Friday Finals: OT win helps Mudbugs clinch playoff spot
Minot forward Chase LaPinta had a hat-trick to help his team to a 5-1 win in Aberdeen on Friday and pull to within two points of the final playoff spot in the Central Division.
Shreveport 4 @ Oklahoma 3 (OT): Logan Heroux scored his 2nd goal of the game 35 seconds into the extra period to provide the extra point for Shreveport and clinch them a playoff spot in their matchup against the division leaders. William Ahlrik gave Oklahoma a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes with his 17th goal of the season. Heroux, Ryan Burke, and Kason Muscutt all fired off goals for the Mudbugs in the 2nd period before Hunter Jones found the back of the net to carry a 3-2 lead in Shreveport’s favor through 40 minutes. Garrett Horsager sent the contest to an eventual overtime 5:40 into the 3rd with his 9th of the season on the power play. Simon Bucheler made 22 stops on 25 shots for Shreveport while Daniel Duris kept out 25 for the Warriors.
Minot 5 @ Aberdeen 1 - The Minot Minotauros kept their playoff chances alive and pulled with two points of the Aberdeen Wings as they defeated the Wings 5-1. Chase LaPinta put the team on his back with a hat trick, increasing his goal total to 33. Weston Knox and Kolby Amici also beat the goaltender for Minot. Nick Comfort had the only goal for Aberdeen in the loss. Noah Rupprecht stopped 32 of 33 shots fired in his direction while Cole Moore stopped 24 shots for the Wings.
Lone Star 1 @ Odessa 2: Odessa forward Josh Austin found twine with just 9 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Jackalopes past Lone Star 2-1. The game remained scoreless until midway through the middle frame when Emerson Goode drew a penalty shot and beat Arthur Smith in his attempt. The Brahmas evened the scores with 5:48 remaining in the 3rd period, goal scored by Johan Rosenquist. Gergely Orosz picked up the win between the pipes, making 29 saves on 30 shots. Smith kept out 20 in the loss for the Brahmas.
Maryland 5 @ Philadelphia 2 - Dimitry Kebreau potted a pair of goals as the Maryland Black Bears took down the Philadelphia Rebels 5-2 on Friday night. Brad McNeil and Hunter Ramos each chipped in a goal and an assist for Maryland. Riley Run also jumped on to the scoresheet in the win. David Deputy led the Rebels offense with a goal and an assist of his own while Santino DiNubile chipped in a goal as well. William Hakansson got the win in between the pipes as he made 24 saves. Jakub Krbecek took the loss, stopping 27 shots.
Johnstown 7 @ Maine 0 - Nick Ahern registered a hat trick and an assist as the Johnstown Tomahawks put up a big 7-0 win over the Maine Nordiques. Gabriel Lunn had three helpers on the night while four other Tomahawks tickled the twine. Andrew King, Drake Albers, Dylan Shane and Will Moore lit the lamp for Johnstown. Alex Rajalin-Scharp needed just 15 saves to pick up the shutout in net, his fourth of the season. Thomas Heaney stopped 23 shots for the Nordiques in the loss.
Northeast 3 @ New Jersey 7 - 15 New Jersey Titans got on the scoresheet as the offense was running on all cylinders in their 7-3 win over the Northeast Generals. Dominik Bartecko had two goals on the evening while Joe Harney led all skaters with three points, a goal and two assists. Ryan Novo, Michael Young and Ben Muthersbaugh all had a goal and a helper for the Titans. Owen Luik also took a trip to the red light district as well. Tyler Ramm scored twice for the Generals while Jake LaRusso scored against his former club. Zakari Brice was the winner in the blue paint, making 21 saves. Toby Hopp suffered the defeat, he made 32 saves.
Springfield 2 @ Wisconsin 6 - After trailing 2-1 after 20 minutes, the Wisconsin Windigo scored five unanswered to come away with a 6-2 win over the Springfield Jr. Blues. Drew Fisher had a four point night with a goal and three helpers. Chris Kernan and Max Martin each scored two goals for Wisconsin. Will Schumacher also found the back of the net for Wisconsin as well. Alex Fendler and Zach Howard scored for Springfield in the loss. Maxwell Beckford was victorious in goal as made 16 saves. Aksel Reid denied 35 shots for the Jr. Blues.
