Saturday Highlights: Key Points Earned, Big Moments Delivered

Maine 0 @ Buzz 8 - The Buzz hosted the Maine Nordiques for their third matchup of the season and second of the weekend. In their previous matchup on Friday, the Buzz won 7-2. In the first period, Buzz forward Yaromir Chicherin scored the lone goal of the period at 6:34. In the second period, the Buzz dominated the game with four goals from forwards Brady Ishu at 15:12, Jaylen Nurse at 10:58, Chicerin with his second of the game at 4:53, and Blake Camomile at 4:39. With a five goal lead heading into the third period, the Buzz continued to dominate on the offense with goals from forwards Tannan Nenninger at 19:50, Nurse for his second of the game on an unassisted shorthanded goal at 12:36, and Theo Fritz with a shorthanded goal at 12:23 to cap off the 8-0 win. Dalton Elliott started in net for the Buzz and earned a shutout with 29 saves. Tyler Miller started in net for the Nordiques and made 24 saves on 29 shots before Riley Burnett closed out the game with 22 saves on 25 shots. 

Norwich 4 @ Long Beach 3 (OT) - The Long Beach Sharks hosted the Norwich Sea Captains for their seventh matchup of the season and second of the weekend. In their previous game, the Sharks won 6-3. The first period was relatively quiet, with Norwich forward Tristan Lalonde scoring the lone, unassisted goal of the period at 16:03. In the second period, Norwich extended their lead with a goal from forward Houston Friesen at 6:16. In the third period, the Sharks came back from their deficit and scored three consecutive goals from forwards Eli Mccarthy at 16:54, James Steinberg at 15:11, and Steinberg again for his second of the game on the power play at 8:42. The Sea Captains were able to tie up the score before the end of the period on the power play with a goal from forward Trenton Impens at 3:25, sending the game into overtime. In overtime, with 49 seconds remaining, Norwich defenseman Ryan Janik scored the game-winning goal for the Sea Captains. Peter Alfano started in net for the Sea Captains and made 49 saves on 52 shots. Will Zinnen started in net for the Sharks and made 34 saves on 38 shots. 

Atlanta 0 @ Louisiana 12 - The Louisiana Drillers hosted the Atlanta Capitals for their fifth matchup of the season and second of the weekend. In their previous matchup, the Drillers won 11-1. The Louisiana Drillers had a strong start to the first period with forwards Brayden Pelcl scoring at 19:33, Draydin Johnson at 18:54, Pelcl with his second of the game at 15:29, Brody Neish on the power play at 10:29, Skyler Tompkins at 4:45, Lucas Dyer at 3:52, and Carter Gnau at 00:59 to end the period 7-0. In the second period, Drillers forwards Dayton Ruppel scored at 15:17, Gnau scored his second of the game at 7:38, and Tompkins scored his second of the game on the power play at 4:19. In the third period, Tompkins completed his hat trick with a shorthanded goal at 12:48, and Drillers forward Emerson Laroche scored at 5:13 to end the game 12-0 for Louisiana. Michael Ocnaschek started in net for Louisiana and earned a shutout with 13 saves. Devin Diller started in net for Atlanta and made 65 saves on 77 shots. 

St. Louis 6 @ Peoria 3 - The Peoria Mustangs hosted the St. Louis Jr. Blues for their eighth matchup of the season and second of the weekend. In their previous matchup, St. Louis won 6-3. In the first period, the Jr. Blues opened up the scoring with goals scored by forwards Jace Jordan at 12:42, Joseph Lopiccolo at 9:52 and on the power play at 7:50, and Lonnie Land on the power play at 2:42. In the second period, the Mustangs began to close down St. Louis’ lead with goals from forwards Breyon Maroney at 15:26 and 9:36, and Owen Gruden at 3:28 to close the Jr. Blues’ lead to one goal. In the third period, the Jr. Blues cemented their win with goals from defensemen Mitchell Nappier at 12:38 and forward Jack Vahle with an empty-net goal at 1:12 to end the game 6-3. Travis Visvadra started in net for the Jr. Blues and made 31 saves on 34 shots. Charlie Maquet started in net for the Mustangs and made 31 saves on 36 shots. 

