Saturday Scores: The Warriors Edge Out a Shootout Victory

Photo Credit: Bella Deramo

Elmira 4 @ Danbury 3 (SO) - The Elmira Aviators went on the road to take on the Danbury Hat Tricks. In the opening period, the Hat Tricks would strike first with a goal from Luke Vanderroest, Peter Freel picking up the assist. With less than two minutes remaining in the first period, the Aviators would get on the board with an unassisted goal from Evan Dantas. In the second period, the Aviators would take their first lead of the game with an unassisted goal from Matt Maglio. The Aviators would then score their third consecutive goal with a power play goal from Evan Dantas, his second unassisted goal of the game. Before the end of the second period, the Hat Tricks would bring the game back within one, Ben Dempster scoring with an assist from Kai Elkie. In the final period, the Hat Tricks would score the game-tying goal, Matt Shpungin forcing overtime, Kai Elkie with his second assist of the game. In overtime, both defenses would hold strong, leading to a shootout. In the shootout, each team would have seven shots; three shots from the Hat Tricks were missed, and the other four were saved by Aviators keeper Aiden McKenna. For the Aviators, two of their shots were missed, and four of them were saved by Hat Tricks keeper Parker Stockseth, until Mason Montagna scored the game-winning goal for the Aviators. The Aviators defeat the Hat Tricks 4-3 in a shootout.

New Jersey 4 @ Philadelphia 1 - The New Jersey Titans secured a solid road victory, defeating the Philadelphia Rebels with a final score of 4-1. After opening the scoring in the first, the Titans took an early 3-0 lead with just under four minutes left in the second period. After the Rebels scored their only goal just 20 seconds after trailing by three, the Titans added a fourth goal, a power-play goal from Owen Leahy, to maintain their three-goal margin. Despite the Rebels outshooting the Titans 29-27, including a dominant 12-5 advantage in the final frame, they were unable to convert their offensive pressure into goals. This win confirms the New Jersey Titans remain winning and are a strong contender with a 17-9-1-2 record, while the Philadelphia Rebels continue struggling to gain traction in the division.

Rochester 3 @ New Hampshire 2 - The Rochester Jr. Americans went on the road to take on the New Hampshire Mountain Kings. In the first period, the Jr. Americans struck first with a goal from Tyler Wilmoth, Stone Rolston and Corson Maguire getting the assist. In the second period, the Jr. Americans would extend their lead to two with a goal from Stone Rolston, Keanan Dewberry and Dexter Kichline picking up the assist. The Mountain Kings would get on the board with an unassisted goal from Kaden Rehberger. The Jr. Americans would answer back with a power-play goal from Logan Keup, Corson Maguire and Dexter Kichline each getting their second assist of the game. In the final period, the Mountain Kings would score again to make it a one-point game. Aidan Petroff scored the goal and was assisted by McCarthy Richardson. The Jr. Americans wouldn’t let up another goal to hold onto the win. The Jr. Americans defeat the Mountain Kings 3-2 on the road.

Maryland 3 @ Northeast 1 - The Maryland Black Bears went on the road to take on the Northeast Generals. The game began with an opening goal from the Generals. Finn Connor scoring, Alejandro Blum picking up the assist. The Black Bears would answer with a power play goal from Jaden Sikura before the end of the opening period. Dominik Boltnar and Tanner Duncan are picking up the assist. In the second period, the Black Bears would take their first lead of the game, Lachlan Bommer scoring, getting an assist from Sokrat Markarian and Brady Anes. In the final period, the Black Bears would put the dagger in the Generals with a goal from Jaden Sikura, his second of the game. Joshua Frenette and Trey Hinton are picking up the assist. The Black Bears scored three straight goals to pick up a win on the road over the Generals 3-1.

Johnstown 3 @ Maine 2 (OT) - The Johnstown Tomahawks secured a narrow overtime victory on the road, defeating the Maine Nordiques with a final score of 3-2 in overtime. Johnstown established an early lead in the first period, with Charlie Zetterkvist scoring a power-play goal. Maine responded in the second period with a goal of their own, but the Tomahawks quickly regained the lead with a goal from Jack Klevby. The Nordiques successfully tied the game in the third period with less than 30 seconds on the clock, forcing the game into the extra frame. After dominating the shot totals 25-16, the Tomahawks were able to secure the victory in overtime with a goal from William Stewart. This tight win helps the Johnstown Tomahawks improve their record to 14-11-4-0, while the Maine Nordiques improve their standing by earning a point in the overtime loss.

