Jets Cleared for Takeoff on Final Day of Showcase

Johnstown 4 @ Wisconsin 2 - The Johnstown Tomahawks pulled away late to earn a 4-2 victory over the Wisconsin Windigo, riding a strong third-period surge to secure the road win. After a scoreless first frame, Johnstown broke through in the second with goals from Nick Jarmain and Emerson Marshall, while Ronnie Hill answered for the Windigo to make it 2-1 after 40 minutes. The Windigo tied the game early in the third on a strike from Caden Stokes, but Johnstown responded with poise. Charlie Zetterkvist buried the go-ahead tally, and Brady Kittredge added insurance to seal the win. Goaltender Colten Drillen-Roach was steady for the Tomahawks, turning aside 25 of 27 shots. Wisconsin’s Casimir Weckstrom faced heavier pressure, stopping 20 of 24 in defeat. 

Northeast 3 @ Chippewa 2 - The Northeast Generals pulled out a 3–2 victory over the Chippewa Steel in a back-and-forth contest Friday night. Northeast struck first when Luke Janicke opened the scoring in the first period, but Chippewa quickly responded with Connor Brown finding the net to even the score at 1–1. In the second, the Generals regained the lead on a goal from Ryan Lucarelli, only for the Steel to answer once again, this time through Ryan Solari, sending the teams into the third period deadlocked at 2–2. The decisive moment came in the final frame when Ryan Gordon buried the game-winner for Northeast. From there, goaltender Will Mizenko stood tall, stopping 16 of 18 shots to secure the win.

Janesville 8 @ Maine 0 - The Janesville Jets dominated from start to finish, rolling to an 8–0 shutout victory over the Maine Nordiques. Janesville jumped ahead early with first-period goals from Charlie Schoening and Cade Luedtke, setting the tone. In the second, Nick Badalamenti added to the lead, giving the Jets a comfortable 3–0 advantage heading into the third. The floodgates opened in the final frame, as the Jets poured in five more goals. Logan Vandesande, Luedtke with his second of the night, Schoening with his second, Brady Gunderson, and Cole Hilger all found the back of the net to cap the rout. Goaltender Christopher Prater was perfect between the pipes, stopping all the shots he faced to secure the shutout.

Kenai River 4 @ New Hampshire 3 - The Kenai River Brown Bears used a big second period to outlast the New Hampshire Mountain Kings, 4–3. After a scoreless opening frame, the Bears erupted for three goals in the second. Cade Luedtke, Alex Gelhar, and Cole Roenick each found the back of the net to give Kenai River control. New Hampshire answered with a power-play tally from Anthony LoPriore, but still trailed 3–1 heading into the third. The Mountain Kings made things interesting in the final period with goals from Connor Bates and Samurai Asano, but Braden Hansberger’s strike for Kenai River proved to be the difference. Goaltender Connor MacKenzie stood tall with 26 saves on 29 shots to secure the road win.

Minnesota M 4 @ Danbury 3 (SO) - The Minnesota Mallards battled back to earn their first win of the season, topping the Danbury Hat Tricks 4–3 in a shootout thriller. Danbury opened the scoring in the first with a goal from John Russo before the Mallards answered in the second as Matthew Christman and Josh Williams each found the back of the net. The Hat Tricks responded quickly, tying it 2–2 on Evan Regan’s tally. In the third, Ethan Rosenoff struck for Minnesota, only for Danbury’s Ryan Johnson to equalize and force overtime. After a scoreless extra frame, Rosenoff buried the deciding tally in the shootout to lift the Mallards to victory. Goaltender Hunter Bauer earned the win with a steady effort in the crease, backstopping Minnesota through regulation, overtime, and the shootout.

Watertown 3 @ New Jersey 4 - The New Jersey Titans edged the Watertown Shamrocks 4-3 in a back-and-forth contest on Saturday night. The Titans struck first with goals from Kristofers Krumins and Luke Schoen in the opening period, but Skogen Schrott answered for Watertown to make it 2-1 after one. In the second, New Jersey pushed its lead with tallies from Nikolas Doumas and Payton Struck, while Carter Sproule kept the Shamrocks within reach at 4-2 heading into the third. The Shamrocks closed the gap in the final frame on a goal from Carter Sproule, but Andrei Nikolaev shut the door late, finishing with 31 saves to secure the Titans’ win. Mason Gudridge made 24 stops for Watertown.