Granite City 6 @ Minnesota (W) 2 - The Minnesota Wilderness hosted the Granite City Lumberjacks for their fifth matchup of the season. The Lumberjacks had won all four of their previous matchups. In the first period, Minnesota opened up the scoring with a goal from forward Tyler Starich at 6:28. Lumberjacks defenseman Cameron Mccormack tied up the score less than a minute later. Lumberjacks forward Ty Smith scored on the power play at 3:14 to give Granite City a one-goal lead at the end of the first. In the second period, Lumberjacks forward Alexander Zelazowski scored the lone goal of the period with 20 seconds remaining. In the third period, Lumberjacks forward Manny Pearce scored a shorthanded goal at 10:18 to extend their lead to three goals. Minnesota forward Wyatt Mineheine scored at 9:34 to bring Granite City’s lead down to two. Lumberjacks forward Drew Thompson scored at 4:02 to end the game 5-2 for Granite City and extend their record against Minnesota to five games. Nathan Mach started in net for the Lumberjacks and made 41 saves on 43 shots before Jannes Kamp closed out the game with 8 saves on 8 shots. Callum Keating started in net for Minnesota and made 55 saves on 60 shots.

West Bend 4 @ Rochester 1 - The West Bend Power defeated the Rochester Grizzlies 4-1 on Saturday night, extending their win streak to 12. West Bend opened the scoring in the first period when Mason Wanka scored, assisted by Aidan Callaghan. Rochester responded later in the period with a goal from Baylor Stebbins, set up by Konnor Goclan and Cooper Johnson. In the second period, West Bend regained the lead on a goal by Shaun Paulson, assisted by Aidan Callaghan. The Power added another shortly after when Adam Sexton scored with assists from Danny Jurcich and Blake Kohnen. Quinn O’Connor sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the third period, assisted by Jace Fitzgerald. 

Willmar 3 @ Minnesota (M) 5 - The Minnesota Moose earned a 5-3 win over the Willmar Warhawks.  Willmar opened the scoring late in the first period with a goal from Carson Wendorff, assisted by Grant Schiable and Hayden Stensrud. Minnesota responded on the power play when Carsen Gause scored, assisted by Mark Denoyer and George Ericson. In the second period, Gause added his second power-play goal, set up by George Ericson and Brady Johnson. Minnesota extended the lead with another power-play tally from Cullen Murray, assisted by Aidan Diehl and Gavin Jensen. Willmar answered later in the period with a goal from Wyatt Garvey, assisted by Elliot Domagala and Mikko Brown.  The Moose added to their lead in the third when Charlie Marchand scored, assisted by Cullen Murray and George Ericson. Willmar cut the deficit with a shorthanded empty-net goal from Gavin Jensen, assisted by Wyatt Hoepfl, but Minnesota closed out the scoring with a power-play goal by Wyatt Garvey, assisted by Max Jackson and Elliot Domagala. 

Mason City 4 @ Alexandria 9 - The Alexandria Blizzard picked up a 9-4 win over the Mason City Toros, sweeping their two game series. Mason City opened the scoring in the first period with a goal from Mason Buchanan, assisted by Weston Bohlman and Michael Ertle. Alexandria answered with a goal from Kaden Roness, assisted by Zach Benson and Dillan Smidt. Mason City regained the lead on a goal by Kellen Kantaris, assisted by Stone Resch and Grant Harder, before Alexandria closed the period with a power-play goal from Zach Benson, assisted by Reece Hubmer and Kaden Roness.  In the second period, Roness scored again for Alexandria, assisted by Easton Schmit and Charlie Kritzeck. Caleb Waller added another, assisted by Ethan Boughton and Easton Schmit. Mason City responded with a shorthanded goal from Luke Gustafson, assisted by Christian Plaga and Weston Bohlman. Alexandria extended the lead with a power-play goal by Easton Schmit, assisted by Grady Stallman and Caleb Waller, and later added another from Waller, assisted by Easton Schmit.  Mason City opened the third period with a goal from Mason Buchanan, assisted by Weston Bohlman and Dom Despenas. Alexandria answered with a goal from Grady Stallman, assisted by Caleb Waller and Thomas Foley. Stallman scored again later in the period, assisted by Cooper Ness and Jayden Serene. The Blizzard closed out the scoring with a goal from Reece Hubmer, assisted by Jack Johnson.

