Friday Finals: Minnesota Vulcans Soar to OT Victory

Provided by Hailey Lynch

Minnesota Vulcans 3 @ Minnesota Wilderness 2 (OT) - The Vulcans pulled out a 3–2 overtime victory over the Wilderness on Friday, capping off a tightly contested game with a clutch finish in extra time. In the first period, both teams played very disciplined, keeping chances limited and the scoreboard empty. The offense finally broke through in the second when Kody Zuniga put the Vulcans on the board. The Wilderness responded as Tyler Balfe buried the equalizer, but the Vulcans quickly regained the lead with a goal from Paul Hornor. Before the period concluded, Ryder Pisiak struck for the Wilderness, making it 2-2 heading into the third. Neither side could break through the deadlock in the third period, sending the game into overtime. Kody Zuniga found open ice on a breakaway early in overtime, burying his second goal of the night to seal a 3–2 victory for the Vulcans. A tight defensive matchup turned into a dual of timely goals, and Zuniga’s impressive overtime winner capped a strong night for the Vulcans as they outlasted their in-state rival. 

New Hampshire 6 @ New Jersey 3 – New Hampshire powered past New Jersey with a 6-3 win on Friday. In the first period, both teams came out firing, trading chances in a fast, offense-driven opening frame. Anthony Ayala kicked off the scoring for the Mountain Kings, capitalizing early to make it 1-0. The Titans answered on the power play when Devyn Tarlton converted, making it 1-1. New Hampshire regained the lead as Jacob Landry registered a goal. The Titans tied the game when Nate Ashkinazi found the back of the net late in the first, sending the game into intermission knotted at 2-2. The Mountain Kings dominated the second period with their pace, pressure, and puck movement, allowing them to rattle off three straight goals. Ethan Ross scored on the power play, pushing New Hampshire ahead 3-2, Joshua Lang extended the lead with a clean finish, and Kayden Hill capped the surge, making it 5-2 heading into the third. New Jersey’s Lincoln Walters scored early in the third to make it 5-3. The Mountain Kings were able to tighten up defensively and close the game when Jacob Landry added his second of the night, restoring the three-goal cushion and sealing the 6-3 win.

Wausau 3 @ Peoria 2 – The Wausau Cyclones battled back from behind to secure the win, rallying together to come out on top in a hard-fought contest against the Peoria Mustangs. Neither side could break through in the opening period with strong goaltending and disciplined defensive play keeping the scoreboard clean heading into the second. Peoria struck first on a breakaway goal by Brendan Miller, giving the Mustangs the early edge. The Cyclones answered quickly on the man advantage when Gabe Field found the back of the net, making the game 1-1. Strong defense on both sides kept the game tied heading into the third. Collins Woods found an open lane and the back of the net on a wrist shot to give the Mustangs the 2-1 lead. The Mustangs' Joel Anderson served up a perfect feed for Owen Renslow to redirect the puck into the back of the net, making it 2-2. The Cyclones went on the powerplay late in the third and capitalized with Maksim Salienko put his team ahead with the go-ahead goal, securing the 3-2 victory for Peoria.

Norwich 1 @ Garden State 7 – The Garden State Gamblers rolled to a commanding 7-1 victory, controlling all three periods with steady pressure and efficient scoring. They dominated both the first and second frames before adding two more goals in the third to put the game well out of reach. The Gamblers saw goals from 7 different players with all lines producing scoring opportunities. In net, Dennis Michaels was outstanding, stopping 34 shots to anchor the impressive win.

Alexandria  3 @ Willmar 4 - The Willmar Warhawks scored two goals in the final minute to defeat the Alexandria Blizzard 4-3 on Friday night at the Willmar Civic Center Arena in Willmar, Minnesota. Maddux Domagala led the Warhawks with two goals and an assist, while teammate Josh Hofman added two assists. Blake Breiland, Tyler Meyer and Jace Griffin each scored for the Blizzard in the defeat. Neither team found the back of the net in the first period, with the Warhawks holding a slight 11-10 advantage in shots on goal. Willmar got on the board first in the second period as Domagala scored his first goal of the night. Meyer responded just over four minutes later to tie the game, but Elliot Domagala gave the Warhawks the lead again with just under three minutes remaining in the period. The final minutes brought plenty of action, with Alexandria tying the game through Breiland before Willmar scored twice in a 20-second span. Bryce Hribal scored the go-ahead goal before Maddux Domagala added his second of the night, assisted by Hofman. Griffin scored for the Blizzard late, but Alexandria ran out of time to complete the comeback. Willmar goaltender Noah Germain made 33 saves in the win, while Bode Ekblad stopped 28 shots for Alexandria. The Warhawks improve to 1-1 on the season, while the Blizzard fall to 1-2-1.

Fox Cities 0 @ Wisconsin 5 - The Wisconsin Woodsmen played a complete game in a 5-0 win over the Fox Cities Forge on Friday night at the Tomah Ice Center in Tomah, Wisconsin. The Woodsmen were led by Jackson Haupt, who recorded two goals and an assist, while teammates Bryce Bechen and Andrei Khomenko each added two assists. Wisconsin took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission as Haupt scored twice, with Bechen and Khomenko assisting on both goals. The second period saw no goals, as Forge goaltender Braedyn Sullivan stopped all 21 shots he faced. The Woodsmen added three goals in the third period, with Myles Bible and Cameron Hovden each finding the back of the net before Parker Holloway scored his seventh goal of the season to cap off the scoring. Wisconsin goaltender Nicholas Foy finished the night with 17 saves, including stopping the only shot he faced in the third period. Sullivan finished with 47 saves on 52 shots. The Woodsmen improve to 4-3-1 on the season, while the Forge continue to search for their first win, falling to 0-4.

