Friday Finals: Ice Dogs return to Robertson Cup after sweep

May 4, 2019

Midwest Division Finals, Game 3: Fairbanks 6 @ MN Magicians 1 (Fairbanks wins series, 3-0) – Matt Koethe and Jonathan Sorenson each had three points and Mattias Sholl made 26 saves to lead the Fairbanks Ice Dogs to a 6-1 win Game 3, sweeping the Midwest Division Finals and punch their return ticket to the Robertson Cup. This marks the third time in the last four seasons that Fairbanks has been in the event. John Stampohar got the scoring started in the 1st period with a power play goal. The Ice Dogs then put the game out of reach with four goals in the 2nd period in a six-minute span, which included goals from Koethe, Sorenson, Brenden MacLaren, and Tanner Edwards. Matthew Stanton scored the lone Magicians goal, which came midway through the 3rd period, but another power play goal from Koethe made it a 6-1 final. All six Fairbanks goals were scored via the power play. Magicians goalie Ethan Haider made 30 saves in the loss. Boxscore

 

East Division Finals, Game 3: Johnstown 2 @ New Jersey 3 (New Jersey leads series, 2-1) – New Jersey goalie Brandon Perrone made 36 saves as the #3-seeded Titans put the regular season Champion Tomahawks on the brink of playoff elimination with a 3-2 win in Game 3 of the East Division Finals. Johnstown dictated the pace of play during the first period with solid scoring chances on Brandon Perrone. The 2nd period saw more great saves from Perrone, which led the Titans to a pair of goals as the Titans broke through Carter McPhail when Spencer Stanley finished off a pass from Michael Outzen for a 1-0 lead. Gavin Gulash put the Titans in the lead 2-0 just one minute later. Johnstown cut the New Jersey lead to 2-1 just :53 seconds in to the third period when Oliver Benwell chipped in a shorthanded goal. The Tomahawks tied the game 2-2 after Chad Merrell deflected a Carter Dwyer shot past Perrone. However, New Jersey regained the lead 3-2 with a goal from Shane Haviland. Perrone held the fort the rest of the way to secure the win as the Titans can now win the series in Game 4 in New Jersey on Saturday. Boxscore

 

Central Division Finals, Game 3: Aberdeen 7 @ Minot 2 (Aberdeen leads series, 2-1) – Adam Pitters and Joe Strada each had a pair of goals and an assist and Riley Murphy had a four-point night as the Wings scored early and often to cruise past Minot in Game 3 of the Central Division Finals by a score of 7-2. The Wings scored three goals in the 1st period to take a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes as Strada and Pitters both scored their first goals of the game in addition to a goal from Tim Makowski. Cole O’Connell had his first goal of the playoffs for Minot in the period. The lead swelled to 5-1 with a pair of 2nd period goals, again from Pitters and Strada, which ended the night for Minot goalie Nick Grabko. In the 3rd period, the Wings poured it on with two more goals in the opening minute of the final frame from Jonathan Bendorf and Nic Sicoly. Vince Marino would add a late goal for Minot to make it a 7-2 final as the Wings can now win the series with one more win in either Game 4 or 5. Matt Vernon had to make just 15 saves in the win, while Grabko took the loss with 10 saves. Ben Garrity made 9 saves in a relief appearance. Boxscore