Minnesota W 4 @ Chippewa 3 - After a dominant 8-2 win on Friday evening, the Minnesota Wilderness completed their perfect weekend in a much closer 4-3 victory against the Chippewa Steel. Despite a far more valiant effort from Chippewa, some last-minute heroics allowed Minnesota to leave Chippewa Ice Arena in the win column. Jackson Reeves got the night started for the Wilderness after he got in alone against the goaltender and found the back of the net. Just a minute later, Kevin Lysohir doubled the lead with a highlight reel snipe on a sharp angle. The déjà vu started to set in from Friday night, a game that also entered the first intermission with a 2-0 lead in favor of Minnesota, but Chippewa changed that trend. Just four minutes into the second frame, Anthony Preskar scored on the rush to break the shutout. Noah Dziver scored to make it 3-1 for the Wilderness, but Tom Manzella answered and cut the lead back to one. Just 17 seconds into the third period, Sam Schulte wired a puck to the back of the net from the point and evened the score. The tie lasted until the final minute, when Chippewa found themselves in a 5-on-3 penalty kill. Zachary Homer, the hero of the night, buried a cross-crease feed with 41 seconds remaining, and the contest ended at 4-3 in favor of the Wilderness. Although the Steel kept the game close, Minnesota dominated on paper. Shots were 31-17 in favor of the Wilderness, and Chippewa racked up a whopping 47 penalty minutes to Minnesota’s eight. With Minnesota being the top team in the Midwest division and Chippewa still trying to find its footing at the bottom, it was clear who the better team was in this contest.

Watertown 1 @ Austin 3 - The Austin Bruins hosted the Watertown Shamrocks for their sixth matchup of the season and second of the weekend. The Bruins had won their previous matchup 5-2 and held an overall record of 2-3 against the Shamrocks this season. The first period was mostly quiet, with the only goal coming from Shamrocks forward Joe Rice on the power play at 3:17. In the second period, the Bruins would take the lead with a goal at 4:47 from forward Austin Doyle, and a goal on the man advantage with three seconds remaining from forward Gavin Hruza. The score would remain 2-1 in the Bruins' favor for most of the third period. Watertown would pull their goaltender for the extra attacker. However, they were not able to tie up the score, and Hruza would score his second of the game with an empty-netter with 18 seconds remaining in the period to close the game 3-1 for the Bruins. Cody Butikis secured the win in the blue paint with a 34-save performance.

Fairbanks 4 @ Janesville 2 - The Janesville Jets hosted the Fairbanks Ice Dogs for their third matchup of the season and second matchup of the weekend. In their previous matchup, the Ice Dogs took the win 2-1. The first period was mostly quiet, with the only goal coming from Fairbanks forward Gage Leonard at 3:43. In the second period, the Ice Dogs extended their lead to two goals with a tally scored by forward Mack Diggins at 16:35. Fairbanks continued to extend their lead with a goal scored by forward Ian Christian at 9:21 minute mark. Janesville had teddy bears flying when Wyatt Ezman found the back of the net at 7:07. The scoring continued when forward Linus Jerbrant found twine at 4:34 to close Fairbanks’ lead to one. In the last minute of the second, Christian would score his second of the game for the Ice Dogs to end the period 4-2. No goals would be scored in the third period, and Fairbanks took both wins against the Jets this weekend. Mason McElroy started in net for Fairbanks and made 26 saves on 28 shots. Roman Baith started in net for Janesville and made 26 saves on 30 shots.

