Friday Finals: The Moose Inch Closer to Leading the West Division

Tulsa 2 @ Texas B 8 - The Tulsa Oilers took a trip down to Texas to take on the Brahmas. The Oilers started the game with a goal from Montana Medina, assisted by Logan Donham. The Brahmas would then get on the board with a goal from Jayani Benson, Xavier Othon, and Titan Horton with the assist. With  nine seconds left in the first period, the Brahmas would score on a power play goal from Xander Mullens, Jason Fatta, and Eric Alexander, picking up the assist. In the second period, the Brahmas continued the scoring with a goal from Kayden Jones, assisted by Aleksandrs Jelisejevs. The Brahmas would keep the momentum going with another goal, this time from Jason Fatta, Taylor Lewis, and Benjamin Humphreys with the assist. With another goal from the Brahmas, the floodgates have busted completely open, Tyler Conrad scoring an unassisted goal. Followed by Xavier Othon scoring and being assisted by Kayden Jones and Jayani Benson. Jason Fatta would then score his second goal of the game with a short-handed goal, and Taylor Lewis would get another assist. Finally, to end the second period, the Brahmas would score on a power play with a goal from Kayden Jones, assisted by Charlie Wilson and Xander Mullens. In the third period, the Oilers would score on a power play of their own with a goal from Montana Medina, Caleb Gamboa with the assist. The Brahmas came up with an 8-2 win over the Oilers.

Wisconsin 6 @ Peoria 4 - The Wisconsin Woodsmen went on the road to take on the Peoria Mustangs. The Woodsmen would open the game with 2 early goals in the opening period. The first being a power play goal from Nolan Mix being assisted by Ty Paulios. The second goal was from Maxim Lazo; this time, Nolan Mix is on the assist. In the second period, the Mustangs would get on the board with a power play goal from Wyatt Duke, Jordan Mini with the assist. Then Jordan Mini would get a goal of his own with Wyatt Duke picking up the assist. The Mustangs would keep the momentum going with goals from Owen Gruden, Brendon Miller, and Nathan Pleva, with the assist. Finally, the Woodsmen would answer back with a goal from Brandon Slasor, Ty Paulios, with his second assist of the game. In the final period, the Woodsmen would start with a goal from Ozbej Muzan to take the lead, with Jack Dahl providing the assist. Wyatt Duke would then score his second goal of the game on the power play, once again Jordan Mini assists him. In a huge change of events, the Woodsmen scored two empty net goals to win the game with less than two minutes left in the game. Josh Kauppinen scores, being assisted by Bryce Bechen, and Tyler Osborne scores the second, being assisted by Maxim Lazo. The Woodsmen turn a tied game into a shocking 6-4 win over the Mustangs.

St. Louis 1 @ Wausau 5 - The St. Louis Jr. Blues went on the road to challenge the Wausau Cyclones. In the first period, the Cyclones would take the lead with a goal from Jackson Schroeder, with Joel Anderson picking up the assist. The Cyclones would then score again with a goal from Zachary Pagel, assisted by Elji Hofmann. In the second period, the Cyclones would take a 3-0 lead with a power play goal from Eliji Hofmann, Jackson Schroeder with the assist, and Joel Anderson getting his second assist of the game. In the final period, the Cyclones would extend their lead with a goal from Brady Knutsen, Joel Anderson with his third assist of the game, and Jackson Schroeder with his second. The Jr. Blues would finally get on the board with a goal from Eric Denny, Caden Lindley, and Carter Duy picking up the assist. To end the game, the Cyclones would score their fifth goal of the game, Owen Gohm knocks one in being assisted by Mario Savino. The Cyclones pick up a wire-to-wire win over the Jr. Blues 5-1.

Granite City 1 @ Minnesota M 3 - The Granite City Lumberjacks went on the road to take on the Minnesota Moose, with both teams having great records; this is an anticipated matchup. The opening period saw no scoring until the final minute, when the Moose struck first with a goal from Brady Johnson, assisted by George Ericson and Gavin Jensen. In the second period, the Moose would take a 2-0 lead with a goal from Carsen Gause, Brady Johnson, and Will Burnevik with the assist. Soon after, the Lumberjacks would get on the board with an unassisted goal from Jackson Engburg. With the score being 2-1 going into the final period, the Lumberjacks were back in it. In the final period, the Moose would score the dagger with 8 minutes left, Will Burnevik scoring the game-sealing goal, assisted by Carsen Gause and Brady Johnson, getting his second assist of the game. The Moose get a big win over the Lumberjacks 3- 1.

Alexandria 0 @ Willmar 7 - The Willmar WarHawks delivered a completely dominant home performance, shutting out the visiting Alexandria Blizzard with a final score of 7-0. The Warhawks took immediate control, exploding for five goals in the first period, including two goals scored while shorthanded. Key players like Dylan Mees and Aidan Callaghan helped build the insurmountable early lead. Willmar's offense remained effective, adding a goal in the second and one more in the third to reach their seven-goal total. Despite the Blizzard putting up 37 shots, which was more than the WarHawks' three, they failed to solve the Willmar goaltender in any period. This comprehensive victory shows the Willmar WarHawks are improving their record to 8-11-0-0 and are capable of elite performances, while the Alexandria Blizzard continues struggling to find offensive consistency against top teams.

