Friday Highlight: ODR Game Shines at Hockey Day Minnesota

Team photo: Jason Soria

Granite City 7 @ Rochester 2 - The Granite City Lumberjacks and Rochester Grizzlies faced off in the first outdoor game in league history. Hockey Day Minnesota is a celebration of hockey history in the State of Hockey with outdoor games across multiple levels of hockey all week. The host city varies each year with this year being held in Hastings, Minnesota. Despite air temps reaching -10 for a high, the Granite City Lumberjacks came away with a 7-2 win. The Lumberjacks scored first on the powerplay with twelve minutes in the first by Ty Smith. Smith would strike again shortly after to extend the lead to 2-0 for the Lumberjacks. The Grizzlies would answer with a shorthanded goal by Baylor Stebbins with two minutes left in the first to cut the lead to 2-1. The Lumberjacks would strike again with eight seconds left in the period to restore the two goal lead. In the second, the Lumberjacks would add another by Teagan Dodge five minutes in for the 4-1 lead. The Grizzlies would answer less than a minute later on a goal by Tevin Stukel cutting the lead to 4-2. The Lumberjacks would add a shorthanded goal and another even strength goal before the second period ended for a 6-2 lead. In the third, the Lumberjacks would score the lone goal a minute in on the powerplay that would seal the 7-2 win on Hockey Day Minnesota for the Lumberjacks.

Carolina 5 @ Bayou State 14 - The Carolina Rage traveled to the Bayou State Rougarou for a Friday matinee matchup. The Rage struck first six minutes in with a goal by Reece Beckwith to take a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later the Rougarou answered back with Ethan Tierman finding the net twice in a row for the 2-1 lead. With a minute left in the first, the Rage would tie it up at two with Beckwith finding the net for the second time. The second period was a high scoring affair. The Rougarou found the net nine times with six different scorers. Tierman credited with a hat trick plus one, Avery Smith with two, and Judah Temple also with two goals. The Rage found the net once with a shorthanded goal by James Parnell. The Rougarou took a commanding 11-3 lead into the second intermission. In the final frame, the Rage’s Beckwith found the net for his third goal of the game. The Rougarou would strike two minutes later with Evan Mccreary finding twine for a 12-4 lead. The Rage would score one last time on the power play with Colton Conlin cutting into the deficit, 12-5. The Rougarou would add two more goals by Denis Portnoy and Kamdyn Smith to seal the dominant 14-5 win.

New Jersey 8 @ New Hampshire 4 - The New Jersey Titans pulled away in an offensive battle Friday night against the New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings by a score of 8-4. In what was a shootout, Ivan Korshikov found the lone first-period goal early in the frame, with the assist coming from Jackson Dougherty. In the second, Korshikov found the back of the net again, this time on the power play, to extend the lead to two off feeds from Dougherty and Ryan Cook. Less than 30 seconds later, Korshikov completed the natural hat trick with another power-play goal, following passes from Devin Wagner and Yosef Pievsky. Cook then helped pour it on with a power-play goal of his own, off the assist from Korshikov, as the lead grew to four. It would not stop there, as Juno Ryu added a power-play goal for himself as well, finishing a play set up by Dewight Singleton. Korshikov then grabbed his fourth of the game with yet another power-play tally, assisted by Dougherty and Alan O’Connor, to make it a 6-0 score. New Hampshire finally answered back, as Tommy Titone and Dylan Rakeseach grabbed a goal before the end of the period to make things interesting at 6-2. In the third, the Jr. Mountain Kings put New Jersey on edge as Simon Langenegger and Talon Schackman grabbed two early goals, cutting the deficit to two with plenty of time left. However, Dougherty and the Titans closed the door on any potential comeback as he found the back of the net twice to secure the victory. With the win, New Jersey grabs their 14th win of the campaign, while New Hampshire will look to bounce back after a tough loss at home. 

