Saturday Scores: Wings and Wranglers claim final playoff spots
Ryan Comishock had a big weekend to help the Lone Star Brahmas secure the #2 seed in the South Division for the 2023 Robertson Cup Playoffs.
St. Cloud 3 @ Aberdeen 7 - The Aberdeen Wings punched their ticket to the Robertson Cup playoffs with a statement 7-3 win over the St. Cloud Norsemen. Patrick O’Connell scored twice and added two helpers to lead the way for Aberdeen. Jordan Ronn also had a four-point game, scoring once and chipping in three assists. Nikolai Tishkevich had a multi-point effort with a goal and an assist. Dylan Wegner, Alexander Gullichsen and Luke Lindsay all got on the scoresheet as well for Aberdeen. Cole Moore denied 33 shots to earn the win in goal while Tomas Bolo and Ethan Dahlmeir combined to make 22 saves.
Amarillo 3 @ Odessa 2 - The Amarillo Wranglers are headed to the postseason after picking up their ninth consecutive victory, this time a 3-2 decision over Odessa. The Wranglers fell behind early as Dayne Hoyord netted a power play goal just 89 seconds into the action. The Jackalopes increased their lead early in the middle frame off a goal from Brendan Finn. Amarillo waited until the end of the second period to begin their comeback as Jack McDonald got on the board off a feed from Ben Ivey. Then in the final period, Ivey took matters into his own hands, scoring a goal of his own in the opening minutes. Later in the period, with Amarillo on the power play, Ivey struck again for his second goal of the game. That would be the difference maker and be the eventual playoff clinching goal. Luca Ganz was the winner in goal as he made 16 saves. Gergely Orosz was stuck with the loss, despite making 35 saves.
Corpus Christi 2 @ Lone Star 3 – The Brahmas secured the #2 seed in the South thanks to a 3-2 win over the IceRays, which completed a weekend sweep. The IceRays were first on the board as Logan Neilson scored early in the 1st period. Lone Star answered back with goals from Ryan Comishock and Shane Carr to take a 2-1 lead. In the 3rd period, the IceRays tied the game at 2-2 on a goal from Connor Brust, but the Brahmas had the answer late in the 3rd period on a power play goal from Collin Kleiser. Arthur Smith made 13 saves in the win. Max Ilecki made 19 saves in the loss.
Minnesota 6 @ Chippewa 3 - Kevin Marx Noren notched two goals to the lead the Minnesota Wilderness to a 6-3 win over the Chippewa Steel on Saturday night. Gunnar Thoreson pick up a goal and an assist for the Wilderness while Max Wattvil, Brian Lonergan and Ashton Dahms all picked up tallies. Aidan Wills, Joe Kelly and Sam Scheetz all visited the red light district for Chippewa. Niklas Erickson picked up the win in goal as he stopped 29 of 32 shots. Bridger Fixmer was dealt the loss as he made 27 saves.
Minot 0 @ Austin 2 - Matt MacArthur stopped all 24 shots he faced as he picked up a shutout in his NAHL debut in the Bruins 2-0 win over Minot. Walter Zacher scored his team leading 32nd goal of the season to give Austin the lead in the second period. Damon Furuseth also found the back of the net for the Bruins to secure the victory. Lawton Zacher turned aside 34 shots in the loss for the Minotauros.
North Iowa 3 @ Bismarck 6 – The Bobcats won their 6th straight game as they doubled up the North Iowa Bulls on Saturday, 6-3. The win tied the Bobcats in points with the Minot Minotauros to end the season for the 4th and final playoff spot, but due to two less wins, the Bobcats lost the tie-breaker. Julian Beaumont had two goals and an assist and Adam Pietila had a goal and three assists in the win. The game was tied early in the 3rd period as Beaumont struck twice and Brandon Reller scored for Bismarck, while Byron Hartley, Logan Dombrowsky, and Willy Johnson answered for the Bulls. Late in the 3rd period, the Bobcats pulled away with goals from Landon Fandel, Calvin Hanson, and Pietila. Linards Lipskis made 29 saves in the win, while Mitch Day
Oklahoma 1 @ New Mexico 4 – Thanks to 34 saves from Carsen Stokes, the Ice Wolves picked up a 4-1 win and weekend sweep of the Warriors. New Mexico led 1-0 after the 1st period on a goal from William Ericsson. The Ice Wolves made it 2-0 on a goal from Blayde Pogreba in the 2nd period. Ryan Johnson scored in the 3rd period to make it 3-0. Oklahoma would then make it 3-1 on their lone goal of the night from Malte Hasselgren. Dillon Kuntz would add an empty-net goal for the Ice Wolves to make it a 4-1 final. Dylan Johnson made 34 saves in the loss. Despite the win, the Ice Wolves fell one point short of the 4th and final playoff spot.
