Friday Finals: Grizzlies Score OT Win in St. Louis
by NAHL Writing Team
Long Beach 1 @ New Hampshire 5 - Five different players found the back of the net for New Hampshire as the Jr. Mountain Kings took down the Long Beach Sharks 5-1. Ryan Mileikis led all scorers with three points, all assists. Noah Levesque, Cameron Fanta, Aidan Palmeter, Xander St. Pierre and Tommy Titone all visited the red light district. Jay Montgomery netted the only tally for Long Beach in the loss. Charlie Donoghue was the winner in net with 33 saves, Turner England stopped 43 shots in a losing effort for the Sharks.
New Jersey 1 @ Norwich 6 - Ryan Bernard scored twice while Tony Morgan and Logan Niesen each had a tally and a helper as the Norwich Sea Captains dominated the New Jersey Titans 6-1. Quinten Olshan and Glen Farmer also picked up goals for Norwich in the victory. Fionn Thomann collected the only goal for the Titans. Lucas Vellequette needed just 17 stops to earn the victory in between the pipes while Nicolas Gould was much busier, making 42 saves.
Wausau 5 @ Peoria 1 - The Wausau Cyclones won their third straight game as they knocked off the Peoria Mustangs 5-1. Chase Chapman netted the only goal of the first period to put the Cyclones up by one after 20 minutes. Truman Zerse, Brandon Piwko, Davis Polifka and John Kriz all scored in the middle frame to pad the lead for Wausau. Andrew Johnson put home the lone goal for Peoria in the second period. Tanner Bonjernoor needed just 8 saves to grab the win in net while Filip Kaczmarczyk stopped 53 shots in the loss.
Northeast 1 @ Binghamton 5 - The Buzz improved to 5-2 on the campaign with a 5-1 win over the Northeast Generals. Ethan Miller recorded a hat trick to lead the offensive attack for Binghamton. Jason DiMatteo and Carson Curry added goals for Binghamton. Liam Schaentzler was the only goal scorer for the Generals. Dalton Elliot was nearly perfect for the Buzz allowing just one goal.
Texas B 7 @ Tulsa 0 - Chase Forry notched a pair of goals and assists as the the Brahmas shut out the Jr. Oilers 7-0. Joseph Crowley and Charlie Wilson each picked up a goal and two assists. Nicholas Catalano registered a goal and an assist while Ryan Spreyne and Caden Michael also lit the lamp. Connor Broderick got the shutout with 12 saves.
Minnesota W 4 @ Mason City 6 - A four goal first period powered the Mason City Toros to a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Wilderness. TJ Gibson potted a pair of goals for the Toros while Parker McInroy, Luca Salad, Kellen Kantaris and Marcus Fritel all put the puck in the back of the net. Rory Kronick scored twice for Minnesota while Anthony Launderville and Ansen King scored for the Wilderness. Drew Blake earned the win in goal with 28 saves.
Alexandria 8 @ Willmar 3 - Eli Fletcher had a hat trick and Mason Buchanan had a four point night as the Alexandria Blizzard took down the Willmar WarHawks 8-3. Caleb Waller and Markus Olson had a goal and assist as well for the Blizzard. Ashton Collings also got on the scoresheet. Aidan Callaghan, Hayden Stensrud and Scott Woltman all netted goals for Willmar. Jayden Serene stopped 33 shots for the win in goal while Josh Mack stopped 23 shots for the WarHawks.
West Bend 2 @ Wisconsin 1 - The West Bend Power just got past the Wisconsin Woodsmen with a 2-1 victory on Friday night. Jackson Hoem scored to get the Power on the board in the opening frame. Daniel Svozil evened the game at one with a goal in the second period. The game winner came off the stick of Quinn O’Connor midway through the third period. Owen Soderholm made 30 saves in the win for the Power while Steven Kelley took the tough loss after stopping 25 shots.
Minnesota M 2 @ Granite City 9 - The Granite City Lumberjacks faced off against the Minnesota Moose Friday night. Granite City kicked off the game scoring early in the first period and went on to score 3 more goals before the period’s conclusion. Before the period’s end, Minnesota’s Carter Daul scored a power play goal with 3 seconds remaining in the first. Granite City scored two more goals in the second period making the score read 6-1 heading into the third. Caleb Alderson of Granite City scored his second goal of the night two minutes into the third. Towards the end of the third period, Minnesota put up another two goals before the game’s end. With Minnesota trailing behind during the third period, Reid Watson scored 14 minutes into the period and attempted to put his team closer to a win. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Reid’s goal wasn’t enough to get them the win resulting in a win for the Lumberjacks at home.
