Friday Finals: Phoenix Keeps Their Perfect Season Alive

Provided by Maddux Hoover

Fox Cities 1 @ West Bend 5 – The West Bend Power earned a 5-1 victory over the Fox Cities Forge, using a balanced offensive effort to secure the win. West Bend opened the scoring early in the first period before adding another goal later in the frame to take a 2-0 lead. The Forge responded in the second period when Wesley Loxley scored, with Jamie Natali and Luis Piper recording assists to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Power answered with three unanswered goals to pull away. West Bend added two goals in the second period before Elias Holan scored a power-play goal in the third to cap the scoring at 5-1. West Bend goaltender Jacob Iallonardo turned aside 47 of 48 shots to help secure the victory, while Fox Cities finished with 12 shots on goal.

Garden State 4 @ New Jersey 7 – The New Jersey Titans earned a 7-4 victory over the Garden State Gamblers in a high-scoring contest at Middletown Sports Complex. Garden State opened the scoring in the first period and carried a 1-0 lead into the second. The Titans responded with four goals in the middle frame, including tallies from Dom Marnauza, Gavin Turco, Landon Hopwood and Kane Clark, to take control of the game. Both teams continued to find the back of the net in the third period, with New Jersey adding three more goals to maintain its lead. Jack Ference, Kane Clark and Zach Huettl scored for the Titans in the final frame, while the Gamblers received two third-period goals from Filip Piatowski and Christian Towindo, along with a tally from Piatowski earlier in the game. New Jersey goaltender Caleb Kunik made 42 saves on 49 shots to help secure the 7-4 win.

Pelham 5 @ Atlanta 2 – In a thrilling showdown at the Atlanta Ice Forum, the Pelham Prowlers overpowered the Atlanta Capitals with a decisive 5-2 victory. The Prowlers set the tone early in the first period, as Colton Edman netted the opening goal at 19:02, assisted by William Hartle. Just over three minutes later, Jacob Hums doubled the lead at 16:00, again with a Hartle assist. Atlanta answered back when Jordan Janeway scored a power-play goal at 9:47 of the first period. However, Hums wasn't done, as he scored his second goal at 14:10 of the second period, extending Pelham's lead to 3-1. In the final period, Brayden Owen found the net at 17:49, followed by Bearic Wolle's goal at 1:15, sealing the win for the Prowlers. Ben Parker managed a late consolation for the Capitals at 2:59. 

New Hampshire 5  Norwich 0 – The New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings earned a 5-0 road victory over the Norwich Sea Captains at RoseGarden Ice Arena, as the Mountain Kings received contributions from multiple players to secure the shutout. New Hampshire opened the scoring in the first period with a short-handed goal from Jacob Landry before Evan Yates added another tally later in the frame to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. The Mountain Kings added three goals in the third period to put the game out of reach. James Schendorf, Anthony Ayala and Sedrick Swygert Jr. each scored in the final frame, with Ayala recording two goals in the period. New Hampshire goaltender Niklas Crift stopped all 23 shots he faced to record the shutout, while the Mountain Kings finished with 35 shots on goal.

North Iowa 2 @ Minnesota 4 – The Minnesota Vulcans earned a 4-2 victory over the North Iowa Bulls at Fogerty Arena, scoring four unanswered goals in the third period to secure the win. North Iowa opened the scoring in the first period when Rhett Mizwicki found the back of the net, then extended its lead in the second period with a power-play goal from Logyn Kaufman to take a 2-0 advantage into the final frame. Minnesota responded with a four-goal third period to complete the comeback. Preston Gamer got the Vulcans on the board before Grady Miller tied the game. Brooks Skogland then scored a power-play goal to give Minnesota the lead, and Wyatt Hoepfl added an insurance goal late in the period. Minnesota goaltender Dawson Desjardins made 36 saves on 38 shots to help the Vulcans close out the 4-2 victory.

Rochester 2 2 Wausau 7 – The Wausau Cyclones earned a 7-2 victory over the Rochester Grizzlies at Marathon Park, getting contributions from multiple players in an offensive performance that featured five power-play goals. Wausau opened the scoring in the first period before adding three goals in the second to build a 4-1 advantage. The Grizzlies got on the board in the second period when Liam Doyle scored, but the Cyclones continued to capitalize on their opportunities to extend the lead. Wausau added three more goals in the third period, including two power-play tallies, to secure the 7-2 win. Brayden Myers led the Cyclones with two goals, while Maksim Salienko and Nate Spencer also found the back of the net. Rochester added a third-period goal from Tai Kontrec, but Wausau maintained its advantage through the final horn. Cyclones goaltender Draven Wirth stopped all 24 shots he faced after entering the game, while Parker Nevenhoven made 16 saves on 22 shots.

Minnesota W 2 @ Alexandria 7 – The Alexandria Blizzard earned a 7-2 victory over the Minnesota Wilderness at Runestone Community Center, capitalizing on special teams opportunities to secure the win. Alexandria opened the scoring with two power-play goals in the first period before adding another tally to take a 3-1 lead. Minnesota responded with a goal from Marccus Anttila, but the Blizzard maintained their offensive pressure and extended their advantage in the second period. Alexandria added two more power-play goals in the final two periods to pull away. Parker Welz scored in the second period, while Harlan Rehm and Ehren Anderson found the back of the net in the third. The Wilderness added a late goal from Jayden DeGuzman, but Alexandria closed out the 7-2 victory. Blizzard goaltender Adam Holien made 36 saves on 38 shots to help his team secure the win.