North Iowa 1 @ Granite City 3 - The Granite City Lumberjacks defeated the North Iowa Bulls 3-1 on Friday night at the Miller Buick GMC Rink in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. The Lumberjacks got goals from three different players, while Alex Zelazowski added two assists. The Bulls were led by goaltender Cole Murphy, who made 35 saves in the defeat. Granite City took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to a goal from Jackson Engberg. The second period came and went without a goal, as Murphy stopped all 17 shots he faced to keep the Bulls within reach. The Lumberjacks extended their lead in the third period with a goal from Noah Betker. Christian Plaga responded for North Iowa, cutting the lead to one with 5:44 remaining. James Esposito sealed the win for Granite City with a goal at the 1:14 mark to make it 3-1. Lumberjacks goaltender Zach Price finished with 20 saves on 21 shots, while Murphy stopped 35 of 38 shots for the Bulls. Granite City improves to 3-0 on the season, while North Iowa falls to 3-0-1.

Gillette 1 @ Badlands 6 - The Badlands Sabres found 6-1 victory over the Gillette Wild on Friday. The Sabres wasted no time, as Adam Pflugrath-Davis netted the opening goal at 18:41 of the first period, thanks to assists by Jakob Smith and Maddox Harn. Just over six minutes later, Oliver Giles doubled the lead at 12:05, with Dayton Niedert and Rhylan Olson providing the setup. Justin Reams made it 3-0 at 4:24 of the first period, with Matthew Cordis assisting. The offensive onslaught continued into the second period when Jackson Hepper scored at 2:13, with Niedert and Cordis again on the assist. Niedert himself found the back of the net with a power play goal at 00:34 of the second, assisted by Giles and Hepper. The Sabres capped off their night in the third period with another goal from Niedert at 5:28, assisted by Olson and Giles. Gillette Wild's sole response came from Dylan Crossley with a power play goal with just 18 seconds left in the third period, assisted by Brady McGinn and Cody Lang. 

Rochester 5 @ St. Louis 2 - the Rochester Grizzlies emerged victorious over the St. Louis Jr. Blues, securing a 5-2 win. The action-packed game saw five goals scored in the second period alone, setting the stage for a high-energy matchup. The opening goal came from Rochester at 14:10 of the second period. Just under three minutes later, Liam Doyle struck on a power play at 11:14, with assists from Zaden Brua and Sawyer Zaruba, giving the Grizzlies a 2-0 advantage. Doyle found another power play goal just minutes later. Ashton Sesti responded for St. Louis at 2:59 of the second period, narrowing the gap to 3-1, with Malachi 'Benicio' Otero providing the assist. St. Louis opened the third period with a goal. However, Konnor Gocland cushoined Rochester's lead at 12:04 of the second period. Doyle completed his hat-trick with an empty-netter at 00:46, sealing the Grizzlies' win. 

Bozeman 3 @ Sheridan 0 - the Bozeman Icedogs skated to a commanding 3-0 victory over the Sheridan Hawks in what was a classic display of power play dominance and goaltending prowess. The first and second periods remained scoreless by both teams. The Icedogs' scoring spree began with Ryan McCreary netting a power play goal at 17:37 of the third period, assisted by Seth Hanson. Just under six minutes later, Chase Foy netted another power play goal. Avery Martin sealed the deal with an empty-netter at 00:48 of the third period. 

Great Falls 2 @ Butte 0 - The Great Falls Americans emerged victorious over the Butte Irish with a final score of 2-0. The opening goal came at 9:08 of the first period when Parker Jusczak found the back of the net, thanks to assists from Gordon Jennings and Xander Troyer. The Americans sealed their win with an empty-net goal by Paxon Sacre at the end of the third period. The game was marked by a standout performance from Great Falls goaltender JD Stephens, who was impenetrable, stopping all 29 shots he faced to earn a shutout.

Helena 5 @ Yellowstone 3 - The Helena Bighorns edged out the Yellowstone Quake with a 5-3 victory. The game opened with a flurry of goals in the first period. Lincoln Kearney of Helena struck first at 09:50, setting the tone. Just over four minutes later, Braden Davis capitalized on a power play, doubling Helena's lead at 04:56. Yellowstone responded with vigor, as Carson Joersz scored at 07:01. However, Grady Perry of Yellowstone equalized the game with a goal at 01:17, wrapping up an electrifying first period. The second period saw John Freitas of Helena reclaim the lead at 13:51. Kade Pareja then extended Helena's advantage, netting twice in the period, with his first at 04:42 and a power-play goal at 00:42. Yellowstone's Chance Bryson pulled one back at 09:07 of the second, but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback.

Atlanta 1 @ Pelham 7 - The Pelham Prowlers soared to a commanding 7-1 victory over the Atlanta Capitals at the Pelham Civic Center and Ice Arena. The game started with a bang as Taylor Dahlberg netted the opening goal at 17:30 of the first period, giving Atlanta a brief lead. However, the Prowlers responded with an offensive onslaught. William Hartle tied the game at 14:49 of the first period, and just 41 seconds later, Benjamin Yerxa put the Prowlers ahead with a slick finish, assisted by Bearic Wolle and Keaton Moffitt. Pelham's momentum continued as Keaton Moffitt scored at 7:05 of the first, further widening the gap. In the second period, Brayden Owen capitalized at 3:33, followed by Bearic Wolle's goal at 1:25, showcasing his all-around play with two assists as well. Colton Edman added to the tally at 13:06 of the third period, with Keaton Moffitt sealing the deal at 12:01 with his second goal of the night.