Minnesota 1 @ Janesville 6 - The Janesville Jets took it to the Minnesota Wilderness winning easily on Friday night by a score of 6-1. Everyone got in on the action as 16 players had at least one point for Janesville. Ryan Roethke scored his first goal while Merril Steenari and Gustav Portillo lit the lamp in the first period. Josh Orrico and Grayden Daul added tallies in the second while Mack Keryluk got in on the fun in the third. Kevin Marx Noren provided the lone goal for the Wilderness. Peter Sterling was given the win in goal as he made 24 saves. Isak Posch and Niklas Erickson combined to make 19 saves.
Amarillo 4 @ Corpus Christi 0 - The Amarillo Wranglers continued their winning ways and are now tied for the final playoff spot as they blanked the Corpus Christi IceRays 4-0. Connor Mcdonough finished the evening with 23 saves on 23 shots. Jack McDonald was the leader on offense with a goal and two assists. Ben Ivey had a goal and an assist while Zack Kent and Pierce Patterson got on the board as well. Lukas Malant was dealt the loss for the IceRays, he made 28 saves.
North Iowa 1 @ Bismarck 4: The Bobcats picked up a crucial set of points in their fight to make the playoffs after taking down North Iowa 4-1. Adam Pietila beat the clock in the 1st to give Bismarck the first lead, scoring with just one second remaining in the opening period. Calvin Hanson fired off a pair of goals early in the 3rd to extend the lead. Jackson Bisson got the Bulls on the board with 3:15 remaining in regulation but shortly after, Pietila netted an empty netter to seal the victory. Linards Lipskis made 26 saves in the win while Mitch Day kept out 31 shots for North Iowa.
New Mexico 1 @ El Paso 6: The Rhinos came out flying and never stopped in their matchup against New Mexico, dominating them from start to finish in a final score of 6-1. Reid Lune gave El Paso a 1-0 lead through one period his his 4th of the season. AJ Reed and Mark LaFrance extended the lead with goals in the 2nd period. Jakub Jerman tallied a pair in the 3rd while Tyler Green added another to provide more insurance. New Mexico’s lone goal came 11:19 into the final frame, goal scored by Alfred Lindberg from Sully Scholle. C.J. Kier was the victor between the pipes, making 30 saves on 31 shots. William Craig and Carsen Stokes combined for 28 saves in the loss.
Chippewa 6 @ Anchorage 3: A four-goal 2nd period from the Steel helped them edge past Anchorage 6-3 on the road in their first of three games this weekend. Fedya Nikolayenya gave the Wolverines a lead through one with an unassisted goal early on in the period. The Steel got their offense rolling in the middle frame as Sam Rice, Peyton Platter, Joe Kelly, and Zach Sondreal all found the back of the net. Aiden Westin potted a pair of goals in the period as well to keep Chippewa’s lead to just one goal. In the 3rd, Kelly netted his 2nd of the game with 4:17 remaining and Noah Grolnic capped off the win with his 7th of the season minutes later. Adam Gajan made 26 saves in the victory while Shane Soderwall kept out 20 of 26 for the Wolverines.
Kenai River 5 @ Fairbanks 3: The Brown Bears scored at least a goal in every period and took down Fairbanks 5-3. Nick Stevens and Garrett Drotts provided a pair of goals for the Brown Bears in the 1st to give them the early edge. Ryan Finch and Kotaro Tsutsumi extended the lead for Kenai River with scores in the middle frame. Tyler Herzberg got Fairbanks on the board and gave them life with a goal midway through that period. In the 3rd, Billy Renfrew scored for Fairbanks before Owen Hanson answered quickly for Kenai. Julian Recine found the back of the net with 9:06 remaining in regulation but the Ice Dogs were unable to complete the comeback. Nils Wallstrom made 30 stops in the win while Kayden Hargraves kept out 20 for Fairbanks.
