Finn Theriault would score just a minute apart to bring the Bighorns within one heading into the final period. Zac Orwig put Great Falls back in front by two with his 16th of the campaign but Kade Pareja and Jason Hammett responded for Helena to force the overtime period. In the extra session, it took just 16 seconds for Colin Becker for him to put the Bighorns back into the win column. Tyler Miller got the win in relief as he had 24 saves in the victory. Kaden Rhyder had himself a night as he ended the evening with 49 saves.
Badlands 9 @ Yellowstone 1 - Dawson Wirth had two goals and an assist while Carter Kilen had two goals of his own as the Sabres beat the Quake 9-1. Gaven Marx and Laurence Lundberg each had three helpers on the night while Thayne Coston and Kyyan Jahner both had a goal and an assist. Rhylan Olson, Charlie Lorbiecki and Rylan Salo all got on the scoreboard as well for Badlands. Oger Hunter was the winner in between the pipes as he had 33 saves. Nate Whitson and Matthew Neeser combined to make 56 saves for Yellowstone
Bozeman 6 @ Butte 5 (SO) - A thrilling comeback by the Butte Irish was snuffed out in the shootout as the Bozeman Icedogs edged the Irish 6-5. Bozeman led 3-1 after 20 minutes as Matthew Stamp, Reid Wilkinson and Dan Upton all scored in the opening period. Bobby Anselmo was the lone goal scorer for Butte in the first. Ryan McCreary extended the lead to 4-1 heading into the third. Andrew Kaunas made the deficit 5-1 as he scored his 14th of the year. Then in the final six minutes, Butte turned it on. Four goals in the final six minutes including three from Easton Langemo and one from Andrew Browe tied the game and forced overtime. After the scoreless five minutes, Baron Masopust scored the only goal in the skills competition to give Bozeman the extra point in the standings. Jack Ryan was the winner in net with 39 saves . Nicholas Ulyanov took the tough loss despite making 41 stops.
Gillette 4 @ Sheridan 7 - In a true back-and-forth contest, the Sheridan Hawks took down the Gillette Wild 7-4. The Hawks scored the first four goals of the game with Daniel Shelden scoring twice and Elijah Farris and Derrek Laite having one of their own. Gillette would scored the next four to even the game as Riley Schmidt, Tai Kontrec, Riley Schmidt and Brady Johnson all got on the scoresheet for the Wild. Sheridan would respond with three goals in the final five minutes, all three of them coming off the blade of Vincent Leaf. He now has 24 goals on the year. TJ Wonnacott grabbed the decision in goal as he had 26 saves. Wylan Cambensy was stuck with the loss as finished with 28 saves.