Shreveport 2 @ El Paso 0 – Simon Bucheler stopped all 19 shots that came his way for his 6th shutout of the season as Shreveport secured the #3 seed in the South with a 2-0 shutout of El Paso. The Mudbugs went up 1-0 in the 1st period on a goal from Drake Morse. In the 2nd period, Morse would score again for his 23rd of the season and the 2-0 win. Rhinos goalie Nolan Suggs made 34 saves in the loss.
Anchorage 5 @ Kenai River 3 – Mason LeBel scored two goals to lead the Wolverines to a 5-3 win over Kenai River in their regular season finale. Anchorage jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Aiden Westin and Cooper Morris. The Brown Bears tried to stay close with 2nd period goals from Parker Lockwood and Nick Stevens and a 3rd period goal from Carson Triggs, but Anchorage would pull away with two goals from LeBel and one from Tyler Hennen. Eino Rissanen made 39 saves in the win, while Bryant Marks made 23 saves in the loss.
Danbury 0 @ Maryland 3: The Black Bears bounced back from Friday and completed the regular season with a shutout 3-0 victory over Danbury. Samuel Stitz opened up the scoring with his 11th of the season 5:39 into the 1st. Branden Piku doubled the lead midway through the 2nd period. In the 3rd, Riley Ruh put the finishing touches on the win with a powerplay goal 9:51 into the period. Jack Wieneke picked up the shutout between the pipes, stopping all 19 shots faced. Karlis Mezsargs made 30 saves on 33 shots for Danbury.
New Jersey 2 @ Johnstown 4: A three goal 1st period from the Tomahawks fueled them past the Titans 4-2. Anthony Galante, Nick Ahern, and Andrew King all found twine in the opening frame for Johnstown, Ahern scoring his goal by the “Michigan”. Michael Young kept New Jersey in the fight with his 29th of the season. Anthony Galante gave Johnstown a three-goal lead with a score early in the 2nd period. Arhip Sidarovich found the back of the net late in the final frame to give New Jersey a pair of goals. Adam Johnson was the victor between the pipes, stopping 16 of 18 faced. Zakari Brice kept out 30 shots in the loss.
Philadelphia 5 @ Maine 2: The Rebels finished the regular season off on a positive note, taking down Maine 5-2. David Deputy, Max Hamstad, and Carter Casper all lit the lamp in the opening frame for the Rebels to give them an early lead. Maine’s David Helledy kept them in the contest with his 6th goal of the season. Hamstad buried his 2nd late in the middle frame to extend the lead. Deputy also found his 2nd goal of the game in the 3rd before Aidan Coupe got the Nordiques on the board one more time. Jakub Krbecek kept out 19 of 21 in the win while Thomas Heaney kept out 10 in the loss.
Wisconsin 5 @ Springfield 2: Wisconsin secured the final series sweep of the season with a 5-2 win over Springfield. Patrick Isiguzo and Drew Fisher both found the back of the net for the Windigo in the 1st period while Hayden Riva got the Jr. Blues on the board with a powerplay goal. Wisconsin’s Zachary Burfott and Springfield’s Hayden Riva traded goals in the 2nd period. Max Martin and Luke Baker both tallied goals in the final frame to add insurance and seal the win. Gavin Moffatt picked up the win making 26 saves while Aksel Reid kept out 34 in the loss.
