Friday Finals: Maryland, Minot Secure Division Titles
Jackson Stimple scored as the Anchorage Wolverines moved into a tie for first place in the Midwest Division
Johnstown 1 @ Maryland 4: The Maryland Black Bears solidified the title as the East Division Champions with a 4-1 win against the Johnstown Tomahawks. The first period ended tied 1-1 with Dimitry Kebreau scoring for Maryland and Reid Lune for Johnstown. In the second, Dylan Gordon found the back of the net to get Maryland ahead, 2-1. In the third it was all Maryland with Jeremi Tremblay and Riley Ruh scoring for a 4-1 final. Maryland goalie Colin Ronan turned away 37 shots in the victory.
Minot 4 @ Bismarck 3: The Minot Minotauros locked up the Central Division regular season title with a 4-3 win over the Bismarck Bobcats. Colby Bear, Chad Muller, Adam Mahler and Nicholas Sewecke all found the back of the net for Minot in the win. Landon Fandel, Tommy Cronin and Tamas Toth all lit the lamp for Bismarck. Brady James was victorious in goal with 36 saves. Klayton Knapp was dealt the loss as he finished with 33 stops.
Danbury 2 @ Philadelphia 4: The Philadelphia Rebels defended home ice in a 4-2 win over the Danbury Hat Tricks. After a scoreless first period, Logan Nickerson got the Hat Tricks on the scoresheet for a 1-0 lead. Later in the middle period, Ryan Buting tied the game at 1-1 then Klaus Jogi added another to get the Rebels ahead 2-1 going into the second intermission. In the third Jared Coccimiglio and Jett Otwell netted goals to extend the Philadelphia lead to 4-1. Late in the game Nick Ferrari scored for Danbury to finish the game with a 4-2 final. Philadelphia netminder Owen Crudale stopped 28 shots in the win.
Rochester 3 @ Northeast 4: The Northeast Generals kept their postseason hopes alive after a 4-3 win against the Rochester Jr. Americans to stay two points ahead of the Rebels in the East Division standings. In the opening period, the Generals scored twice with Jake Gutwirth and Sixten Jennersjo for a 2-0 lead. Nearing the end of the period, Massimo Gentile got the Jr. Americans on the scoresheet for a 2-1 score. The Generals added back-to-back goals again in the second period with Tyler Ramm and Andrew DellaDonna making it a 4-1 game. Rochester found the back of the net later in the middle frame with a goal from Thomas Rockey, 4-2. Late in the game, Matteo Disipio got Rochester on the scoresheet again for a 4-3 final score. Generals goalie Toby Hopp stopped 29 shots in the win.
Maine 3 @ New Jersey 6: The New Jersey Titans defeated the Maine Nordiques by a score of 6-3. The game was all squared up 1-1 after the first period with goals coming from Kristofers Krumins of New Jersey and Kellen Murphy of Maine. In the second, Ryan Novo and DOminick Rivelli both scored to get the Titans ahead 3-1. In the third it was a back and forth game with Nikita Meshcheryakov, Dominick Bartecko and Jack Hillier scoring for New Jersey, while Charles Tardiff and John Paul Steel scored for Maine. New Jersey netminder Zakari Brice was great in between the pipes stopping 41 shots.
New Mexico 3 @ Oklahoma 4 (SO): William Ahlrik scored in the shootout as the Oklahoma Warriors scored a 4-3 victory over the New Mexico Ice Wolves. Ahlrik and Sebastian Speck scored to tie the game for the Warriors while Nathan Rickey scored as well for Oklahoma. Michael Schermerhorn netted a pair of goals while Ethan Hull also found the back of the net. Owen Bartoszkiewicz was the winner in goal as he stopped 36 shots. Andy Vlaha took the loss in goal as he made 40 saves.
