Friday Finals: The Battle for Number One Continues in the Central Division

Photo Credit: Toby Newton

New Hampshire 1 @ Danbury 5 - The Danbury Hat Tricks hosted the New Hampshire Mountain Kings last night at Danbury Ice Arena, where they earned a decisive 5-1 victory. The Hat Tricks had a strong offensive start to the match as Kai Elkie, Jeremy Sprung, and Josh Williams each found the back of the net to gain an early 3-0 lead after the opening frame. They extended their lead in the second period with a goal scored by Matt Shpungin. Danbury earned a final tally in the third period: a power-play goal notched in by Shpungin. With seven minutes left in the contest, New Hampshire responded with a goal. Tomislav Brennan notched in the only goal for the Mountain Kings on the power play to end the contest with a 5-1 loss. Jon Dukaric had a productive night in net for the Hat Tricks with 35 saves, and Gavin Weeks and Jake Kunzon had a combined 25 saves for the Mountain Kings. The teams will face each other again today at 1:00pm for another exciting matchup.

Rochester 6 @ New Jersey 5 - The Rochester Jr. Americans took on the New Jersey Titans in a thrilling matchup at Middletown Sports Complex, where they earned a 6-5 victory. The Titans got on the board first with a goal from Tate Pecknold scored halfway through the opening frame. Konner Powell responded for the Jr. Americans with a power-play goal. New Jersey bounced back with back-to-back goals to regain the lead as Nathan Walsh and Skogen Schrott notched a pair in to end the period. Cameron Doran tallied the only goal of the second period, earning a point for the Jr. Americans to head into the final frame down by one. The Titans opened the scoring in the final period with another goal from Schrott. The Jr. Americans responded with four goals scored by Powell, Ryan Shaw, and two from Colin Dustin. Blake Jones earned the final point for the Titans, but it was not enough to come back as they ended the night with a 6-5 loss. Jensen Carlstrom defended Rochester between the pipes with 21 saves, and Andrei Nikolaev earned 28 saves in net for New Jersey. The clubs will face each other again at 5:30pm today for what is sure to be another exciting battle.

Northeast 3 @ Philadelphia 2 (SO) - In an exciting matchup at Hollydell, the Northeast Generals defeated the Philadelphia Rebels 3-2 in a shootout. The Generals got on the board early in the contest with a goal scored by Spencer Hirsch from a pass by Alec Hall; the Rebels soon responded as Bradyen Frick tallied one in from a pass by Marshall Swanson. It was not until the end of the second frame that anyone would find the back of the net, and Kody Moyer notched a power-play goal for Northeast to regain the lead. With two minutes left in regulation, Philadelphia’s Dylan Moran found the back of the net to tie the match. After six rounds of a shootout, Northeast’s Vinny Ipri scored to secure the victory for the Generals. It was a productive night in net as Will Mizenko earned 30 saves for Northeast, and Ilja Nikitins made 39 saves for Philadelphia.

Elmira 5 @ Maryland 4 (OT) - The Elmira Aviators took an exciting overtime victory against the Maryland Black Bears last night at Piney Orchard Ice Arena. After a scoreless first period, the Black Bears got on the board first with back-to-back goals scored by Harrison Smith. The Aviators responded with four goals of their own, scored by Matt Maglio, Jack Laferriere, Jack Kohlmann, and Ilya Baldin, for a productive middle frame. Maryland tied up the match with back-to-back goals from Ryan Franks in the third period, and the contest went to overtime. Evan Dantas secured the win for the Aviators in overtime with his goal scored from a pass by Andrew Horn. Elmira’s Aiden McKenna helped defend their victory in net with 46 saves, and Maryland’s Ryan Denes and Dom Gatto collected 24 saves in total.

Maine 2 @ Johnstown 1 - Maine earned a 2-1 overtime win over Johnstown on Friday night. After a scoreless first period, the Nordiques opened the scoring midway through the second on a power-play goal from Rylan Oster, assisted by Marshall McCharles and Cole Estey. Johnstown tied the game early in the third when Sean Leetch scored off a feed from Nick Metelkin. The game went to overtime, where Austin Borggaard netted the game-winner just a minute into the extra frame to secure the win for Maine.