Austin 4 @ Texas (B) 6 - The Texas Brahmas claimed bragging rights in a showdown between two Texas State rivals, defeating the Austin Ice Bats 6-4. The Brahmas struck early, with Jayani Benson opening the scoring late in the first period, followed quickly by a shorthanded tally from Tyler Conrad to build momentum. Austin answered back before the break and carried that push into the second, tying the game behind goals from Liam Cardona and Matthieu Leblanc. Joshua Reaska swung the momentum back in Texas’ favor with a shorthanded goal midway through the second, and the Brahmas kept their foot on the gas from there. After Austin closed the gap again on a power play goal from Ethan Salter in the third, Benjamin Humphreys sealed the rivalry win with two clutch goals, finishing the night with a dominant three-point performance. Between the pipes, Luke Romney delivered a strong showing for the Brahmas, stopping 37 of 41 shots, while special teams played a major role as the Brahmas’ penalty kill allowed just one power play goal despite a physical, penalty-heavy contest. The win capped off a statement performance in a heated Texas rivalry battle and continued the Brahmas’ strong season series run.

West Bend 7 @ Peoria 0 - The West Bend Power continue to build on their dominating season with a huge road victory over the Peoria Mustangs by a score of 7-0. West Bend went up early in the affair and held on defensively to pull out with the win. Early in the first, Danny Jurcich was able to find the back of the net first for West Bend, off the assist from Aidan Callaghan. Later on in the period, Elias Holan was able to add on for the Power with the assist from Nathan Antti, making it a 2-0 game heading into intermission. In the second, Quinn O'Connor was able to add on to the lead and make it a three-goal game; Andrew Sparacino and Jace Fitzgerald had the assists on the tally. The Power offense then exploded in the third period. Armani Fisher struck first in the frame on a power play, assisted by Nathan Antti and Aidan Callaghan. Shortly after, Aidan Callaghan added a goal of his own off an assist from Quinn O'Connor to make it 5-0. The scoring clinic continued late as Andrew Sparacino netted a power-play goal assisted by Jace Fitzgerald. To cap off the night, Andrew Sparacino found the back of the net again for his second power-play goal of the period, with Blake Kohnen and Quinn O'Connor picking

up the assists as the game ended in a 7-0 result. In net for West Bend, Sam Ahl delivered a 14-save victory, stepping up and earning his first career shutout. 

Willmar 3 @ Mason City 4 -The Mason City Toros stormed back to defeat the Willmar WarHawks 4–3 in a dramatic comeback win. Willmar controlled the first two periods, building a 2–0 lead behind goals from Gabe Adams and Aiden Hogan, and carrying that advantage into the third. Mason City flipped the game on its head in the final frame, scoring four straight goals to take control. Luke Gustafson ignited the rally, followed by Dom Despenas to pull the Toros within one. Christian Plaga gave Mason City its first lead of the night with a power-play goal, and Grant Harder followed with another man-advantage strike to make it 4–2 and cap the surge. Jett Wheeler added a late goal for Willmar in the closing moments to make it 4–3, but the Toros held on to complete the comeback. Christian Plaga finished with a goal and two assists, while T.J. Gibson added two helpers. Brock Devlin made 27 saves for Mason City, and despite a 48-save performance from Sam Moen, Willmar couldn’t withstand the third-period push. Mason City outshot Willmar 52–30 and capitalized on both power-play opportunities to secure the win.

Alexandria 3 @ Minnesota (M) 0 - The Alexandria Blizzard blanked the Minnesota Moose 3–0 in a cold, defensive battle that turned in the second period and never flipped back. After a scoreless opening frame, Grady Stallman broke the deadlock midway through the second, finishing a setup from Blake Breiland and Christian Crutcher to give Alexandria the lead. From there, the Blizzard locked things down. With the Moose pressing late, Alexandria sealed the win with a pair of empty-net goals in the final moments. Zach Benson struck first, followed seconds later by Blake Breiland to put the game away. In net, Jayden Serene was rock-solid, stopping all 29 shots to earn the shutout. Minnesota generated chances and went 0-for-5 on the power play but couldn’t solve Serene or crack Alexandria’s defensive structure. This victory marks a sweet win for the Blizzard in the West Division, highlighting their disciplined team defense and ability to close out games with control and composure.