Minnesota W 3 @ Mason City 6 - The Mason City Toros secured a decisive home victory, defeating the visiting Minnesota Wilderness with a final score of 6-3. After a tied first period, the Toros established control in the second period, scoring four goals to Minnesota's two to build an immediate and massive lead. Another goal from Stone Resch secured the game in the third period, establishing a three-goal lead. Mason City's offense was consistent, putting up 32 shots throughout the game. This convincing victory shows the Mason City Toros remain winning and rise above .500.

El Paso 3 @ West Texas 2 (OT) - The El Paso Rhinos edged out the West Texas Wranglers in a tightly contested road game that ended with a final score of 3-2 in overtime. Each team found the back of the net in both the first and third periods, with the second remaining scoreless. The Rhinos, however, ended the game early in overtime with a goal from Carter Lehmann just 1:43 into the period. The Rhinos maintained a slight edge in offensive chances, outshooting the Wranglers 34 to 26. This important overtime win shows the El Paso Rhinos are improving their record to 12-8-3-0 and can secure points in close road games, while the West Texas Wranglers struggle to close out games against divisional rivals.

Rochester 2 @ West Bend 5 - The West Bend Power defeated the visiting Rochester Grizzlies with a solid final score of 5-2. The Power established an early 2-1 lead in the first period, with goals from Wyatt Emmett and Jackson Hoem. Despite a strong effort from the Grizzlies, who matched West Bend's shot output with 28 shots, the Power pulled away in the third period, scoring two goals from Jace Fitzgerald and Michael Maillette. West Bend's offense was efficient, successfully converting two of its four power-play opportunities. The Power sealed the victory in the final frame with an empty net goal, confirming the three-goal difference. This key home victory confirms that the West Bend Power remain winning and are a top contender with a strong 19-2-0-1 record, while the Rochester Grizzlies struggle to gain ground against the top teams in the division.

Yellowstone 2 @ Badlands 7 - The Yellowstone Quake head to play the Badlands Sabres in a Friday night contest. Yellowstone was looking to continue its winning ways against the Badlands. The game kicked off with the Sabres striking first with three tallies in the opening frame by Dayton Niedert, Rylan Salo, and Kyyan Jahner. The Quake were able to light the lamp in the frame when Shayne Smith found the back of the net midway through the frame. Moving into the second period, the Quake would bring the score within one when Lawson Hewitt tallied a goal midway through the period. That offensive push would eventually not be enough once the contest moved into the final 20 minutes of regulation. The Sabres tallied four goals, with two of the tallies from Niedert, earning a hat trick. Badlands’ Jahner would score his second of the net short-handed, and Justin Reams would finish the scoring frenzy with a power-play tally with 2:37 left on the clock. The Quake would fall 7-2.

Helena 7 @ Great Falls 4 - The Helena Bighorns would feature an offensively dominant night against the Great Falls Americans. The contest started with Great Falls snatching a lead quickly in the opening period. The Americans would score a trio of goals thanks to Jaxen Savage, Ethan Miller, and AJ Prioli. The next period saw the Bighorns respond with a trio of goals themselves. Braden Davis got the scoring started with a power-play tally. Following him, Mason Blair and Caden Feinstein would net goals themselves, making the contest tied 3-3 heading into the final period. The Bighorns would show off their offensive prowess in the final 20 minutes when they would score four goals for the victory. Helena’s Feinstein would first score on the power play before Great Falls would have their last goal of the night by Prioli, also on the power play. Helena featured Clint Isakson scoring midway through the frame before Cameron Kimmerly would find the back of the net on the man advantage at the 3:41 minute mark. The final nail in the coffin would be Joe Viox scoring an empty netter to give the Bighorns a decisive 7-4 win.

Butte 3 @ Bozeman 1 - On Friday night, the Butte Irish showcased their strength and secured a 3-1 win on the road. The matchup started with two goals in the opening frame by the Irish. Jack Whitelaw would light the lamp first, while Loghan Weber would score four minutes later. Butte featured a 2-0 lead heading into the second period. The middle frame was scoreless with both teams exchanging chances. Heading into the final 20 minutes, the Irish struck again, this time with a tally by Alexander Wainio on the power play. However, the Icedogs were able to light the lamp once in the contest thanks to a goal on the man advantage by Andrew Kaunas. The Icedogs would fall 3-1 to the Irish. Between the pipes for Butte, Zander Harp spotlighted a dominating performance, turning away 39 out of 40 shots on net.

Sheridan 4 @ Gillette 1 - The Sheridan Hawks went on the road and secured a 4-1 victory against the Gillette Wild at the Spirit Arena. The contest kicked off with the Hawks taking the lead in the opening frame at the 13:12 minute mark. Deagan Watson scored on the power play to give Sheridan a 1-0 lead heading into the middle period. The second frame was scoreless with both teams trading chances. The Wild outshot the Hawks 12-10 in the second period. Moving into the final frame, the Hawks quickly capitalized on their lead with another power-play goal, this time by Caden Gleason, one minute into the period. The Wild would respond four minutes later when Cody Lang would score his first of the season. The Hawks continued their scoring ways midway through the frame when Dante Hunziker scored his 13th of the season. The scoring would end when Sheridan’s Max Krueger would tally an empty-netter to give the Hawks a 4-1 victory. Between the pipes for Sheridan, Wyatt Knott turned away 28 out of 29 shots, securing his team a victory.