Friday Finals: Granite City Escapes With An Overtime Victory Over Willmar

Photo Credit: Jason Soria

Long Beach 3 @ Norwich 2 - The Long Beach Sharks took down the Norwich Sea Captains during Friday afternoon's NA3 showdown. In the first period, the Sea Captains opened the scoring when Kolin Krizan lasered one in from assists by Tristian Lalonde and Jack Stephen. Then, early into the second, Caden Shafer tied it at one for Long Beach, as he capitalized on a feed by James Ditommaso. Then, with five minutes left in the frame, Jack Baker broke the tie when Spencer Nicoloff and Alec Dahlvang solidified the go-ahead lead. 30 seconds into the third, the Sharks got on the board again and extended the lead to three, as Gustav Martinsson lit the lamp; Brendan Dalton set him up. Then moments later, Jaden Mills scored for the Sea Captains and put his club within one of tying it. However, the Sharks locked in and protected their one-goal lead with the help of netminder Nick Walker — who grabbed the third star of the game — to seal the deal. 

Buzz 3 @ New Hampshire 2 (OT) - Friday afternoon, the visiting Buzz club took down the New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings 3-2. Here's how this matchup went down. Two minutes into the first period, Magnus Deamond opened the scoring for the Buzz while being assisted by Yaromir Chicherin. Then, several minutes later, Theo Fritz made it two-nothing while empty-handed. However, three seconds before the buzzer, New Hampshire put one into the net to put them within one going into the second. Theo Fritz was the man to get it done. With no scoring participation in the middle frame, we had to wait several minutes in the third for a goal to be rendered. At 3:40, while on the power play, Kyle Bouvier tucked one in to tie the score when Matej Dvorsky and Noah Levesque cycled it around. This inevitably ushered in overtime to decide the outcome of the game. The Buzz, though, would be victorious during bonus hockey, as Keegan Elliott would be the hero with a heavy wrister after being set up by Andrew Jazwin.

Texas R 1 @ Louisiana 9 - The Texas RoadRunners took a trip east to take on the undefeated Louisiana Drillers. In the opening period, the Drillers would score with a goal from Cohen Palmer, Dylan Crossley, and Isaac Erickson with the assist. In the second period, the Drillers would score again with a goal from Brayden Pelcl, Brody Neish, and Emerson Laroche picking up the assist. Dayton Ruppel would then score for the Drillers, Dylan Crossley and Brody Neish each getting their second assist. Braydon Pelcl would then score his second goal of the game, with Emerson Laroche and Dayton Ruppel with the assist. Matthew Killen would then score a goal for the Drillers, with Kadyn Garcia and Dayton Ruppel with the assist. Before the end of the second period, Cohen Palmer would score his second goal, Isaac Erickson and Dylan Crossley each getting another assist. In the final period, the RoadRunners would finally score on a power-play goal, William Heskett scoring unassisted. The Drillers would then score again, Dylan Crossley scoring, Braden Bates and Luke Whitehead with the assist, Brayden Pelcl would then get the hat trick, Brody Neish and Skyler Thompson getting the assist. To end the game, Emerson Laroche would score for the Drillers, Brody Neish and Brayden Pelcl would get the assist. The Drillers stay undefeated, beating the RoadRunners 9-1.

Bayou State 5 @ Carolina 6 - The Bayou State Rougarou went on the road to take on the Caroline Rage. The Rage would strike first with a goal from Reece Beckwith 20 seconds into the game, with Tobin Tuzinsky and James Parnell with the assist. The Rage would extend their lead with another goal from Reece Beckwith, with Tobin Tuzinsky with another assist. The Rougarou would then get on the board with a goal from Denis Portnoy, Ethan Tierman picking up the assist. The Rage would then answer back with another goal from Reece Beckwith, getting his hat trick. Parker Greenway and James Parnell picked up the assist. The Rougarou would then answer with 2 goals to tie the game up, Landen Crall and Denis Portnoy each scoring unassisted goals. The Rage would then score again with another goal from Reece Beckwith, and then a fifth goal from Beckwith after that. Tobin Tuzinsky picked up the assist for each goal. Then, for the Rougarou, Denis Portnoy would get his hat trick, Ethan Tierman and Landen Crall with the assist. In the final period, Landen Crall would tie it up for the Rougarou, Ethan Tierman with another assist. Then, to win the game, Tobin Tuzinsky would score the game-winning goal being short-handed. The Rage defeated the Rougarou in a thriller, 6-5.