Aberdeen 2 @ St. Cloud 3 (OT) - St. Cloud picked up a 3-2 overtime victory over Aberdeen on Friday night. After a scoreless first period, St. Cloud struck first in the second on a goal from Samuel Misak, assisted by William Esterbrooks. Aberdeen responded minutes later with a power-play goal from Easton Edwards, set up by Owen Pitters and Cooper Anderson. The teams traded goals again in the third, as Anthony Ciaramitaro scored for Aberdeen before Sam Crane tied it for St. Cloud. Crane ended the game in overtime, scoring off a feed from Tanner Hunt.

El Paso 2 @ Oklahoma 5 - Oklahoma earned a 5-2 win over El Paso on Friday night. The Warriors opened the scoring with two first-period goals from Kyle Sorensen and Dominik Kiss before El Paso responded late in the frame with a goal from Ethan Woolcott. After a scoreless second period, Oklahoma broke the game open in the third. Mack Blue and Joey DeRosa scored early before El Paso cut into the deficit on a power-play goal from Kamden Kaiser. Jakub Galnor added a late insurance goal for Oklahoma to seal the win.

Janesville 4 @ Chippewa 2 - Janesville skated past Chippewa with a 4-2 road win on Friday night. The Jets jumped out to an early lead with first-period goals from Wyatt Ezman and Joseph Hyten. Chippewa closed the gap early in the second when Anthony Preskar scored, but Janesville answered minutes later on a goal from Sean Truby. The Steel pulled within one again on a power-play goal from Lucas Mann, but Connor Hillig struck on the power play early in the third to cap the scoring and lock in the win for Janesville.

Minot 3 @ Minnesota M 2 - A war in Watford was brewing as both teams hit the road for a special series. The Minotauros rebranded to the Warthogs this weekend and faced off with the Minnesota Mallards. The contest kicked off with the Mallards lighting the lamp first, thanks to a tally by Ty Gordon at the 4:52-minute mark in the opening frame. That lead was short-lived because the Warthogs responded with a tally less than 30 seconds later by Dane Ramirez. Moving into the second frame, Minnesota’s Bryce Wiitala finds twine for the Mallards and secures them a 2-1 lead early in the second period. With 1:16 left on the clock in the middle frame, Braeden Jockims lights the lamp for the Warthogs, tying up the contest 2-2. As the final frame commenced, but teams traded chances, looking to secure the game-winning goal. With four minutes on the clock, Jockims finds the back of the net once again, this time on the power play for the Warthogs. The Mallards fall 3-2, on the hunt to respond on Saturday.

Bismarck 2 @ Austin 3 - The Bobcats and the Bruins are in a tight race for the top spot of the Central Division standings. Prior to the contest the teams were tied in first. The matchup kicked off with the Bruins lighting the lamp first at the Riverside Arena. Austin’s Gavun Hruza finds the back of the net at the 6:47 minute mark in the opening frame, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission. The second period was looking like it was going to be a scoreless affair, however, while on the power play, Matsvei Marshchanok scored thanks to a setup by his twin, Siamion Marshchanok and the captain, Nathan Williams. With a 2-0 deficit the Bobcats were looking to claw back in the final frame. Three minutes into the period, Bismarck’s Charlie Kresl lit the lamp on the man advantage to cut Austin’s lead in half. That would last for about six minutes before Siamion Marshchanok scores one for himself thanks to a power play assist by his twin, Matsvei Marshchanok. With less than three minutes on the clock, Bismarck Royce Pietila scores on the man advantage to bring the Bobcats within one of the Bruins. However, the late-game heroics would not be enough and the Bruins would extend their winning ways to six straight games. Between the pipes for Austin, Jack Solomon was a workhorse for his team. He stopped 53 out of 55 shots on net, helping to lift his team to a big-time victory.

Kenai River 5 @ Springfield 4 - The Kenai River Brown Bears came out flying in the first period, striking twice in the opening five minutes to seize early control. Massimiliano Monson opened the scoring with an unassisted goal before Koen Burkholder added another, finishing a setup from Joel Hanson to make it 2–0. Kenai River continued to press, and Carter McCormick extended the lead to 3–0 midway through the frame off a feed from Parker Newman. Springfield broke through late in the period on a power play when Zach Howard buried a shot with assists from Brady Turner and Drew Berres, trimming the deficit to 3–1 heading into the first intermission. The Jr. Blues carried that momentum into the second period, where Brayden Sprickman took over. Sprickman scored twice in the frame—his first coming early off an assist from James Marshall, and his second in the final minute off a setup from Howard—to tie the game at 3–3 after 40 minutes. Kenai River regained its footing in the third when David Greene broke the deadlock with a goal early in the period. The Brown Bears added insurance late, with Dario Lass scoring an empty-netter to stretch the lead to 5–3. Springfield made one final push, and Sprickman completed his hat trick with an unassisted goal in the last 15 seconds, but the Jr. Blues couldn’t find the equalizer as Kenai River held on for a 5–4 victory. Amir Valiullin made 23 saves for Springfield, while Alex Reedy stopped 36 shots to backstop the Brown Bears to the win.

