Friday Finals: The Vulcans Are Victorious Over Granite City

Provided by Hailey Lynch

Louisiana 10 @ Texas 0 - The Louisiana Drillers continued their undefeated season on Friday night, shutting out the Texas RoadRunners 10-0 in their home opener. Logan Woods got the Drillers on the board just minutes into the first period, scoring his 12th goal of the season to give Louisiana an early 1-0 lead. Braden Bates also added his 12th goal of the season to extend the lead to 2-0 before Woods found the back of the net for the second time, this time on the power-play. The Roadrunners faced yet another setback when Cody Bristor was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct with just six minutes remaining in the period. Brody Haas capitalized on the momentum, scoring to push the Drillers' lead to 4-0 before the first intermission. Louisiana carried its momentum into the second period, adding two more goals to build a commanding 6-0 advantage. Despite a big save from Dacoda Jones during a one-on-one opportunity, Texas struggled to generate consistent offensive pressure against the undefeated Drillers. The Drillers continued to find the back of the net throughout the remainder of the game, eventually securing a 10-0 shutout victory. The Drillers previously defeated Texas 3-2, 6-0 and 6-2 in their September matchups, including a 61-19 advantage in shots on goal in their September 27 meeting. 

Garden State 2 @ Norwich 0 - Logan Rudolph recorded his first shutout as a Gambler, stopping 38 shots in a 2-0 victory over the Sea Captains. Despite an impressive performance from 18-year-old Henrik Strubberg, who finished with over 60 saves, the Sea Captains couldn't find the back of the net. Both goaltenders came out strong in the opening period, keeping the game scoreless despite the Gamblers putting more than 20 shots on goal. Strubberg continued to stand tall in the second, making save after save to keep Garden State off the scoreboard. Rudolph was equally impressive at the other end, turning aside over 20 shots through the first two periods as the Gamblers' defense limited the Sea Captains' scoring opportunities. The deadlock was finally broken in the third period when Filip Piatowski found the back of the net for his fourth goal in two games. Assisted by Brett Spiers, Piatowski broke through Strubberg's outstanding performance to give the Gamblers a 1-0 lead. Defenseman Brett Spiers then fired a slap shot of his own from just above the right faceoff dot, finding the top left corner of the net to extend the lead to 2-0 and secure the victory with just under three minutes remaining. Rudolph finished with 38 saves to earn his first shutout as a Gambler, while Strubberg's remarkable performance of more than 60 saves was not enough to keep the Sea Captains from falling.

North Iowa 2 @ Minnesota W 5 - The Minnesota Wilderness are picking up steam after a Friday victory against North Iowa. The Wilderness wasted no time getting started as they found three back-to-back goals within the first few minutes of the game. The first period remained a scoring frenzy as Boone Theiler and Logyn Kaufman netted power play goals for North Iowa. The second period remained scoreless. However, Minnesota wasn’t done yet. Evan Brown opened the final frame with a goal and Nick Bogert sealed the win with a late empty netter, bringing the final score to 5-2.

Alexandria 0 @ Willmar 2 - The Willmar WarHawks shut the door completely on the Alexandria Blizzard on Friday evening. Maddux Domagala was the star for the WarHawks. He opened the game with a goal within the first 25 seconds of the first period. WarHawks goaltender Tate Metcalf and Alexandria goaltender Adam Holien would keep the second period scoreless as they both turned away shots in the middle frame. Domagala would score his second goal of the night in the third period, sealing the deal for Willmar. Metcalf made 32 saves, earning himself a shutout. 

Rochester 6 @ Fox Cities 2 - The Rochester Grizzlies took a victory against their Central Division competitors, the Fox Cities Forge, at Appleton Family Ice Center. Conrad Edlund brought fire to the first quarter as he tapped the puck into the net three minutes in. Both teams battled for the puck until Tyson Bradford scored at center ice, tying the game. After a breakaway by Luis Piper, Forge forward Malachi McCormack tapped the puck from the right side of the net, giving Fox Cities a 2-1 advantage. The third quarter began with a bang for Rochester, but it just kept going. Jace Jordan shot and scored on Eli Graf. After a rebound shot, Benjamin O’Leary gave the Grizzlies a two-goal advantage. For the rest of the game, Rochester dominated the ice. Gavriel Reyes scored his first goal of the season at 14:39 in the quarter. Following that, the Grizzlies took complete control with Jordan scoring his second goal of the night. It was assisted by Tai Kontrec and Taevon Welle during a rebound battle with Graf. Before the Forge knew it, Jordan was on fire. Minutes later, he wrapped the puck around the net, securing a hat trick. The game concluded at 6-2, thanks to Rochester's third period.