Wisconsin 2 @ Wausau 9 - The Wausau Cyclones rolled past the Wisconsin Woodsmen 9–2 in a dominant, high-powered performance. Wausau set the tone early with four first-period goals, including tallies from Maksim Salienko, Owen Gohm, Joel Anderson, and Jackson Schroeder to take immediate control. The Cyclones kept rolling in the second, with Elijah von Gunten scoring twice and Jackson Maddock adding another to extend the lead. Ty Paulios got one back for Wisconsin, but the momentum never shifted. In the third, Parker Holloway scored for the Woodsmen before Lucas Mankoff closed the night with a shorthanded goal. Tanner Bonjernoor made 32 saves in net, while Wausau’s special teams stayed sharp, converting three power-play goals. Jackson Schroeder (2 goals, 3 assists) and Elijah von Gunten (2 goals, 2 assists) led the way as the Cyclones powered to another statement win.

El Paso 1 @ New Mexico 4 - Both teams entered this match with 21 wins under the belt, but it was the New Mexico Ice Wolves that skated away with their 22nd win of the season. It was a fierce competition with a strong offensive effort from the two South Division teams. The Rhinos were only outshot 28-25, but it was New Mexico’s goaltending and defense that made the difference on Friday. Bryson Quimby scored an early goal in the first, assisted by Cade Tilley and Jack Williams to get the Ice Wolves on the board first. Parker Brinner followed late in the period to earn the Rhinos' lone goal of the game. To open the second, Calahan Butler added another for New Mexico. Grant Sexton scored next while the Ice Wolves were short-handed. While Brayden Macko started the game in net for the Rhinos, an unfortunate collision with a teammate right after Sexton’s goal led to Nathan Graybill replacing him in the crease for the remainder of the match. Hunzeker Piersimoni scored the Ice Wolves' final of the game before a quiet third period followed to finish things off. Nathan McFall played between the pipes for New Mexico, stopping 24 shots to earn his team the win and himself the first star of the game. 

Yellowstone 1 @ Gillette 3 -  It was a close battle in the Frontier Division on Friday night with the Gillette Wild hosting the Yellowstone Quake. The Wild struck first, Riley Schmidt netted his thirteenth goal of the season in the opening period. Dean Schlarman responded for the Quake late in the first, scoring a goal off the stick of Tagen Stout. Both teams had their share of power-play opportunities in the middle frame but the second remained scoreless and these teams stayed tied at 1-1. Brayden Waters took the lead back for the Wild in the third, assisted by Schmidt and Donovan Balek. The final goal of the night came from Dylan Herold, assisted by Schmidt and Waters, on a penalty kill. Andrew Knox was in net for the Wild, earning a 37-save win for the home crowd. 

Badlands 2 @ Helena 4 -  Coming off a 7-0 win against the Yellowstone Quake last weekend, the Helena Bighorns carried their confidence into this matchup, where early dominance ultimately led to another victory. The Bighorns showed strong offensive effort in this match, outshooting their Frontier Division rival 43-28. Ty Schell scored the only goal of the first to give the Bighorns an early lead, one that would be extended with two more goals in the second. These second period tallies came from Schell and Lincoln Kearney. Kearney took advantage of a late period power play to make the score 3-0 for Helena. Chase Berg, assisted by Warren Ryser, would score Helena's fourth early in the final twenty minutes. The Sabres pushed hard to shift the momentum of the match, earning themselves two goals in the third as a result. Dayton Niedert scored his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Oliver Giles. Giles then added a goal of his own to finish off the match. However, it was still the Bighorns that came out on top. Branson Appelman was in net for Helena, making 26 saves and earning his fifth win of the season.