Watertown 4 @ North Iowa 1 - Zach Boren opened the scoring for the Watertown Shamrocks, netting the lone goal of the first period off assists from Kyle Greene and Owen Chartier midway through the frame. The Bulls answered in the second period when Drake Maresca buried a shot to tie the game at 1–1, with Zachary Howard and Parker Osborn picking up the assists. The score held through the remainder of the period as both teams tightened defensively heading into the final 20 minutes. The Shamrocks broke the stalemate early in the third when Boren struck again, recording his second goal of the night with help from Greene and Carter Sproule. Desperate to even the score, the Bulls pulled their goaltender in the closing minutes, but Watertown capitalized. Owen Fask scored into the empty net off a pass from Justin Bartley, and moments later, Grady Dimberio added a second empty-netter assisted by Edvins Berzins, sealing a 4–1 victory for the Shamrocks. Harry Byers made 16 saves for the Bulls, while Mason Gudridge stopped 24 shots to secure the win for Watertown.

Shreveport 1 @ Amarillo 2 (SO) - The Amarillo Wranglers found their victory over the Shreveport Mudbugs in the form of a shootout. Each team scored once in regulation. Evan Hoglund scored in the first for the Mudbugs, assisted by Grayson Gerhard and Jeremiah Roberts. Jake Boulanger scored later in the third on the power play for the Wranglers, assisted by Daniel Rassega and Caden Hegarty. Ultimately, it was a shootout goal from Alfons Jentler that earned the win for the Wranglers. Charles Antoine-Girard was in net for Amarillo, he saw a total of 23 shots from the Mudbugs. He faced three attempts during the shootout, stopping two while the third missed the net.

Corpus Christi 5 @ Odessa 3 - The Odessa Jackalopes hosted the Corpus Christi IceRays at Ector County Coliseum on Friday night. However, it was the visiting team that walked away with a win. The IceRays started this game hot with two early goals from Justin Thibault and Easton Swift. The Jackalopes answered back with two of their own from Nicholas Arrington and Gabe Pankratz to tie the game up at the end of the first. The middle frame saw less action with just a single goal from Corpus Christi’s Jonathan Cifaldi. Corpus Christi’s Chase Nehring netted his seventh of the season to start the final period, followed by another for the IceRays from Johnny Maruna. Daniel Kuczkowski finished the game with a final goal for the Jackalopes. Despite a strong offensive effort from Odessa, Corpus Christi secured a 5-3 win with Vladislav Bryzgalov in net. Bryzgalov made 51 saves and earned his ninth win of the season for the IceRays. 

Lone Star 3 @ New Mexico 4 - The New Mexico Ice Wolves got a win at home taking on the Lone Star Brahmas on Friday. Andy Earl scored twice for Ice Wolves late in the first, both short-handed. Earl is currently on track for a point-per-game season, having played 25 games with a total of 26 points. Sean Smith added another for the Ice Wolves in the second, before Vladimir Saibel earned Lone Star's first tally of the game to finish off the middle frame. Christian Venticinque and Vincenzo Capano scored two more for the Brahmas in the third. Aiden Connell scored the game winner in his NAHL debut, earning New Mexico a 4-3 win.

Minnesota 5 @ Fairbanks 2 - The Minnesota Wilderness earned an impressive win on the road against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. Minnesota played a strong first period, scoring three times on six shots, goals came from Kevin Lysohir, Avery Anderson, and Talan Blanck on a penalty kill. In the second, Fairbanks responded with two of their own. The first for Fairbanks from Gabe Ruiz before Matthew Volkman added a second tally late in the middle. In the final twenty minutes, Minnesota followed a similar script to the opening frame. This time, the Wilderness made a total of three shots and scored twice. Anderson netted his second of the night and River Freeman scored on an empty net to finish off the game. Valdemar Andersen played a strong game between the pipes, finishing with 37 saves to secure this 5-2 win for the Wilderness.