Rochester 6 @ St. Louis 5 (OT) - The Rochester Grizzlies pulled off a thrilling overtime victory against the St. Louis Jr. Blues. The Grizzlies struck first with Issac Flately’s goal early in the first period, followed by another goal from Noah Joyce to give the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead. The Jr. Blues responded in the second period, with a power play goal from Jaxson Karandjeff and a second goal from Kyle Settles to tie the game. The tie didn’t last long due to the Grizzlies’ Andrew Bastain’s short-handed goal late in the second period. The third period saw a plethora of goals from both sides. The Grizzlies got the lead early in the third scoring 2 more goals one of which being Joyce’s second goal of the night. The Jr. Blues fought back at the end of the period scoring two power goals and an additional goal making the score read 5-5 at the end of regulation. In overtime, Ben Parent scored the winning goal for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies’ goaltender Riley Swanson made 18 saves, while Brooks Barofsky of the Jr. Blues stopped 40 shots in the loss.
Helena 4 @ Gillette 2 - The Helena Bighorns earned a 4-2 victory on the road against the Gillette Wild. Gillette opened the scoring with Max Arlt finding the back of the net early in the first period. Helena responded later in the period with Austin Uecker tying the game. In the second period, Helena took the lead when Brandon McIlhany scored, but Gillette quickly tied the game with a goal from Caleb Johannes. Both teams battled hard in the third period, but Helena’s Kaden Pareja gave the Bighorns the advantage with a short-handed goal early in the frame. Jason Hammett sealed the game for Helena with a late goal, securing the 4-2 win.
Badlands 2 @ Bozeman 3 (SO) - The Bozeman Ice Dogs arose victorious over the Badlands Sabres in a thrilling shootout victory. The Ice Dogs struck early in the first with Andrew Kaunas scoring less than a minute into the game. The Sabres retaliated later in the first period with a goal from Ole Svangstu to tie the game. In the second period, the Ice Dogs regained the lead with a power-play goal from Lex Steckelberg. However, the Sabres wouldn’t give up, and Zach Vockler’s third period goal tied the game forcing it into overtime. After a scoreless overtime period, the game went to a shootout. Svangstu netted a goal for the Sabres, while Tyler Klingbeil and Andrew Kaunas scored goals for the Ice Dogs, securing the 3-2 win. The Ice Dogs goaltender Brett Devincent had an incredible performance, with 51 saves, while Sabres goaltender Lochlin Jackson made 31 saves in the loss.
Great Falls 5 @ Sheridan 1 - The Great Falls Americans defeated the Sheridan Hawks 5-1 on Friday night. Aiden Kennedy of the Americans opened the scoring 31 seconds into the game, with assists from Kennedy Easton and Zach Orwig. The Americans’ John Lang added to the scoreboard later in the first, with help from Ty O'Bey and Kennedy. Zach Orwig had an incredible night, scoring two goals late in the first period, both set up by Garren Narvaez and Easton. Orwig completed his hat trick early in the second, with assists from Narvaez and Garrett Driscoll, pushing the Americans to a 5-0 lead. Sheridan’s only goal of the night came on a power play when Vlad Zubriichuk found the back of the net later on in the second period. The third period was scoreless and Great Falls secured a 5-1 win over Sheridan.
Yellowstone 2 @ Butte 11 - The Butte Irish dominated the Yellowstone Quake in an 11-2 victory on Friday night at home. Easton Langemo led the way with a hat trick, while Kazden Stineff and Loghan Webber had incredible games, each contributing multiple goals and assists. The scoring began early, with the Irish finding the back of the net five times in the first period. They scored goals from multiple players, including a power play goal and two short-handed goals. In the second period, the Irish added four more goals to the board. Langemo netted his second of the night, while Webber scored both a power play goal and another short-handed goal, making the score read 9-0 by the end of the period. In the third period, Langemo completed his hat trick with a power play goal, and Toby Kerr added one final power play goal to seal the victory. The Quake scored two goals early in the third period, but it wasn't enough to defeat the Irish who ended the game with an 11-2 victory.
Atlanta 2 @ Austin 6 - The Austin Ice Bats outplayed the Atlanta Capitals with a 6-2 victory on Friday night. The Capitals struck first, with Aldiyar Irik scoring his first NAHL goal early in the first, followed by another goal from Ayden Spencer later on in the period.However, the Ice Bats quickly turned the game around early in the second period. The Ice Bats’ Georgii Tokarskll kicked off the scoring with a goal just seconds into the period. Daniel Sanna then netted a power play goal, followed by a goal from Kaiden Gordon, giving the Ice Bats the lead. Tokarskll had an incredible performance in the game adding two more goals later on, including a short-handed goal. Dakota Sullivan scored the final goal for Austin in the third period, further extending their lead. The Ice Bats finished the game with a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Capitals on home ice.