Corpus Christi 4 @ Amarillo 1 - The Amarillo Wranglers hosted the Corpus Christi IceRays for their second matchup of the season and weekend. On Friday, in their previous matchup, the Wranglers won 3-2. The first period was a quiet one, with neither team able to get on the board. In the second period, IceRays forward Jack Mackenzie scored at 13:33 to give his team the advantage. The Wranglers would tie up the game with a goal from forward Daniel Rassega at 4:41. A little over a minute later, the IceRays would capitalize on the power play, and forward Andrej Paricka would give Corpus Christi a one-goal lead to end the period. In the third period, the Wranglers were unable to come back from the goal deficit, and the IceRays would capitalize on their power play again with a goal from forward Chayse Laurie for his first of the season at 9:38. Amarillo would attempt to tie up the game by pulling their goaltender in the remaining minute of the game, but IceRays defenseman Marc-Alexandre Richard would score the empty-net goal to end the game 4-1 for Corpus Christi. Griffin Davis started in net for the IceRays and made 27 saves on 28 shots. Gavin Schahn started in net for Amarillo and made 25 saves on 28 shots.

Oklahoma 2 @ Odessa 1 (SO) - The Oklahoma Warriors edged out the Odessa Jackalopes in a tight defensive battle, securing a 2-1 victory in a shootout. The Warriors took the lead in the first period with an even-strength goal from Kyle Sorensen. Odessa responded in the second period with a goal from Caden Ghiossi, tying the score at 1-1. The game remained locked through the third period and overtime, despite the Jackalopes having a slight advantage in shots on goal with 43 to 42. Oklahoma really struggled to stay out of the box throughout the night, but their penalty kill played defense well, preventing any goals. The Warriors ultimately secured the win in the ensuing shootout. This victory confirms the Oklahoma Warriors remain winning with a 12-12-1-1 record, while the Odessa Jackalopes fall short in a tight contest, earning a point in the shootout loss.

North Iowa 3 @ Bismarck 6 - The Bismarck Bobcats hosted the North Iowa Bulls for the teams’ fourth matchup of the season and second matchup of the weekend. The Bobcats won their Friday match 5-2. In the first period, the first goal of the game, and only goal of the period, came from the Bobcats’ power play, with forward Camden Alemond scoring at 2:21. In the second period, the Bobcats extended their lead with forward Eddie Revenig scoring at 13:43. The Bulls would close the gap down to one following forward Ivan Berčík’s power-play goal at 9:54. The Bobcats would extend the lead back to two with a power-play goal scored by forward Frantisek Broz 34 seconds later to end the period 3-1 for the Bobcats. The third period saw no shortage of penalties, with North Iowa scoring first on their power play with a goal by forward Michael Malatino at 16:58. Bismarck’s Broz would score his second of the game on the power play at 4:48. The Bulls were given another opportunity to score on the power play, however, Bobcats forward Ben Rakowski would score an unassisted shorthanded goal at 2:57. The Bulls were able to score on the same power play 47 seconds later with a goal from defenseman Brody Dietz. Bobcats forward Gianni Divita would score an unassisted goal at 1:51 to end the game 6-3 for Bismarck. Marko Bilic started in the net for the Bobcats and made 30 saves on 33 shots. Harry Byers started in net for North Iowa and made 27 saves on 33 shots.

Minnesota M 3 @ Aberdeen 8 - The Aberdeen Wings hosted the Minnesota Mallards for their second matchup of the season and weekend. Aberdeen had won their previous game 8-1 on Friday. In the first period, the Wings would get off to a hot start with two goals scored by forward Sam Scheetz at 13:29 and 11:47. The Mallards would proceed to score their first of the game from forward Bryce Wiitala at 4:27. Minnesota would proceed to two power-play opportunities. However, during Minnesota’s first power play, Wings forward Owen Pitters scored a short-handed goal at 3:32, and Wings forward Caden Lee scored a short-handed goal at 1:36 during the second power play. The Mallards were finally able to capitalize on their power play with a goal from defenseman Jordan Fanti at 1:14. Aberdeen went into the second period with a 4-2 lead and would proceed to build on that lead. Wings forward Brody Dustin scored at 6:34, and forward Jibber Kuhl scored at 0:04. In the third period, Pitters would score his second of the game for the Wings on the power play at 19:04. His teammate, Dustin, would score his second of the game at 7:46. Minnesota forward Drew Bowe scored the third goal for the Mallards at 5:10. Aberdeen won the game 8-3 against Minnesota. Adam Dybal started in the net for the Wings and made 21 saves on 24 shots. Cody Niesen started in net for the Mallards and made 21 saves on 25 shots in the first period, before Adam Kimbrel closed out the last two periods with 11 saves on 15 shots.