Springfield 0 @ Minnesota 1 (OT): Nate Murray scored the only goal of the game in overtime as the Minnesota Wilderness moved into a playoff position with a 1-0 win over the Springfield Jr. Blues. Ren Morque and Payton Nelson picked up assists on the game winning goal. Adam Prokop was perfect, stopping all 21 shots he faced. JJ Cataldo was sensational in his own right stopping 36 of 37 shots.
St. Cloud 10 @ North Iowa 4: The Norsemen scored multiple goals in all three periods en route to a dominant 10-4 victory on the road. Michael Coleman tallied a hat trick in the opening frame with Peyton Mithmuangneua also finding the back of the net. Wes Berg and Kyle Miller both tickled twine in the 2nd for St. Cloud. Tyler Dysart, Gavin Gunderson, Coleman, and Jack Christ continued the offensive surge in the 3rd with goals. North Iowa’s offense came from Sangyeob kim, Teddy Richardson, and Nolan Grier. Max Weilandt kept out 17 of 21 shots faced in the win while Connor Graham and Santo Simmchen combined for 39 saves.
El Paso 2 @ Shreveport 4: Colin Vassallo and Kyan Haldenby both potted a pair of goals to help lift the Mudbugs past El Paso 4-2. Vassallo and Haldenby each found twine in the opening 20 minutes. Lason LeBel cut the deficit before Vassallo brought back the two-goal lead 73 seconds later. Medrick Bolduc tallied his 19th of the season minutes later to bring the scoreline to 3-2 heading into the 3rd. Haldenby netted his 2nd early in the 3rd period to seal the victory. Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau kept out 17 shots in the victory while Michael Manzi made 19 saves in the losing effort.
Colorado 3 @ Amarillo 4: The Wranglers tallied three goals in the final frame to secure a comeback victory on home ice against the Grit. Landon West and Braden Junker had the visitors ahead by a pair through 20 minutes with scores. Jack McDonald got Amarillo on the board early in the middle frame with his 12th of the season. Magnus Gadowsky, Jack Ivey, and Ben Ivey all scored in the 3rd for the Wranglers while Colorado’s last goal came off the stick of Sheldon Rioux. Connor McDonough was the victor between the pipes, stopping 23 of 26 shots faced. Jack Erickson kept out 25 shots for Colorado.
Austin 2 @ Aberdeen 3 (OT): Jibber Kuhl found twine just 18 seconds into overtime to give Aberdeen a big extra point over the Austin Bruins. After a scoreless 1st period, Connor Brust and Jackson Luther buried for the Bruins while Nick Comfort kept the game level with a pair of goals. A scoreless 3rd lead to overtime and Kuhl’s game winner. Adam Dybal was stellar for the Wings in the victory, stopping 38 of 40 shots faced. Trent Wiemken made 22 saves on 25 shots in the loss.
Odessa 3 @ Corpus Christi 1: Three unanswered goals for the Jackalopes helped them defeat Corpus Christi 3-1. Hayden DeMars, Christian Tavares and Cameron Dunn all visited the red light district for Odessa. Pierson Sobush netted the only tally for the IceRays.
Janesville 3 @ Anchorage 5: The Wolverines moved into a tie for first place in the Midwest Division as Anchorage knocked off Janesville 5-3. Fyodor Nikolayenya had a goal and an assist for Anchorage while Jackson Stimple, Arvada Hovsepyan, Romulus Riego De Dios and Jack Darby all picked up goals for the Wolverines. James Taylor, Ikki Kogawa and Mason Kesselring all grabbed goals for the Jets. Liam Beerman was the winner in between the pipes as he made 30 saves. Jan Kasal was saddled with the loss, he stopped 35 of 39 shots.
Kenai River 1 @ Fairbanks 2: Kyle Rohrer potted a pair of goals and that was all the Fairbanks Ice Dogs would need as they defeated the Kenai River Brown Bears 2-1. Owen Hanson provided the lone goal for the Brown Bears in the loss. Tyler Krivtsov earned the win in the blue paint as he allowed just one goal on 41 opportunities. AJ Reyelts was stuck with the loss, he ended the night with 20 saves.