Wisconsin 2 @ Wausau 5 - The Wausau Cyclones defeated the Wisconsin Woodsmen 5-2 during their annual Corgi Race night. Wisconsin opened the scoring in the first period with a goal from Parker Holloway, assisted by Nolan Mix. Wausau answered later in the period with a power-play goal from Jackson Schroeder, assisted by Jackson Maddock and Elijah Von Gunten.  In the second period, Wausau took control with two goals. Elijah Von Gunten scored first, assisted by Mario Savino, followed by a goal from Lucas Mankoff, set up by Frank Goodman and Sean Hall. Wisconsin cut into the lead early in the third period when Ethan Foiles scored, assisted by Jack Dahl and Olli Niemela. Wausau responded with a power-play goal from Davis Polifka, assisted by Frank Goodman, and later added another from Owen Renslow, assisted by Eiji Hofmann and Maksim Salenko.

West Texas 4 @ New Mexico 8 -  A huge night from New Mexico forward Calahan Butler lifted his Ice Wolves to a big 8-4 win over the West Texas Wranglers Saturday night. Butler accounted for half of New Mexico’s big offensive performance, posting four goals on the night. Brock Seegar and Jacob Wenner also played a big role in the Ice Wolves’ offense, each recording a goal and two assists. New Mexico kept pace with third-place El Paso with the win, trailing the Rhinos by one point in the South Division. West Texas dropped its third straight contest with the loss and sat firmly in fifth place in the South Division. The first period was an offensive explosion from both sides as they combined for seven goals in the opening 20 minutes. West Texas goals from Calen Cross (seventh), Zachary Polkes (ninth) and Justin Justin Fielden (eighth) gave the Wranglers three in the opening frame. New Mexico countered the Wrangler attack with four goals in the period. Two of Butler’s four goals on the night (14th and 15th), Ryan Hoogsteen (12th), and Seeger (fifth) were all the tallies for the Ice Wolves in the period to ice a 4-3 score after the first period. Cross evened the score again early in the second period with his second goal of the night and eighth of the season. Butler (16th) gave his team the lead it would not relinquish with just under six minutes to go in the middle frame, finishing his hat-trick for a 5-4 Ice Wolves lead. Tanner Ross (ninth) added a power-play goal just over a minute later to give New Mexico a 6-4 lead heading to the final period. Butler dashed any hope of a Wrangler comeback via the power play with his fourth goal of the game and 17th of the year just under nine minutes into the period. Wenner completed the two-point conversion for New Mexico with just over six minutes to play while short-handed on his 10th of the year to seal the 8-4 win for the Ice Wolves. 

Helena 7 @ Yellowstone 0 - The Helena Bighorns put together another dominant performance Saturday night, running the Yellowstone Quake out of the building with a 7-0 shutout win to earn a weekend-series sweep. The Bighorns controlled the game from start to finish, outshooting the Quake a whopping 47-19. Helena goaltender Matthew Neeser was perfect, making 19 saves in the shutout. Cameron Kimmerly led the way offensively for Helena, posting a hat-trick plus an assist for four points. Helena gained two points of ground on third-place Great Falls in the Frontier Division, who lost Saturday. Yellowstone have now lost three straight contests and sit 11 points back of sixth-place Gillette in the Frontier Division. Kimmerly nabbed his first of the game and eighth of the season with 7:25 to go in the first period to open the scoring. His goal was the only offense of the period, giving Helena a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Helena pulled even further ahead with two more goals in the middle frame. Chase Berg (17th) and Kimmerly’s second of the night (ninth) put the Bighorns up 3-0 heading to the final frame. The offense exploded for Helena in the third period. Ty Schell (15th), Kimmerly’s hat-trick goal (10th), Austin Uecker (19th) and Casey Barriteau (third) all got their names on the scoresheet in the third period to finish off the 7-0 shutout win over the Quake. 

