Friday Finals: Brown Bears snap skid with win over rival Ice Dogs

Austin Koss scored twice to help Minot to a 5-3 win in Brookings and help widen their lead in the Central Division.

Fairbanks 2 @ Kenai River 5  – The battle of Alaska kicked off this weekend between Fairbanks and Kenai River, falling in favor of the home team Brown Bears, 5-2. Setting the tone early, Kenai Rive gained a lead, which they never returned, as they saw scoring from Luke Radetic, Anthony Tzveyn, Jonathan Marzec, Shayne Monahan, and Ethan Stewart. Fairbanks notched two goals of their own, credited to Hunter Wendt and Aaron McPheters. Robbie Goor took the win in net for Kenai River, making 33 saves. Fairbanks’ Joshua Sarlo was given the loss in net after 20 saves.  Boxscore

New Jersey 8 @ Northeast 6  – A total of fourteen goals were dished out between New Jersey and Northeast on Friday night. New Jersey kicked off the scoring, and saw goals from Anthony Cusanelli (2), Dylan Healey (2), Gordie Helmuth, Danny Eruzione, Ryan Wheeler, and Kyle Jeffers. The Generals kept up the pace with the Titans, netting six goals from Jackson Hartje (2), Brian Glover, Justin Brandt, Christian Thomas, and Mike Egan. New Jersey’s Harrison Feeney took the win in net with 29 saves, while Northeast’s Gabe Vinal was given the loss after 52 saves.  Boxscore

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2 @ Johnstown 3 (SO) – Cashing in on a shootout victory were the Johnstown Tomahawks at home on Friday. The Tomahawks started the game with two goals from Filips Buncis and Logan Stork, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was ready to fight back. The Knights came back to force the game to a shootout with goals from Keenan Sabatini and Dorian Dawson. In the shootout, Johnstown’s Adam Pilewicz scored the only goal, giving the Tomahawks the win at home. Vinnie Purpura took the win in net for Johnstown with 23 saves, while the Knights’ Grant Valentine was given a SOL after 38 saves. Boxscore

Minot 5 @ Brookings 3  – A late rally put Minot on top on Friday, earning the Minotauros a big road victory over the Brookings Blizzard. Scoring was even throughout the night, until Minot scored two goals with less than two minutes to play to grab the win. Austin Koss (2), Reid Stefanson, Nate Pionk, and Jack Murphy each scored goals for Minot. Brookings saw scoring from Brenden Stanko, Paul Cotter, and Parker Revering. Lucas Murray took the W in net for Minot with 19 saves, while Josh Boyko was given the loss for Brookings with 19 saves in net.  Boxscore

Austin 2 @ Janesville 5  – The Janesville Jets started and ended their night in scoring fashion, earning a 5-2 at home over Austin on Friday night. The Jets saw the first two tallies of the night come from their own Peter Bates and Keegan Miller. Austin would respond with two of their own from Justin Misiak and Jan Stefka to tie the score. Janesville went on to score three unanswered goals from Michael Maloney, Frank Sullivan, and Ben Schmidling to take the win. Janesville’s Jacob Barczewski took the win in net with 19 saves, while Austin’s Alex Schilling was given the loss despite 34 saves in net. Boxscore

Amarillo 1 @ Corpus Christi 4  – North Texas met South Texas in a duel between the Bulls and Ice Rays on Friday. The home squad, Corpus Christi, used home ice to their advantage to score four goals to start the game. IceRays goals came from Cole Filler (2), Cole Gammer, and David Thomson to start the night. In the third, Amarillo’s Kosta Likourezos would score for the Bulls, creating a 4-1 final score for the IceRays. In net, Cam Burggrabe took the win for Corpus Christi with 29 saves, while Amarillo’s Kyle Madore was given the loss after 34 saves. Boxscore

Odessa 2 @ Wichita Falls 4  – Two third period goals gave the Wichita Falls Wildcats their advantage over Odessa in a 4-2 decision on Friday night. The Wildcats saw scoring from Ilya Skvortsov, Aleksi Poikola, Ryan Burnett and CJ Regula. Zach Zech and Chris Donaldson netted two goals from Odessa throughout the night. Wichita Falls’ Jared Dempsey took a 38 save win in net for the Wildcats, while Jonny Hogue took the loss for Odessa with 31 saves.  Boxscore

Topeka 3 @ Springfield 5  – Taking a 5-3 win at home, the Springfield Jr. Blues stayed hot in a Friday night victory over Topeka. Springfield started and ended the scoring throughout the night, with goals fro Jordan Muzzillo, Brandon Puricelli, Alex Peck, Zachary Tyson, and Ryan Leibold. Topeka netted three of their own, with goals from Alex Frye, Brendan Doyle, and Marcus Russell. Mike Robinson took the win in net for Springfield with 30 saves, while Ryan Snowden was given the loss for Topeka after 39 saves.  Boxscore

Bismarck 1 @ MN Wilderness 3  – Late scoring determined the output between Bismarck and Minnesota, where the win fell in favor of the Wilderness. Tristan Rostagno, Nick Altmann and Zach Mills found their way on to the score sheet for Minnesota in their 3-1 win. Bismarck’s lone goal was credited to Zach Kennedy. In net, Trevor Micucci took the win with 39 saves, while Camden Haugenoe took the loss for Bismarck with 29 saves. Boxscore

Shreveport 3 @ Lone Star 4  – Renewing their rivalry, the Lone Star Brahmas held on for a 4-3 win over Shreveport at home on Friday night. Lone Star saw goals from Austin Kamer, Pete Kessel, Carson Kelley, and Drake Glover. The Mudbugs three goals were credited to Croix Evingson, Frankie Melton, and Kieran Durgan. Alec Calvaruso took the win in net for Lone Star with 21 saves. Shreveport’s Dylan Lubbesmeyer was given the loss after 22 saves.  Boxscore