Pelham 6 @ Atlanta 4 - The Pelham Prowlers took a trip to A town to take on the Atlanta Capitals, who are seeking their first win of the season. In the first period, the Prowlers struck first with an unassisted goal from Marlon Derksen. The Capitals would then answer with a goal from Maddox Woulfin, Alexander Morrison and Isaiah Ronson picking up the assist. The Prowlers would then answer back with an unassisted goal from Matthew Cavanaugh. In the second period, the Capitals would then tie the game again with a power-play goal from Gavin Koehler, Hatcher Horton with the assist. The Prowlers would then score a power-play goal of their own, Lorezon Pekaren scoring the goal unassisted. The Prowlers would then score another unassisted goal, and Marlon Derksen scored again on a short-handed goal. In the final period, the Prowlers would extend their lead with a goal from Parker McCown, Jackson Osby and Andrew Robles with the assist. The Capitals would score again with a goal from Isaiah Ronson, Maddox Woulfin getting the assist. Marlon Derksen would then get his hat trick for the Prowlers, another unassisted goal. The Capitals would then score again before the end of regulation, Tristin Scheufelle scoring, assisted by Caleb Crouch. The Prowlers defeat the Capitals 6-4.

Rochester 4 @ Peoria 8 - The Rochester Grizzlies went on the road to take on the Peoria Mustangs. The Mustangs started hot with an opening goal from Nathan Pleva, Owen Gruden, and Brendon Miller picking up the assist. Followed up by Brendon Miller scoring a goal of his own, Nathan Pleva with another assist, and RJ Alvarado getting an assist. In the second period, the Mustangs would extend their lead with a goal from Jordan Mini, Wyatt Duke, and Breyon Maroney getting the assist. Nathan Pleva would then score his second goal of the game, Brendon Miller and Nick Fabio with the assist. The Grizzlies would then finally get on the board with a power play goal from Felix Wadstromer, assisted by Mason Decker. Jordan Mini would then score his second goal of the game for the Mustangs. The Grizzlies would then score another power play goal from Mason Decker, Felix Wadstromer getting the assist this time. Nathan Pleva would then score his hat trick for the Mustangs on a short-handed goal, being assisted by Brendon Miller and Owen Gruden. Owen Gruden would then score his own goal, Nathan Pleva and Brendon Miller picking up the assist. The Mustangs would then score again with a goal from Cole Molaski, Deitrich Miller, and Nathan Conklin with the assist. In the final period, the Grizzlies would score two goals, one from Felix Wadstromer, his second, and the other on a power-play goal from Rylan Schultz. Brett Ludvigsen, Jesse Varner, Mason Decker, and Andrew Bastain each got an assist for those goals. The Mustangs double the Grizzlies' scores 8-4.

Alexandria 5 @ Minnesota W 3 - The .500 Alexandria Blizzard went on the road to take on the struggling Minnesota Wilderness. The Blizzard would score first with a goal from Grady Stallman, Caleb Waller getting the assist. Caleb Waller would then score a goal of his own with an assist from Landyn Randt. The Wilderness would get on the board with an unassisted goal from Tyler Starich. The Blizzard would then answer back with a goal from Chase Collings, assisted by Zach Benson. To end the opening period, the Blizzard would score again, this time on a power play with a goal from Jack Johnson, Caleb Waller with another assist, and Grady Stallman with an assist. In the second period, the Blizzard would extend their lead with an unassisted goal from Caleb Waller, his second of the game. The Wilderness would finally answer back with a goal from Tommy Perkins, Tyler Starich with the assist. Tyler Starich would then get his second goal of the game, Wyatt Mineheine with the assist. The final period would go scoreless to secure the win for the Blizzard over the Wilderness 5-3.

New Mexico 2 @ Texas B 9 - The Texas Brahmas offense delivered a spectacular performance at home Friday night, crushing the New Mexico Ice Wolves by a commanding score of 9-2. The Brahmas seized control early, with Jayani Benson striking just two minutes into the contest for the opening tally, assisted by Aleksandrs Jelisejevs and John Scharf. New Mexico briefly responded, as Ryan Hoogsteen netted the equalizer off passes from Jacob Wenner and Jackson Antonelli. However, the first period belonged to Benson, who scored his second of the night, assisted by Jelisejevs, giving the Brahmas a 2-1 lead heading into the break. Texas quickly extended the advantage in the second period when John Scharf found the back of the net. The Ice Wolves managed to close the gap back to one on a goal by Alex Ihling (assisted by Hunzeker Piersimoni and Wenner), but the momentum quickly swung back. Benson completed his hat trick on a feed from Charlie Wilson and Scharf to restore the two-goal cushion. He was not finished, adding an incredible fourth goal of the game, again assisted by Scharf. The floodgates opened as the period progressed. Charlie Wilson joined the scoring frenzy with a power-play goal, assisted by Jelisejevs. Before the horn sounded, Malo Phillips capped off a five-goal second period for Texas, with Xavier Othon and Taylor Lewis earning the assists. The Brahmas continued to press in the third. Tyler Conrad put home the eighth goal of the night, assisted by Caden Michael, showcasing the depth of the talented Texas offense. Fittingly, John Scharf put the finishing touches on the 9-2 dominating win with one final score. Goaltender Gavin Erickson was solid in the net for the Brahmas, turning aside 27 shots to secure a statement victory at home. Texas earned its 20th win of the year, while New Mexico will look to regroup for their next matchup.

