Friday Finals: Norsemen shutout tightens Central Division
New Jersey forward Tommy Bannister had five points in a 6-3 win on Friday, which helped him takeover the scoring lead in the NAHL with 28 points to date.
Austin 0 @ St. Cloud 3 – Tomas Bolo stopped all 22 shots fired in his direction to earn the 3-0 shutout for the Norsemen against the division leading Bruins. Nick Young got the first St. Cloud tally with just seconds left in the first period with help from Ethan Lindahl and Peyton Hanson. Nik Hong and Blake Perbix followed suit with goals in the second twenty minutes of play to secure the Norsemen victory. Austin’s Hudson Hodges had 32 saves from the blue paint in a losing effort for the Bruins.
Danbury 3 @ New Jersey 6 – Tommy Bannister had a five-point performance to lead the Titans to their sixth straight victory with a 6-3 win over Danbury on home ice. Rocco Testa-Basi and Blake Farrell started the offensive action for New Jersey as Mike Salandra, Jazz Krivtsov, and Peter Lynchnikoff found the back of the net for Danbury. Brendan Dumas netted a pair of goals, and David Posma fired one past the goalie all with help coming from Tommy Bannister who also had a score of his own for the Titans. Goalie Ben Charette turned aside 27 of 30 for New Jersey while Jr. Hat Trick Josh Seeley was faced with the loss in net despite coming up with 37 saves.
Northeast 6 @ Jamestown 2 – Six different skaters contributed to the goal scoring to lift the Generals over the Rebels on Saturday evening by a score of 6-2. Paul Minnehan of Northeast marked the first tally 5:10 into the contest, followed by a goal by CJ Zezima early in the middle frame. Jamestown notched a goal in the second off the stick of John Lundy for his sixth of the season, but the Generals answered with four straight from David Andreychuk, Jared Scott, Ryan Corcoran, and Landon Kolnik. Mitch Lafay added an additional goal to the scoresheet for the Rebels in the final period. Cullen DeYoung was dominant between the pipes for Northeast securing 22 stops. Nolan Suggs and Chace Hale combined for 20 saves in the Jamestown loss.
Maine 4 @ Maryland 3 (SO) – Tristan Fasig lit the lamp in the sixth round of the shootout to give Maine the 4-3 advantage in a tight matchup against Maryland on the road. The Nordiques came out of the gates with two tallies in the first 2:56 of the game collected by Zion Green and Brendan Gibbons, but Maryland answered with three straight as Laker Aldridge, Jacob Brockman, and Kevin Scott all tickled the twine. Jonny Meiers came up big for Maine with just 1:13 left to tie it up and force the extra frame. Avery Sturtz was strong behind the crease for the Nordiques denying 32 Maryland attempts.
Shreveport 1 @ Amarillo 4 – Amarillo picked up a 4-1 win over Shreveport backed by a two-goal night from Bryce Battaglia to extended their win streak to five. Nikolas Campbell and Glebs Prohorekovs lit the lamp for the Wranglers within the initial 10:37 of the contest, while teammate Bryce Battaglia scooped up a tally in each of the remaining periods of play. Jakob Peterson assisted on a pair of Amarillo goals, giving him a total of eleven assists on the season. Billy Feczko scored the lone goal for the visiting Mudbugs with help from Austin Brimmer and Logan Valkama. Max Gutjahr was stellar in net for the Wranglers needing just 17 saves in the win. On the other end of the ice, Shreveport net minder Simon Bucheler did all he could stopping 38 of 42 chances.
Chippewa 4 @ Springfield 0 – Chippewa spread out the scoring amongst four different players on a first period rush to overcome Springfield by a score of 4-0. Nick Sajevic ignited the Steel offense at the 4:24 mark of the first frame. Ethan Janda continued the momentum with a goal just 34 seconds later with help from Sam Frandina. Sam Rice and Braden Lindstrom notched the final two scores to tilt the ice in the favor of Chippewa. Steel keeper Levi Gho gathered his fourth win of the year in goal as he halted all 30 shots fired his way for the shutout.