Great Falls 3 @ Badlands 5 - The Badlands Sabres earned a statement victory Saturday, taking down Frontier Division powerhouse Great Falls Americans by a final score of 5-3 to earn a weekend-series sweep. Badlands rode a three-goal third period to victory after a tightly-contested first two periods in which the Sabres barely held the shots advantage at 23-21. The Sabres inch closer to Great Falls for third place in the Frontier Division with the win, now trailing by six points. Great Falls came out of the gate hot, getting a goal from Tallon Caron just 34 seconds into the game. Caron’s 13th goal of the year stood as the lone offense of the period. The offense began to open up for both teams in the second period. A goal from Gaven Marx (sixth) tied the game with 14:35 to go in the frame. Matthew Cordis (seventh) followed up to give Badlands its first lead with just over two minutes remaining in the period. Great Falls did not go into the second intermission quietly. AJ Prioli (14th) responded just 34 seconds after Cordis’ goal to tie the game heading to the third period. The Badlands offense took over in the third period where they outshot the Americans 20-8. Dayton Niedert (22nd) gave the Sabres the lead it would not give back just over two minutes into the final frame. Sawyer Vaughn (second) and Justin Reams (eighth) provided the Sabres with insurance in the waning minutes to extend the lead to 5-2.  Wyatt Hanna (seventh) got Great Falls back within two goals with just over two minutes remaining, but the Badlands defense shut down the remaining Americans attack to secure the statement 5-3 victory. 

Butte 2 @ Gillette 4 - The Gillette Wild overcame a two-goal third-period deficit Saturday night to earn a weekend series sweep over the Butte Irish by a final score of 4-2. The Wild trailed 2-0 heading to the third period, but came alive just in time to secure the comeback victory. Riley Schmidt spearheaded the comeback, scoring two goals in the period, including the game-winning goal. Gillette now trail fifth-place Bozeman by just two points in the Frontier Division with its weekend sweep and have now won two straight games. Butte dropped its second-straight contest and remained three points back of seventh-place Yellowstone. Butte tallied the only offense of the first period despite Gillette outshooting the Irish 15-9. Josh Halverson notched his first goal of the campaign with just over seven minutes to play in the opening period to give his squad a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Zachary Pilkinton doubled the Irish lead halfway through the middle frame with a power-play goal. The goal was Pilkinton’s first of the season and sent Butte to the third period ahead 2-0. The Wild found their footing four minutes into the third period. A power-play goal off the stick of Schmidt (11th) cut the Irish lead in half. Then with just over nine minutes to go, Rocco Corl evened the score at two apiece with his first goal of the season. With 6:39 remaining in the game, Schmidt came through in the clutch with his 12th goal of the season and second of the game to give Gillette its first lead of the night. Donovan Balek gave the Wild much-needed insurance with 2:47 to go with his seventh of the season. Balek’s goal sealed the deal for Gillette as they skated away with a 4-2 comeback victory. 

Bozeman 0 @ Sheridan 5 - The Sheridan Hawks cruised to a weekend series sweep Saturday night, taking down the Bozeman Icedogs with a 5-0 shutout win. Hawks goaltender Wyatt Knott was outstanding in Saturday’s contest, turning away all 38 shots he faced. Knott’s save percentage jumps to an eye-popping .936% in 12 games. The shutout was his second of the season. Easton Langemo led the way on the scoresheet for Sheridan, putting up two goals in the game. Sheridan sit comfortably at the top of the Frontier Division with 53 points – six points ahead of second-place Helena. Bozeman dropped its second straight game and fell four points behind Badlands for fourth place in the Frontier Division. The teams battled to a scoreless tie in the first period despite Sheridan nearly doubling up Bozeman in the shots department at 15-8. Sheridan’s offense came alive in the second period, getting goals from Langemo (27th), Caden Gleason (eighth), Daniel Shelden (third) and Elijah White (fifth). Bozeman had no answer for the high-flying Hawks offense in the period, sending the teams to the break with Sheridan ahead 4-0. The offense cooled off in the third period, but the damage was already done. Langemo added his second goal of the night and 28th of the season via the power play to ice the 5-0 series-clinching win for Sheridan. Knott, Langemo and White earned first, second and third stars of the game, respectively, for the Hawks in the win.