Granite City 3 @ Willmar 2 (OT) - The Granite City Lumberjacks used late-game heroics Friday night to squeak out a 3-2 overtime victory over the rival Willmar Warhawks. It was a tightly contested, back-and-forth battle that was not decided until the final moments. Willmar grabbed the early momentum, as Jett Wheeler scored the lone goal of the first period, assisted by Owen Amon. The Lumberjacks struck back early in the second, with Garrett Plaude burying a power-play tally off passes from Ty Smith and Coltin Wassengeso to tie the score. The Warhawks quickly reclaimed their lead, however, as Logan Woods found the back of the net from Max Jackson. Willmar held onto this precarious 2-1 advantage for the rest of the second period and nearly all of the third. With their goalie pulled and time winding down, Granite City mounted a desperate final attack. Jackson Engburg became the hero, netting the dramatic equalizer with only seconds left, assisted by Ty Smith and Carter Oothoudt. Riding the wave of that last-minute momentum, the Lumberjacks carried the energy into overtime. Just a few minutes into the extra frame, Ty Smith completed the comeback, putting home the winner to steal the victory away from Willmar. Oothoudt and Jack Postula picked up the assists on the game-clinching score. In net, Willmar's Jacob Brumm put forth a valiant effort, turning away 44 shots in the tough loss. For Granite City, Zach Price stopped 23 shots to help clinch the victory for his squad. The Lumberjacks continue to build on their dominance this season, securing their 18th win on the year, while the Warhawks are left searching for answers after dropping the hard-fought contest at home.

Mason City 1 @ Minnesota M 4 - The Minnesota Moose successfully capitalized on their hometown advantage Friday night, securing a decisive 4-1 victory over the Mason City Toros. Minnesota landed the first punch when Hunter Rappel found the back of the net to give the Moose an early lead. However, Mason City delivered a lightning-fast response: T.J. Gibson equalized just 12 seconds later, assisted by Luke Gustafson and Christian Plaga. The score remained deadlocked until the second period, when Wyatt Hoepfl broke the tie and put the Moose back in front, assisted by Rory Kronick. Minutes later, Carsen Gause extended the margin, giving Minnesota a comfortable 3-1 lead heading into the second intermission. The third period was characterized by stifling defense from the Moose. Mason City's offense was completely shut down, unable to generate any scoring against the tough Minnesota unit. The only tally of the final frame came courtesy of Rory Kronick, who scored into an empty net to seal the 4-1 victory for the Moose. In a strong effort despite the loss, Toros goaltender Anton Widas turned away 27 shots. However, it was Minnesota's Gabe Otis who earned the win, stopping 28 shots and securing the victory for his team. Minnesota claims its 18th win of the season, continuing a successful campaign.

West Bend 2 @ Wisconsin 3 (OT) - The Wisconsin Woodsmen earned a thrilling, much-needed 3-2 overtime victory against West Bend at home Friday night in a battle that was fought right up until the final buzzer. The Woodsmen took the early initiative, with James Pautsch finding the back of the net to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead, assisted by Alexander Elsner and Tyler Osborne. That slim advantage held all the way through the first intermission. West Bend responded in the second period, with Jace Fitzgerald netting the equalizer off passes from Blake Kohnen and Adam Sexton. Later in the period, West Bend seized the lead on the road when Kohnen scored on the power play, assisted by Fitzgerald and Quinn O’Connor, making it a 2-1 contest. Down by one, the Woodsmen struck back with a power-play tally of their own. Maxim Lazo tied the game, scoring on assists from Parker Holloway and Ty Paulios. The third period was defined by tight defense and missed opportunities. Despite chances being traded at both ends, neither team could break the deadlock, pushing the intense matchup into extra time. The overtime frame, however, did not last long. Just 47 seconds into the period, Nolan Mix capitalized, burying the game-winner to send the home. crowd into celebration. Paulios and Brandon Slasor earned the assists on the critical score. Lleyton Jaschke stopped 26 shots for Wisconsin to secure the pivotal victory, which marked their eighth win of the year. West Bend, suffering only its third loss of the season, will look for a quick response in tomorrow's action.