New Mexico 2 @ Lone Star 1 (SO) - After a low-scoring contest on Friday night, the Brahmas and Ice Wolves kept that trend going in a Saturday night shootout thriller. This time around, the Ice Wolves came out on top and evened the weekend series. The first period came and went with no score, despite both teams getting opportunities on the power play. The first tally finally came in the second period when Maddox Tulacro scored on the man advantage off an excellent feed from Tyson Scanlon. This 1-0 Brahmas lead lasted until the final 10 seconds of regulation when Andy Earl scored a controversial goal that took some deliberation from the officials to confirm. Ultimately, the goal was upheld, and the game was sent to overtime. Overtime yielded no result as both goaltenders continued their great evenings, so a shootout was needed to decide this contest. The first two shooters for both squads were looked away, but Oskar Edberg broke that trend for the Ice Wolves. Vincent Gellar, with an opportunity to continue the shootout, missed the net entirely on his attempt, and the Ice Wolves left in the win column. Any time you have the top two teams in a given division square off against each other for a weekend, some outstanding hockey will come from it. This weekend, these two teams played some of the most fundamental, nose-to-the-grindstone hockey that we will see all season. Both teams secured a win on the weekend, but the Ice Wolves got the last laugh.

St. Cloud 1 @ Minot 5 - After a low-scoring contest that required overtime to decide, the Minot Minotauros made quick work of the St. Cloud Norsemen on home ice. After getting out to a hot start, the Minotauros' lead soon became insurmountable, and they snagged the weekend sweep. About four minutes into the first, Philip Wiklund got his excellent night started with a power-play goal and had the teddy bears flying. Five minutes later, he buried another, this time at even strength. Ivan Sidorov scored to secure his second point of the night, and Minot had a 3-0 lead after the first 20 minutes of this bout. The second period featured just one goal, and it was Alex Sandhu scoring the lone Norsemen goal of the evening. A goal early in the third period would likely decide the trajectory of this matchup, and thankfully for Minot, it was Ty James scoring just a minute and a half into the frame. Around the midpoint of the third, Wiklund completed the hat trick and put this game on ice. Philip Wiklund, in his first year in the NAHL, has posted a very respectable seven goals and 14 points in 22 games played. The 18-year-old from Sweden, although not posting monster stats this year, was the driving force of this Minot victory. Pair his stellar performance with a near-perfect evening from goaltender Brian Cooke, and the Minotauros finished off a successful homestand.

Shreveport 5 @ El Paso 4 (OT)  - After a tough 4-0 loss on home ice against the Mudbugs on Friday, the Rhinos responded with a gutsy win of their own in overtime. A strong 40-save performance from goaltender Logan Hughes gave the Rhinos a great opportunity to get back at Shreveport on home ice. About five minutes from the initial drop of the puck, Jonah Jasser placed a shot right over the pad of the goaltender to give the Mudbugs the first lead of the game. They then extended their lead on the power play courtesy of Johnathon Berndt, with some outstanding moves to enter the zone. Not even a minute later, El Paso responded with an excellent passing play that ended in an Ian Kastamo goal. The rest of the regulation scoring took place in the second period, and it started with Nolan Smith evening up the score at two. Duke Ehrhard responded to regain the Shreveport lead, but Gaige Giblin returned the score to even a few minutes later. The back and forth continued as Jeremiah Roberts scored with two and a half minutes remaining in the period, and Kamden Kaiser came right back to tie the game at four. The third period came and went, and overtime was required. El Paso was generating plenty in the overtime period, and that came to a head when Chase Nyitray got a drop pass from Kaiser and buried the game-winning goal. A win for Shreveport in regulation would have jumped them ahead of the Rhinos in the South Division, while a win in overtime would have tied them up. Regardless, the Rhinos needed a win to maintain sole possession of the third-place spot in the division, and they did.