Lone Star 3 @ Wichita Falls 2 (OT) – Nicholas Niemo claimed the game-winning goal for Lone Star 2:58 into overtime to push the Bahamas over the edge against Wichita Falls. It all began as Frankie Ireland found the back of the net for Lone Star early in the first frame, but the Warriors answered with back-to-back goals off the sticks of Jack Blanchett and Ryan Robinson. Sam Antenucci capitalized for the Brahmas with assistance from Dylan Smith in the final period to tie it up and force extra time. Jan Skorpik stood strong in net for Lone Star as he went 20 for 22 in the victory while Matthew O’Donnell of Wichita Falls skated away with the loss after scooping up 22 saves.
MN Magicians 1 @ MN Wilderness 2 – Wilderness goal tender Jacob Zacharewicz stopped 35 of 36 opposing shots to secure the 2-1 win in a tight battle with the Magicians. Mason Campbell was credited with the lone Magicians goal 10:11 into the opening twenty minutes of play with help from Nicholas Babbie and Trevor Kukkonen. Wilderness defensemen Cole-Crusberg-Roseen fired one past the goalie at the four minute mark of the second period for his seventh of the season. Rookie Hayden DeMars got the game winner for the Wilderness in the final frame. Kyle Kozma did all he could in net for the Magicians as he turned aside 39 of 41 attempts in the defeat.
Bismarck 4 @ North Iowa 6 – Carter Rapalje wowed on the ice picking up the first four goals for North Iowa on Saturday evening as they overcame the Bobcats 6-4. Max Scott and Logan Dombrowsky also lit the lamp for the Bulls, and Michael Mesic contributed three assists. Four different skaters scored for Bismarck as Aiden VanRooyan and Jon Ziskie both found the back of the net for the first time this season, and Calvin Hanson and Adam Petila tickled the twine for tallies of their own. Hunter Garvey backed North Iowa from the crease making 31 saves in the win. Bobcats keeper Erik Forss was handed the loss despite stopping 34 pucks from the opposition.
Odessa 4 @ El Paso 3 – Odessa’s offense put together a four goal run to pick up the 4-3 comeback victory against El Paso. The Rhinos came out strong with a pair of tallies late in the first period from Nick Justice and Alex Krause. From there, four different Jackalopes found the back of the net as Evan Orr, John Perdion, Nate Boak, and Ryan Mansfield all added to the Odessa charge. Philip Quetell netted a goal late in the third frame for El Paso but it would not be enough to overcome the deficit. William Proctor picked up his ninth win of the season between the pipes for Odessa going 22 for 25.
Corpus Christi 2 @ New Mexico 4 – Mitchell Becker’s pair of goals paved the way for New Mexico as they posted a 4-2 score against the visiting IceRays. William Howard collected a tally with four seconds remaining in the first period for the Ice Wolves, but Nathan Butler netted the equalizer early in the second for Corpus Christi. Mitchell Becker of New Mexico and Albin Persson of Corpus Christi exchanged goals to end the middle period in a draw. Brandon Holt and Mitchell Becker fueled a 2-0 run in the final frame to seal the victory for the Ice Wolves. Beni Halasz made 36 saves for New Mexico in the win while Damon Beaver went 33 for 36 in the IceRays loss.
Anchorage 1 @ Kenai River 4 – Bryant Marks was nearly perfect as he just allowed one goal on 36 shots as the Kenai River Brown Bears defeated the Anchorage Wolverines 4-1. Kevin Enriquez, Gramm McCormack, Luke Panchisin and David Vieten all scored for Kenai River in their win with their newest in state rival. Colton Friesen provided the only offense for the Wolverines with his second of the year. Shane Soderwall took the loss by making 15 saves.
Janesville 4 @ Fairbanks 2 – Cy LeClerc had a goal and two helpers as the Janesville Jets doubled up the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 4-2 on Friday night in the second game of a three game series. Ethan Begg, Jack Ford and William Gustavsson all picked up goals for the Jets in the victory. Nolan Cunningham and Cameron Ricotta scored for Fairbanks in the loss. Owen Millward won his fourth game of the year as he made 25 saves for Janesville. Tyler Krivtsov was given the loss in net as he made 17 stops for the Ice Dogs.
