Friday Finals: Topeka gets road win against 1st place Lone Star

AJ Drobot had two goals as the Austin Bruins beat the Bismarck Bobcats 5-2 on Friday night.

Topeka 3 @ Lone Star 2 – A one-goal game fell in favor of the Topeka RoadRunners as they ran through Lone Star with a road win on Friday. Topeka started the scoring with goals from Alex Frye and Devon Fields. Lone Star’s Pete Kessel and Justin Addamo would score to bring the game back to even. In the third, Marshall Bowery would find the back of the net for the RoadRunners, allowing Topeka to go ahead and hold on for the win. Ryan Snowden took the win in net for Topeka with 30 saves, while Alec Calvaruso was handed the loss for Lone Star after 25 saves.  Boxscore

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0 @ Aston 2 – A shutout win at home kicked the weekend off for the Aston Rebels, taking a 2-0 victory over East Division rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Dustin Manz grabbed the first goal of the night in the second period, followed up by a third period goal from Andrew Bellant to seal the win. Aston goaltender Mareks Mitens earned his fifth shutout of the season, posting his seventh consecutive win with 23 saves. Grant Valentine was given the loss in net for the Knights after a 29 save effort.   Boxscore

Johnstown 5 @ New Jersey Titans 3 – Setting the tone of the game early, the Johnstown Tomahawks grabbed a big road win over the New Jersey Titans on Friday night. Two quick goals from Johnstown’s Andy Iehle and Donovan Ott started the night, until the scoring broke open in the second. A firestorm of goals in the second period put the Tomahawks ahead by three going into the last 20 minutes of play. New Jersey would come within one, but Johnstown held on for the win. Johnstown’s three additional goals were courtesy of Zak Galambos, Dalton Hunter, and Samuel Solensky. New Jersey’s goals came from Kyle Perkowski, Anthony Cusanelli, and Danny Weaver. Tomahawks goaltender Britt League took the win in net, making 26 saves. The New Jersey net minding duties were split by Brandon Bussi and Jordan Severo, who totaled 34 saves in the loss.  Boxscore

Fairbanks 2 @ Janesville 3 – A Midwest Division matchup resulted in the Janesville Jets claiming victory at home to start the weekend against Fairbanks. Two Jets goals started the night, credited to Joseph Abate and Michael Maloney. Fairbanks’ Hampus Eriksson brought the Ice Dogs within one, until the Jets’ Adam Roeder knocked in Janesville’s third tally of the night. Hunter Wendt would score for Fairbanks late in the third, but Janesville would hold on for the win. Jacob Barczewski took the win in net for Janesville with 26 saves, while CJ Boothe was given the loss for Fairbanks, despite 17 saves. Boxscore

Kenai River 3 @ Coulee Region 6 – Coulee Region’s Scott Corbett grabbed two goals on Friday to lead the Chill to a 6-3 win at home over Kenai River. Four additional goals for Coulee Region came from Joey Sofo, Taylor Trapp, Alex Falconer, and Tyler Ebner throughout the night. The three goals for Kenai River were courtesy of Luke Radetic (2) and Tyler Rock. Todd Scott took the win in net for Coulee Region with 28 saves. Kenai River split goaltending duties between Robbie Goor and Bailey Seagraves, totaling 26 saves in the loss.  Boxscore

Bismarck 2 @ Austin 5 – Five unanswered goals from the Bruins gave Austin a big win at home against Central Division rival Bismarck on Friday. Bismarck started the night with two goals from Austin Junger and Tobias Fladeby. Austin responded with five straight tallies, scored by AJ Drobot (2) Dan Petrick, Kyle Looft, and Justin Misiak. Jake Kucharski grabbed the win in net for Austin with 20 saves, while Camden Haugenoe made 16 in the loss for Bismarck.  Boxscore

Corpus Christi 3 @ Amarillo 0 – In his NAHL debut, rookie goaltender Chad Veltri grabbed a shutout win for Corpus Christi on Friday. The 18-year-old from Fox Chapel, PA earned the victory by making 41 saves against South Division rival, the Amarillo Bulls. All three IceRays goals were scored in the second period, credited to David Thomson, Mason Krueger, and David Baskerville. Nikita Babintsev took the loss in net for Amarillo, making 43 saves.  Boxscore

Brookings 4 @ MN Wilderness 3 (OT) – Bonus hockey made an appearance in Cloquet, MN on Friday, resulting in a road win for the Brookings Blizzard over the Wilderness. Brookings started the night by netting three goals in a row from Taylor Schneider, Nicholas Cardelli, and Chase Brand. The Wilderness would rally back to force overtime with their three-straight goals from Michael Zuffante, Zach Mills, and Pavel Mikhasenok.  Paul Cotter secured Brookings’ victory by scoring the game-winning goal in overtime for the Blizzard, just 1:33 into the period. Josh Boyko took the win in net for Brookings with 42 saves. The Wilderness saw dual duty in net from Luke Kania and Trevor Micucci, who made 42 combined saves. Boxscore

Springfield 2 @ MN Magicians 5 – The Minnesota Magicians scored five goals at home on Friday to grab a 5-2 victory over the Springfield Jr. Blues. Magicians goals came from John Siebenaler, Will Hammer, Travis Brown, Mitchel Slattery, and Timo Walther. Springfield scored two goals during the game, courtesy of Matt Long and Brennan Blaszczak. The Magicians’ Ivan Prosvetov took the win in net with 25 saves, while Springfield’s Devin Cooley took the loss despite 31 saves.  Boxscore

Aberdeen 3 @ Minot 1 – Taking control of the third period, the Aberdeen Wings snagged a road victory from Minot on Friday night. Aberdeen’s Trystan Isenhour opened the scoring in the second period. Minot would respond just minutes later with a goal from Reid Stefanson. In the third, two Aberdeen goals from Kevin Fitzgerald and Carson Dimoff put the Wings ahead to earn their win. Arttu Kulmala took the win in net for Aberdeen with 29 saves, while Minot’s Lucas Murray made 32 saves in the Minotauros’ loss.  Boxscore