Saturday Scores: Jets keep flying with sweep
Coulee Region Chill 2 @ Janesville Jets 4 – Logan Halladay continued to be the x-factor as the rookie goaltender made 32 saves to help the Jets sweep the Chill. The Jets got off to the fast start they were looking for as Grant Frederic and Jordan Himley scored in the 1st period to put the Jets ahead 2-0. Drew Callin made it 3-0 with a goal in the 2nd period. The Chill showed signs of a comeback in the 3rd period as Cam Bleck and Lance Carney scored to make it 3-2, but a late empty-net goal from Himley, his second of the game, made the final 4-2. Boxscore
Aberdeen Wings 4 @ Minot Minotauros 1 – The Wings got to within a point of 1st place in the Central Division thanks to their 4-1 win on Saturday, which completed a weekend sweep of Minot. After a scoreless 1st period, Jordan Heller and Bjorn Sigurdarson scored in the 2nd period to put the Wings ahead 2-0. Jake McCann scored the lone Minot goal early in the 3rd period to bring the home side back to 2-1, but two late Aberdeen goals from Austin Swingle and Jake Horton secured the win for Aberdeen, who got a great performance from goalie Chad Catt who made 41 saves in the win. Boxscore
Lone Star Brahmas 3 @ Odessa Jackalopes 2 – Three 1st period goals were enough to lead the Brahmas to a 3-2 win on Saturday night, completing a weekend road sweep in Odessa. Ryan Watson, Connor Enciso and Matt Lison all scored within a 12-minute span in the 1st period to put the Brahmas ahead 3-0. After a scoreless 2nd period, Odessa mounted a comeback in the 3rd period with goals from Trace Jablin and Cody Slocum, but it would not be enough as Jett Salinas held the fort the rest of the way making 26 saves in the win. Boxscore
Springfield Jr. Blues 1 @ Topeka RoadRunners 0 (SO) – Jr. Blues goaltender Stefanos Lekkas stopped everything that came his way, literally. The rookie netminder made 45 saves through regulation and overtime and then stopped all three shooters in the shootout as the Jr. Blues salvaged a series split with Topeka thanks to a 1-0 shootout win. Drew Vogler stopped all 28 shots he saw through regulation and OT, but in the shootout Springfield managed to break through as Davis DeKorte, Brendan Jacques and Alex Baskakov all scored. Boxscore
Fairbanks Ice Dogs 6 @ Bismarck Bobcats 3 – Brett Gervais recorded a hat-trick to help the Fairbanks Ice Dogs to a 6-3 win and weekend split against the Bobcats. After Tony German have Bismarck an early lead, Gervais scored twice in the 1st period to put Fairbanks ahead 2-1. Gervais would score again in the 2nd period along with Viktor Liljegren to put the road side ahead 4-2. Liljegren added another in the 3rd period and Kyle Lee also scored to make the final 6-3. Evan Giesler and Matt Anders had the other Bobcat goals. Boxscore
Minnesota Magicians 3 @ Brookings Blizzard 2 (OT) – Eetu Karvinen’s second goal of the game proved to be the overtime-winner as the Magicians salvaged a weekend split with the Blizzard thanks to an 3-2 overtime win on Saturday. After a scoreless 1st period, the Magicians took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd period on goals from Karvinen and Matt Colford. Evan Hesse tied things up in the 3rd period with a pair of goals, including the game-tying goal with under two minutes remaining in regulation. Karvinen’s game-winner came via a backdoor pass from Jordan Stejskal. Boxscore
Kenai River Brown Bears 3 @ Minnesota Wilderness 0 – The Brown Bears reversed their fortunes from the night before and shutout the Minnesota Wilderness, 3-0, earning a weekend road split. Kris Oldham made 33 saves in the win. Kenai River went up 1-0 in the 1st period on a goal from Judd Loewenstein. The lead swelled to 3-0 in the 2nd period as Zack Zulkanycz and Frankie Spellman scored. That’s all Oldham would need to secure his first career NAHL shutout. Frank Oplinger made 19 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Corpus Christi IceRays 1 @ Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 0 – In a game that struggled to find much offense, it was the IceRays who finally scored and outlasted the Killer Bees, 1-0, earning a weekend home-and-home split. Forbes Ploszaj stopped all 20 shots that came his way for his first career NAHL shutout. The lone goal of the game came off the stick of Corpus Christi defenseman Kyle Froese, who scored his second goal of the year in the 1st period. Killer Bees goaltender Nick Schmit made 12 saves in the loss. Boxscore