Saturday Scores: Moose Secure Three Game Win Streak
Atlanta 1 @ Louisiana 7 - The Louisiana Drillers scored seven goals in their win against the Atlanta Capitals, their second most in a game this season. Six different skaters for Louisiana each lit the lantern in the win, with forward Brody Neish scoring two goals, his fourth multi-goal performance of the year. Forward Cameron McEwan didn't capture a goal in the win, but he did facilitate some of the offense, totaling three assists - a season-high. You'll find both squads on opposite ends of the standings in the South Division, as Louisiana leads with 41 points and has won six straight. Meanwhile, Atlanta is second from last place with 11 points and has lost seven in a row.
Willmar 2 @ Minnesota W 3 - The Willmar Warhawks led 1-0 heading into the third period, but a late offensive surge from the Minnesota Wilderness administered them a 3-2 defeat. Minnesota forwards Kaden Postal, Ansen King and Kaden Rocheleau each slapped in a goal during the final period, two of which were assisted by forward Stratton Maas, his first pair of assists on the season. Rocheleau's goal served as the game-winner for the Wilderness, coming with less than two minutes to go in the contest after the Warhawks had tied it 2-2 earlier. Following the game, a single point in the West Division standings differentiates the two teams. Minnesota sits at fourth with 19 points, and Willmar is fifth with 18 points.
El Paso 0 @ Tulsa 1 - The El Paso Rhinos were shut out for the fourth time this season, falling to the Tulsa Jr. Oilers 1-0. Both goalies had their work cut out for them in the matchup; El Paso's Brayden Macko went 34 for 35, and Tulsa's Anderson Weimer went a perfect 44 for 44, his first shutout of the season. Forward Malachi Clark scored the lone goal in the contest despite Tulsa having 11 power play opportunities. The victory was an upset of sorts as Tulsa ranks last in the South Division, with five points, and El Paso ranks sixth with 14.
Texas R 4 @ Austin 9 - For the second time this season the Austin Ice Bats put up nine goals in their victory over the Texas RoadRunners. Texas has lost five straight now and has been outscored 28 to 9 during that span. The Ice Bats flew out to an early 6-0 lead midway through the second period, with each goal scored by a different skater. The Roadrunners scored four unanswered, two from forward Kyle Mackintosh. The rally would end there, though, as Austin put the game away and extended its lead with three more unanswered scores. Standouts from Austin include defenseman Ashton Morin and forward Daniel Sanna, who each notched a goal and totaled two assists.
Peoria 2 @ Rochester 6 - The Peoria Mustangs entered the third period down 5-0 and were outshot 54 to 17 in their loss to the Rochester Grizzlies. The Mustangs have lost nine of their last ten games, allowing 68 goals during that time, and have accumulated a -77 goal differential on the year. The Grizzlies' six scores each came from a different skater, a theme so far this season as no one for Rochester has scored more than eight goals, and two skaters have 12 assists. Rochester is six points away from first place in the Central Division following the victory, while Peoria has the second-lowest point total in the league with four points.
Mason City 2 @ Minnesota M 3 (OT) - The Minnesota Moose earned the upset with a clean comeback win over the Mason City Toros. The Moose are in last place in the West Division but have won three straight, the previous two by shootout and this overtime victory. Minnesota didn't allow a single power play opportunity to the Toros, a clean game for the Moose that featured just one off-setting roughing penalty on both teams early in the second period. Meanwhile, the Toros allowed seven power play opportunities, which is how Minnesota scored two goals. The Moose entered the third period behind 2-1, but a goal from forward Bryce Laager, his first of the season, tied it up. The game went to overtime and stayed even until seventeen seconds left - enter defenseman Sam Knight. Knight took one shot on goal the entire game, and it was the game-winner for the Moose, handing the Toros their third straight loss and perhaps shifting the momentum for Minnesota's season.
Granite City 6 @ Alexandria 4 - The Granite City Lumberjacks opened the scoring 34 seconds into the proceedings on Saturday night. However, they couldn’t gain control of the scoreboard heading into the locker room. The Alexandria Blizzard managed to tie the game 1-1 and 2-2 before the first intermission. However, Granite City soon pulled away. The Lumberjacks scored two goals each in the second and third periods to claim victory. Forward Thomas Gerum scored twice while adding an assist to lead the way for the visitors.
Wausau 1 @ West Bend 5 - It was a showdown between two Central Division heavyweights on Saturday night. The Wausau Cyclones traveled to West Bend having lost just three games on the season. However, that did not matter once the puck dropped. The Power scored three of their five goals in the opening period as they defended their home ice on Saturday. Forward Jackson Hoem scored twice on the night to help West Bend pick up a massive victory.
Butte 1 @ Great Falls 7 - The Butte Irish got off to a slow start on Saturday night, managing just five shots on goal in the first period. And yet, they only trailed 2-1 heading into the locker room. Their luck would run out in the second period, though. The Great Falls Americans scored six goals in the middle frame to pull away for good. Forward Zac Orwig scored a hat trick for the hosting Americans on Saturday night. Meanwhile, two other players – Ty O’Bey and John Lang – scored four points each in the win.
Badlands 14 @ Yellowstone 3 - The Yellowstone Quake entered this contest still without a win on the 2024-25 season and in the first period, it seemed as if they would make this a rather competitive affair. They only trailed 5-3 entering the first intermission. Moreover, the Quake chased Sabres goaltender Jackson Roethler after he allowed three goals on seven shots. Unfortunately, the game got away from them in the second period. By the time the final horn sounded, Badlands skated away with a lopsided 14-3 rout of the hosting Quake. Four Badlands players had multi-goal games, with forward Cole Schneider leading the way with a hat trick.
Sheridan 8 @ Gillette 4 - The Sheridan Hawks got off to a fast start, scoring each of the first three goals of the game. However, the Gillette Wild stormed back to make a game of it. In fact, they tied the game 3-3 heading into the third period. Unfortunately, the hosting Wild would manage just one more goal the rest of the way. The Hawks scored five in the final frame to put another one in the win column. Forward Josh Serino scored a hat trick while adding an assist to lead his team to victory away from home.
Helena 5 @ Bozeman 2 - The Helena Bighorns entered their contest with the Bozeman IceDogs on Saturday having lost just twice in 2024-25. And they were able to keep the winning ways going on the road. The Bighorns scored each of the first three goals on Saturday and wound up cruising to a 5-2 win over the IceDogs. Forward Austin Uecker scored twice to help the offense, while goaltender Collin Miller turned aside 26 of the 28 shots he faced.