Peoria 2 @ West Bend 3 (OT) - The Peoria Mustangs took a loss against the West Bend Power at Kettle Moraine Ice Center. After a high-sticking penalty by Peoria, Evan Burchardt made the first mark on the scoreboard, assisted by Adam Sexton. Minutes later, Brenden Miller made a high shot from the blue line and scored. 25 seconds later, Otis Burge received a penalty for kneeling. Following a faceoff from Sean Paulson, Adam Sexton gained his second point of the night, scoring a goal at the front of the net. West Bend dominated the scoreboard, 2-1. West Bend had control of the match for the entire second quarter. Immediately after a faceoff in the third quarter, Arnet Clemen tied the match, with the score becoming 2-2. After three minutes of overtime, West Bend’s Sean Paulson scored from center ice, securing a 3-2 win for the Power.

Minnesota V 5 @ Granite City 4 (SO) - The Minnesota Vulcans arrived on the ice with an aggressive energy as they faced off against the Granite City Lumberjacks. The first period set up the chaotic behavior between both teams. Within the first two minutes, Mitchell Gowell received a tripping penalty, resulting in Elijah Fitch making the scoreboard’s first mark a minute later. The rest of the period was anticlimactic until Grady Miller was left alone at the far circle, tying the game. With 26 seconds left, the Lumberjacks attacked Dawson Desjardins. At the front of the net, Vince Murn scored the second PPG of the night. The second quarter had another battle at the net with Desjardins, resulting in a goal from Manny Pearce. Pearce gave Granite City a significant lead, making the game 3-1. With 1:22 left, Noah Ausland had a breakaway after a turnover. Ausland brought the Vulcans back to the match and made the score 2-3. After a faceoff 35 seconds into the third quarter, Noah Bekter scored a swift goal for Granite City, bringing their two-goal advantage back. With 6:33 to go, Gowell brought the Vulcans back into the game, altering the score to 3-4. 11 seconds later, Preston Gamer tied the game 4-4, receiving the puck after a turnover. Angry about the tie, Granite City brought aggression with hostile hits. As the third quarter ended with a tie, both teams went into overtime. After each team made five shots, no progress was made. Both teams made five shots apiece. In double overtime, neither team scored. After a shootout, the Minnesota Vulcans took the victory, winning 5-4.

Atlanta 1 @ Austin 7- The Austin Ice Bats defeated the Atlanta Capitals 7-1 in a Southeast Division matchup. Matthieu Leblanc scored off a deflection, putting the Ice Bats on the board first. The Capitals quickly responded with a goal by Ben Parker. With time dwindling in the first period, Marek Gallenberger snuck the puck just under the goalie's glove, giving the Ice Bats a 2-1 lead. Karson Abel quickly added another goal, ending the first period with the Ice Bats leading 3-1. The second period belonged to the Ice Bats. Ronan Howard opened the scoring of the frame with a goal over the goalie's glove. With six minutes remaining in the second period, Charis Tonle scored directly off a faceoff. Gallenberger added a one-timer, leaving Austin with a 6-1 lead going into the third. Just before the midway point of the third period, Gallenberger scored again, earning himself a hat trick and solidifying the victory for the Ice Bats.

Tulsa 2 @ Phoenix 7- The Phoenix Inferno kept its spot as No. 1 in the South Division with a 7-2 victory against the Tulsa Oilers. Phoenix opened the scoring in the first period with a goal by Camden Babin. The Oilers scored just shy of the midway point on a goal from Stone Baulch to tie the game 1-1. With less than a minute left, Trevor Grazier scored on the power play, giving the Inferno a 2-1 lead going into the second. The Oilers scored first in the second period with a goal from Raul Galadzhian to tie the game at 2-2. Grazier scored his second goal of the night on a wraparound goal, effectively giving Phoenix the lead going into the third period. Phoenix pulled away in the final frame with four unanswered goals. Babin opened the scoring of the frame with a goal. He quickly scored again on the power play, recording a hat trick and giving Phoenix a 5-2 lead. Defenseman Colin Digel scored the third goal for the Inferno in the period, making it a 4-goal game. Chase Olson finished the scoring of the night, solidifying a 7-2 victory for the Inferno.

Helena 7 @ Badlands 0 – The Helena Bighorns shut out the Badlands Sabres 7-0. Braden Davis opened the scoring for the Bighorns, scoring the only goal of the first period. Helena kept the momentum up into the second period. Not even two minutes in, Cameron Kimmerly scored for Helena. Then, Ty Schell and Bodhi Wagner both scored to give the Bighorns a 4-0 lead. Kimmerly scored his second of the night on the power play with four minutes left in the period. He completed a hat trick, scoring his third of the night with 33 seconds left in the second period, bringing the score to 6-0. Schell also scored his second of the night to solidify the Bighorns' 7-0 win. 