Willmar 2 @ Granite City 4 – The Granite City Lumberjacks earned a 4-2 victory over the Willmar WarHawks at Miller Buick GMC Rink, using a strong special teams performance to secure the win. Willmar opened the scoring late in the first period, but Granite City responded with a power-play goal from Jackson Engberg to even the contest. The WarHawks regained the lead late in the second period with a power-play tally from Elliot Domagala, before the Lumberjacks answered with another power-play goal from Dylan Clayton to tie the game at two. Granite City took control in the third period, scoring twice to pull away. Clayton netted his second power-play goal of the game before Ashton Stoll added an even-strength tally to seal the 4-2 victory. The Lumberjacks goaltender Zach Price made 12 saves on 14 shots, while Willmar goaltender Tate Metcalf stopped 51 of 55 shots in the loss.

Bayou State 1 @ Austin 8 – The Austin Ice Bats trounced the Bayou State Rougarou 8-1.The Ice Bats kicked off their scoring spree with Owen Rattray’s opening goal at 14:46 of the first period. Bayou State quickly answered when Preston Hall found the back of the net moments later. Ronan Howard of the Ice Bats took the lead back for Austin when he scored a power play goal in the last minutes of the first period. The second period was all Austin, as Karson Abel scored twice, including a shorthanded effort at 13:35, with James Parnell assisting. Marek Gallenberger and Guhnar Hillman added to the scoreboard, with assists from Owen Rattray and Kai Hitz. Beau Keller and Danny Infante rounded off the scoring for the Ice Bats, with Alexander Morgan assisting Keller’s effort. 

Gillette 5 @ Great Falls 2 – In an electrifying clash at the Great Falls Ice Plex, the Gillette Wild outplayed the Great Falls Americans, securing a decisive 5-2 victory. The game kicked off with a scoreless first period. Dylan Crossley netted the opening goal at 6:31 of the second period for the Wild, giving them an early lead. The Americans responded in the third period with two back-to-back power play goals by Gordon Jennings and Austin Gibson. However, Gillette's offensive onslaught was unstoppable. Thomas McDonald scored at 10:54 of the third, followed by Donovan Balek's power-play strike at 8:10, and Cody Lang's goal at 3:01. Balek capped off the win with an empty-netter at 00:34.

Badlands 8 @ Yellowstone 2 – The Badlands Sabres triumphed over the Yellowstone Quake with an 8-2 victory. The opening goal came at 5:44 of the first period when Oliver Giles put the Sabres on the board. The second period saw a flurry of action, with Dayton Niedert scoring twice, the first at 14:37 and a shorthanded goal at 5:24, showcasing his offensive prowess. Bentley Michalak added to the onslaught at 0:18, followed by Rhylan Olson's strike at 0:11. In the third period, the Sabres continued their relentless attack. Rhylan Olson netted his second goal at 16:44, and just a few seconds later, Bentley Michalak scored again at 16:22. Patrick Gosselin sealed the Sabres’ dominance with a goal at 5:09. Yellowstone managed two late goals in the third period: a shorthanded effort by Carson Joersz at 9:03 and a final strike by Hayden Lappegaard at 1:55.

Sheridan 3 @ Butte 2 (SO) – The Sheridan Hawks edged past the Butte Irish with a 3-2 victory in a nail-biting shootout. The action kicked off with Jacob Avgustovskiy netting the opening goal for the Irish late in the first period. Lance Feagans evened the score less than a minute later, leaving the tally 1-1 going into the second period. Lance Feagans continued his impressive form by adding another to his tally at 16:46 of the second period, assisted by Eli Farris and Cole Bishow, pushing the Hawks ahead. However, Jack Whitelaw brought the Irish level at 16:08 of the third period with assists from Jacob Avgustovskiy and Tanner Damgaard. The game remained deadlocked through overtime, leading to a dramatic shootout where Lucas Paliwodzinski clinched it for the Hawks. Goalie Otto Reinhart was a fortress for the Hawks, stopping 25 of 27 shots, while Jackson Wagner for the Irish was equally impressive, saving 43 of 45 shots. 

New Mexico 2 @ Phoenix 7 – The Phoenix Inferno ended New Mexico’s perfect season when they defeated them 7-2 in front of their home crowd on Friday night. The Ice Wolves took an early lead when Michael Manchik netted the opening goal. Phoenix wasn’t far behind, however, as Otaro Inoue would score a short handed goal at 5:58 in the first period, evening the score. Dominic Cicco would give the lead back to the Ice Wolves again at 16:23 of the second period. The Ice Wolves would remain ahead by one until Inoue and Trevor Grazier found two late goals in the second period, stealing the lead going into the third. From there, the Inferno ignited their offense. They scored four unanswered goals in the third period. Inoue would complete a hat trick as he scored the last goal of the game with 2:53 left in the third period. The Phoenix Inferno remain undefeated. These two teams will be back at it again for another matchup on Saturday.