New Jersey, Northeast Pick Up Wins At East Division Showcase
by Camryn Connors
New Jersey and Northeast each grabbed two points on Day 1 of the East Division Showcase
El Paso 6 @ Tulsa 2 - The El Paso Rhinos claimed a win on the road Sunday evening against the Tulsa Jr. Oilers. El Paso kicked off the scoring just 52 seconds into the game with a goal from Derrick Pedersen. Tulsa’s Austin Taylor found the back of the net just a few minutes later. The Rhinos quickly broke the tie with Grant Norkiewicz, Max Anderson, and Ethan McKnight each netting goals late in the first. Tulsa finished off the scoring in the first period with a goal from Stone Baulch making the score 4-2. No scoring took place in the second period. Pedersen and Nicholas Maffeo each netted a power play goal in the third period bringing the final score to 6-2 El Paso. Tulsa’s netminder Anderson Weimer saved 44 out of the 50 shots he faced, while El Paso’s goaltenders saved 22 shots out of the 24 total shots they faced combined.
Atlanta 2 @ Louisiana 6 - The Louisiana Drillers defeated the Atlanta Capitals at home to complete a weekend sweep Sunday evening. Brendan Johnson opened the scoring for Louisiana in the first period, with Briggs Beam adding another goal later on. Atlanta’s Jayden DeGuzman responded shortly after, netting a goal of his own to cut the deficit to one. Cameron McEwan extended Louisiana’s lead with the lone goal of the second period, capitalizing on a power play to make it 3-1. In the third period, the Drillers continued to dominate, starting with a power play goal from Casper Rys Sakrisvold. McEwan struck again just minutes later, earning his second goal of the night, and Roman Vitolo followed up with a short-handed goal to further increase Louisiana’s lead. The Capitals attempted to make a comeback with Landon Thiessen netting a goal with 38 seconds left in the game, but their efforts fell short with the Drillers claiming a 6-2 victory. The Capitals’ goaltender Jackson Black made 44 saves out of 50 shots, while the Drillers’ Owen Huisman saved 19 out of 21 shots.
New Jersey 5 @ New Hampshire 2 - The New Jersey Titans earned a strong victory over the New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings on Sunday night. New Hampshire opened the scoring in the first period, with Brendan Folan and Tommy Titone both finding the back of the net to give the Mountain Kings an early 2-0 lead. However, the Titans quickly fought back late in the first period, with Connor Kelly and Nicholas Lampreht each netting goals to tie the game at 2-2. The Titans took control in the second period with a goal from Dante Debueris to give New Jersey the lead, and Connor Kelly added his second goal of the night shortly after. In the third period, the Titans continued to dominate, with Nicholas Bianco scoring to seal the 5-2 victory for the Titans.
Northeast 4 @ Long Beach 3 (OT) – The Northeast Generals secured a hard-fought overtime victory against the Long Beach Sharks. Long Beach’s Ross Temple kicked off the night's scoring early in the first period. The Northeast Generals fought back late in the period with Micheal McLaughlin netting a goal to tie the game and Samuel Gusty scoring to gain the lead for the Generals. The Sharks proved to be dominant in the second period with Michal Stojka and Mason Jackson both scoring goals to reclaim the lead. In the third period, the Generals’ Aidan Andreson found the back of the net with 1:15 left in the period forcing the game into overtime. Liam Schaentzler proved to be the difference maker in this game, netting the overtime goal to secure the Generals’ 4-3 victory.