Tulsa 0 @ Austin 11 - The Austin Ice Bats offense delivered an overwhelming performance Friday night, cruising to a massive 11-0 shutout victory over the Tulsa Oilers at home. Tulsa was completely outmatched from the drop of the puck, as goals came early and often for the Ice Bats. The scoring onslaught began with Mason Manderfield netting a shorthanded goal, immediately igniting the Austin attack. Aiden Deluna extended the lead shortly after, establishing early control in the contest. The offense then went into overdrive, with Liam Cardona and Matthieu Leblanc scoring on the very same shift. On the next rotation, Guhnar Hillman found the back of the net as the Ice Bats started to pour it on. Andrew Lee capped off a staggering six-goal first period for Austin. The momentum carried seamlessly into the second frame. Jake Bamback picked up where the team left off with an opening power-play goal. Kyan Glaser-Guess added another power-play tally minutes later, showcasing the Ice Bats' complete offensive dominance. Hillman followed with his second goal of the night, and Sol Levy continued the rout with yet another marker before the end of the second, making the score an astounding 10-0. Garrett Morris capped off the incredible night in the office for Austin, burying the team's eleventh and final goal in the third period. While the offense grabbed the headlines, goaltender Collin Rosenau was flawless in net for the Ice Bats, turning away all seven shots he faced to earn the shutout. Austin moves to 21 wins on the season, continuing their impressive campaign. Tulsa, suffering its 22nd loss of the year, will be desperately searching for answers after the tough outing.

West Texas 1 @ El Paso 5 - West Texas heads west to take on the El Paso Rhinos for a Friday night showdown. The Rhinos would eventually take the 5-1 win over the Wranglers. The first period was a quiet one with no scoring and just one minor penalty. In the second, the Rhinos opened up the scoring with two even-strength goals and one shorthanded. Goals scored by Carter Lehmann, Kenneth Cadwallader, and Mikhail Levaniuk for a 3-0 lead into the final frame. In the third, the Rhinos added another two goals in two minutes midway through the period. Cadwallader was credited with both goals to complete the hat trick. The Wranglers would ruin the Rhinos' thoughts of a shutout with a goal less than four minutes to go by Justin Fielden. Rhinos goaltender, Brayden Macko, had a stellar performance, saving 33 of 34 shots he faced, giving him a 0.971 save percentage.

Great Falls 3 @ Helena 1- The Helena Bighorns would host the Great Falls Americans on Friday night in a close game. The Americans would strike first, with Ethan Miller finding the back of the net for the lone goal in the first period, assisted by Cooper Clouse. In the second, Miller would strike again for the Americans for the 2-0 lead, also assisted by Clouse. The Bighorns would answer back on the power play shortly after on a goal by Caden Feinstein, assisted by Austin Uecker and Kade Pareja. In the third, the Americans would seal the win with an empty net goal by Miller, assisted by Clouse, to complete the hat trick for Miller. The dynamic duo of Miller and Clouse proved to be the difference in this one as the Great Falls Americans took the 3-1 win. Americans goaltender Cole Murphy stood tall, saving 37 of 38 shots he faced for a 0.974 save percentage.

GIllette 7 @ Yellowstone 3 - Gillette hits the road to Yellowstone for a Friday night tilt. The Quake would strike first with a goal by Shayne Smith, assisted by Carson Joersz and London Jett. In the second, the Wild would answer immediately on a goal by Beau Delich, assisted by Riley Schmidt. The Quake and Wild would trade off goals all period, ending in a 3-2 Quake advantage. The third, however, was all Wild. The Gillette Wild added not one, not two, but five unanswered goals in the final frame. Dylan Peterson tallied two goals for the Wild, while Dylan Herold, Beau Delich, and Riley Schmidt all added goals themselves. The Wild took the reins on this one and won 7-3.

Sheridan 7 @ Badlands 3 - The Badlands Sabres hosted the Sheridan Hawks on Friday night in a high-scoring affair. The Hawks struck first on an unassisted goal by Conner Brown. Less than a minute later, Rhylan Olson answered for the Sabres, evening up the score at one. In the second, the Hawks and Sabres would trade off goals for a total of five. The Hawks added three goals while the Sabres added two for a score of 4-3 in favor of the Hawks. In the third, the Hawks added three more goals by Dean Schlarman, Elijah Farris, and Jeff Slivon. The Hawks would take this one in a decisive 7-3 win.

Bozeman 5 @ Butte 2 - The Butte Irish hosted the Bozeman IceDogs in a Friday night match. The IceDogs would skate away with the 5-2 win over the Irish. IceDogs outshot the Irish 55-33. In the first, the Irish would strike first, with Easton Langemo finding the back of the net. With less than three minutes in the period, Devin Bruns would answer for the IceDogs to tie it up 1-1. In the second, the IceDogs would add two goals, with one on the power play, for a 3-1 lead going into the third. In the final frame, special teams proved to be the difference as all three goals scored were on the power play. Jace Griffin and Andrew Kaunas would add two more goals for the IceDogs within 18 seconds for a 5-1 lead. The Irish answered back with less than three minutes left, with Langemo scoring his second of the night, but it would not be enough as the IceDogs won 5-2.