Great Falls 4 @ Yellowstone 7 – The Yellowstone Quake beat the Great Falls Americans 7-4 at home. EJ Sanchez opened the scoring for the Americans. However, Carson Joersz and Shayne Smith responded for Yellowstone, scoring short-handed goals within 21 seconds of each other. Xander Troyer found the back of the net on the power play as the buzzer sounded to tie the game for the Americans. Cameron Beaver and Mason Champon scored early in the second to give Yellowstone a 4-2 lead. Then, Jase Troyer scored for the Americans to cut the lead to 1. Anthony Moorehead scored early in the third to give the Quake a larger lead. Jacob Weber scored for the Americans to cut the lead again. However, Grady Perry scored for Yellowstone with about five minutes in the game. Then, Mason Champon scored the empty-netter that secured Yellowstone the 7-4 win.

Gillette 12 @ Butte 3 – The Gillette Wild defeated the Butte Irish in a high-scoring offensive performance. The Wild came out strong in the first period, scoring five goals to take an early lead. Donovan Balek opened the scoring five minutes in, followed by Ozzy Pinello less than a minute later. Cody Lang added another goal for the Wild midway through the period. Gillette continued to build its lead with two power-play goals from Dylan Crossley and Brady McGinn to close out the first period with a 5-0 advantage. Donovan Balek scored a shorthanded goal early in the second period to extend the Wild's lead. Beau Delich added another goal for Gillette before the Irish responded with a shorthanded goal of their own from Jack Whitelaw. Maguire Dewees scored late in the period to give the Wild an 8-1 lead heading into the third. Cody Lang scored early in the third to extend the lead. Ozzy Pinello added his second goal of the game, and Jacen Rustand scored on the power play to make it 11-1. Donovan Balek then completed a hat trick, scoring his third goal of the game, bringing the score to 12-1. The Irish added two late goals from Bryce Hodges and Koll Tait, but the Wild were still able to get the 12-3 win.

Texas 2 @ New Mexico 5 - The New Mexico Ice Wolves defeat the Texas Brahmas in a South Division matchup. A turnover at the Brahmas' blueline allowed Ben Watripont to walk in and give the Ice Wolves an early lead. With all the momentum on their side, the Ice Wolves went on the power play, but the Brahmas’ aggressive penalty kill paid off when Peyton DePerno scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game. The Brahmas countered with their own chances, finishing the period with nine shots. However, in the final 30 seconds of the first period, Grant Sexton set up Hunzeker Piersimoni coming down the slot, reclaiming the lead for the Ice Wolves. In the opening minutes of the second period, a line rush allowed Alvaro Ramazzini to find Sexton beelining to the net, giving the Ice Wolves a two-goal lead. With just under nine minutes remaining in the period, John Scharf attempted a pass on a two-on-one rush, but the puck deflected off an Ice Wolves defender and into the net, bringing the Brahmas within one goal. The Brahmas controlled the third period, outshooting the Ice Wolves 15-4, even gaining a four-on-three advantage and multiple power plays. But Ice Wolves netminder Caden Meringa stopped all 15 shots to protect the lead, totaling 32 saves on the night. The Brahmas pulled their goalie in search of an equalizer, but two empty-net goals by Ramazzini and Dominic Cicco sealed a 5-2 win for the Ice Wolves. 

Sheridan 3 @ Bozeman 4 - The Bozeman Ice Dogs rally from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Sheridan Hawks 4-3. The Sheridan Hawks successfully killed off an early power play to start the game. With time expiring in the first period, after the Ice Dogs killed a penalty, Derrek Laite picked up a loose puck in the slot and scored, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead going into the second period. 81 seconds into the second period, Caden Gleason danced around an Ice Dogs defender and scored to the glove side for his 13th goal of the season, extending the Hawks' lead to 2-0. With nine minutes remaining in the second period, a strong Ice Dogs shift in the offensive zone led to a goal by Seth Hanson. After Matthew Stamp forced a turnover at the Ice Dogs' blue line, he went down on a two-on-one and found Ryan McCreary to tie the game 2-2. The back-and-forth action continued less than a minute later when Eli Farris scored a power-play goal to put the Hawks back in the lead. But with two minutes remaining in the second period, Lex Steckelberg’s team-leading 14th goal of the season on the power play tied the game heading into the third period. At the 11:23 mark of the third period, Lincoln Angst threw the puck to the net, and Dom Cerio’s deflection gave the Ice Dogs a 4-3 lead, their first of the night. Down by one with 2:34 left, the Hawks pulled their goalie in hopes of tying the game, but they couldn’t find the equalizer. Cerio’s goal held up as the game-winner, and the Ice Dogs fought back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Hawks.