Friday Finals: Tomahawks share East lead after another win
Johnstown 4 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3 (OT) – Luke Lynch scored twice to lead the red-hot Tomahawks to a 4-3 overtime win in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Although the Knights never led in the game, they managed to tie the game each time after the first three Tomahawks goals. Lynch scored twice in the 1st period, but that was answered by the Knights with goals from Zach Remers and Dorian Dawson. Luke Picek gave Johnstown a 3-2 lead in the 2nd period, but again the Knights had an answer as Jimmy Elser scored. Just :20 seconds into overtime Filips Buncis recorded the game-winner. Andrew Lindgren ended up with 48 saves in the win. Boxscore
Fairbanks 1 @ Janesville 2 – The Janesville Jets continued to be the thorn in the side of Fairbanks as Janesville moved to 5-0 this season over the Ice Dogs with a 2-1 win at home on Friday. All the scoring was done in the 1st period as the Jets took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Cullen Munson. That was answered by a power play goal less than two mintes later from Todd Burgess. The eventual game-winner came from defenseman Alex Smith later in the period. Jets goalie Blake Weyrick made the lead hold for the remainder of the game, making 23 saves in the win, while Gavin Nieto made 31 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Topeka 6 @ Amarillo 4 – Four, 3rd period goals were the difference as the RoadRunners came from behind to beat the Bulls in Amarillo, 6-4. Six different players scored for Topeka, while the Bulls got two goals from Tyler Gernhofer and two from George Mika. After Gernhofer scored twice to put the Bulls ahead 2-0, Topeka tied the game with goals from Johnny Walker and Dominic Lutz. Mika put the Bulls back in front early in the 3rd period, but three goals from Ryan O’Connor, Yu Hikosaka and JB Baker, put Topeka ahead for good. Cam Strong scored the other goal in the RoadRunners win. Tyler Johnson made 37 saves in the win for Topeka. Boxscore
Brookings 1 @ Austin 6 – Six different players scored for the Bruins and Kris Carlson made 26 saves as the Bruins picked up a 6-1 home win over the visiting Blizzard. It was all Bruins from the start as Griffin Slightam scored in the 1st period and Jade Miller and Zach Kennedy scored in the 2nd period to make the score 3-0. The Blizzard got on the board with their lone goal of the game from Chase Gamelin. Austin added three more goals in the 3rd period courtesy of Dalton Gally, Evan Cholak and Jacob Paganelli. Boxscore
Wichita Falls 3 @ Odessa 4 (SO) – The Jackalopes picked up their second win in as many nights against the Wildcats and moved to within two points of the 4th and final playoff spot in the South with a 4-3 shootout win. After a scoreless 1st period, Odessa jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period with goals from Gray Marr and Hampus Sjodahl. Jeff Baum had the lone goal in the period for the Wildcats, but would add a goal early in the 3rd period to make the score 2-2. Erich Jaeger put the Wildcats ahead late in the 3rd period with a power play goal. With an extra attacker on the ice, the Jacks pulled even with :02 seconds remaining in regulation with a goal from Zach Zech. Sjodahl added the only shootout goal to secure the win. Jacks goalie Jon Flakne made 33 saves in the win, while Justin Kapelmaster made 35 saves in the loss for the Wildcats. Boxscore
Kenai River 4 @ Springfield 6 – Three, 3rd period goals led the Jr. Blues to a 6-4 home win over the visiting Brown Bears. Brady Tomlak had a four-point night and Trevor Stone scored twice for the winning side. The Jr. Blues got 1st period goals from Luke Radetic and Tomlak, a 2nd period goal from Brennan Blaszczak and three, 3rd period goals from Sam Craggs and two from Stone. Brown Bears goals came from Gunner Goodmanson in the 1st period, Billy Nichol and Jordan Hank in the 2nd period and Dylan Naumovski in the 3rd period. Tommy Nappier made 21 saves in the win, while Nick Nast made 50 saves in the loss. Boxscore
MN Wilderness 2 @ Bismarck 4 – Aaron Herdt scored twice and Hunter Shepard made 34 saves to lead the surging Bobcats to a 4-2 home win over the visiting Wilderness. The Wilderness jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a 1st period goal from Tristan Rostagno. The Bobcats answered back twice in the 2nd period courtesy of two power play goals from Herdt and Alex Strand. The Wilderness tied the game early in the 3rd period with a goal from Ryan Bloom, but the Bobcats netted the game-winner less than two minutes later as Herdt scored his second of the game. Willie Brown added an empty-net goal. Luke Kania made 17 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Corpus Christi 1 @ Lone Star 4 – Hogan Davidson scored twice and goalie Conor O’Brien made 18 saves to lead the Brahmas to a 4-1 home win over the visiting IceRays. Lone Star jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a power play goal from Tyler Drevitch in the 1st period. The IceRays would answer back early in the 2nd period with a power play goal from Colton Mekkhof, but that would be it for their scoring. Davidson scored his first goal of the game while shorthanded to make it 2-1 after two. Bud Madej added a 3rd period power play goal to make it 3-1 and Davidson scored on an empty-net to make it a 4-1 final. IceRays goalie Graham Hunt made 24 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Coulee Region 5 @ MN Magicians 4 (SO) – Larry Jungwirth scored twice and added a shootout goal to help the Chill to a 5-4 shootout win in Richfield against the Magicians. The Chill jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals from Scott Corbett, Dominik Florian and Jungwirth, but the Magicians answered with three straight from Kyle Amundson, Matt Sherman and Casey Jerry to tie the game at 3-3. Jungwirth added his second of the game midway through the 3rd period, but Brady Heppner tied things up with five minutes remaining. In the shootout, the Chill got goals from Florian and Jungwirth to secure the win. Boxscore
Aberdeen 3 @ Minot 2 (SO) – In a very even game where each team had 32 shots on goal, it was a Matt Pulver goal in the shootout that gave the Wings the extra point in a 3-2 shootout win in Minot. Aberdeen jumped ahead 1-0 with an early 1st period goal from Jonatan Gustafsson, but that was answered just :12 seconds later by a Minot goal from Max Reisinger. Each team scored a power play goal in the 2nd period as Jared Brandt scored for Minot and Kyle Siemers answered for the Wings. Aberdeen goalie Peter Thome made 30 saves in the win and Minot goalie Gunner Rivers made 29 saves in the loss. Boxscore