Bismarck 1 @ Maryland 5 - The Maryland Black Bears rolled past the Bismarck Bobcats 4-1 in a contest on Saturday night. Bismarck opened the scoring when Sokrat Markarian struck late in the first period, but Maryland answered almost immediately with Liam Doherty tying the game before the intermission. In the second, the Black Bears grabbed control as Jonathan Lanza found the back of the net to make it 2-1. Maryland sealed the game in the third with goals from Tanner Duncan and Ethan Ivers.

Elmira 3 @ North Iowa 2 - The Elmira Aviators edged the North Iowa Bulls 3-2 in a tightly contested matchup on Saturday night. Elmira struck first in the opening frame with Jack Kohlmann scoring twice to give the Aviators a 2-0 lead, before Parker Osborn answered for North Iowa to make it 2-1 after one. In the second period, Ivan Berčík tied the game at 2-2, keeping the Bulls in striking distance. The game-winning goal came in the third period from Cael Primanti, putting Elmira back on top. Vladimir Pechenin made 40 saves to preserve the victory, while Harry Byers finished with 7 saves for North Iowa on 10 shots.

Anchorage 3 @ Minot 7 - The Minot Minotauros cruised past the Anchorage Wolverines 7-3 on Saturday night. Minot jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first period with goals from Ty James and Michael Solominsky, countered only by Bowen Burke for Anchorage. In the second, Minot added a tally from Brady Zugec to extend the lead to 3-1. The third period belonged to the Minot offense, as Braeden Jockims scored twice and Artem Prima added another, while Tanner Guentensberger and Philip Wiklund contributed assists on key plays. Anchorage’s Rylan Bydal added two third-period goals, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap. Brian Cooke made 23 saves to secure the Minot win, while Liam Ernst finished with 16 stops for Anchorage.

Springfield 1 @ St. Cloud 5 - The St. Cloud Norsemen pulled away from the Springfield Jr. Blues with a 5-1 win on Saturday night. Springfield opened the scoring late in the third period on a goal from Zach Howard, but by then St. Cloud had already built a commanding lead. The Norsemen struck first in the opening period with William Esterbrooks, then added four second-period goals from Danny Hussa, Sam Crane, Wyatt Farrell, and Alex Sandhu to effectively put the game out of reach. Beck Liden was solid in net for St. Cloud, stopping 18 of 19 shots, while Springfield’s goaltenders combined for 23 saves on 36 shots.

Aberdeen 5 @ Fairbanks 2 - The Aberdeen Wings rolled past the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 5-2 on Saturday night. Fairbanks struck first with a goal from Dub Eunice III in the opening period, but Aberdeen responded with three second-period goals from Brody Dustin, Matthew Martin, and Sam Scheetz to take control. The Wings added two more in the third—Zan Spari-Leben and Charlie Burchfield—while Luke Osborn and Luca Ricciardi scored the lone Fairbanks goals in the second and third periods, respectively. Willum Braun made 15 saves for Aberdeen to earn the win, while Mason McElroy stopped 27 shots for Fairbanks.

Minnesota W 3 @ Austin 2 (SO) - The Minnesota Wilderness edged the Austin Bruins 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night. Austin opened the scoring with a first-period goal, and added another in the second to carry a 2-0 lead into the third. Minnesota battled back with two third-period goals from Talan Blanck and Caleb Kim to force overtime. After a scoreless OT, Caleb Kim converted in the shootout to secure the Wilderness win. Valdemar Andersen stopped 28 of 30 shots for Minnesota, while Andrew Bely made 24 saves for Austin.

USA NTDP 2 @ Rochester 1 - The USA National Team Development Program (NTDP) skated away with a 2-1 victory over the Rochester Jr. Americans on Saturday, picking up their second win of the season in a tightly contested matchup. Rochester drew first blood, capitalizing early in the opening period to take a 1-0 lead. But the NTDP responded in the second frame with two unanswered goals from Nolan Fitzhenry and Cannon Thibodeau, reclaiming control of the game. Despite being outshot 29-20 overall, NTDP relied on stellar goaltending from Eli Winters, who stopped 28 of 29 shots and kept his team in striking distance after the first-period deficit. Winters’ performance was a standout, including key saves on Rochester’s late push, ensuring the NTDP held on for the win. Rochester’s Jensen Carlstrom also played admirably in net, stopping 18 of 20 shots, but could not withstand the second-period surge.