Friday Finals: Corpus Christi Secures Seventh-Straight Win in Overtime Thriller

Chippewa 1 @ Wisconsin 5 - The Chippewa Steel traveled to chilly Brookfield, Wisconsin to take on the Wisconsin Windigo in only their second meeting of the season. The Windigo started the scoring at 13:17 of the first on a power-play goal by Ryan Mottau. The Windigo would strike again with two more goals at 9:18 and 4:35 by Joshua Sardo to take a 3-0 lead over the Steel into the first intermission. In the second, the Steel found their footing with a power-play goal by Boone Kindseth, just his second of the season, with six minutes left in the period, to cut the deficit to two. The Windigo would regain their three-goal lead with just seven seconds left on a goal by Riley Joslin, to make the score 4-1. The third only saw one goal with the Windigo’s McCarthy Richardson finding the net one last time to seal the 5-1 win for the home team.

Maryland 3 @ Northeast 1 - The Maryland Black Bears continue to build on their dominating season with a huge road victory Friday night over the Northeast Generals by a score of 3-1. Maryland went up early in the affair and held on defensively to pull out with the win. Early in the first, Owen Drury was able to find the back of the net first for Maryland, off the assists from Jaden Sikura and Samuel Osei. Later on, Brayden Wade was able to add on for the Black Bears with the assists from Drury and Logan Deuling, making it a 2-0 game heading into intermission. In the second, Ryan Franks was able to add on to the lead and make it a three-goal game; Tanner Duncan and Sokrat Markarian had the assists on the tally. The score would stay the same way until late in the third, when Spencer Hirsch was able to break the shutout for Maryland and get the Generals on the board. The assists on the score came from Kody Moyer and Jack Montaldo, as the game ended in a 3-1 result. In net, Will Mizenko fought hard for Northeast as he turned away 25 shots in the loss against a tough Maryland squad. For the Black Bears, Ryan Denes delivered an incredible performance as he stopped 29 shots and secured another win for his squad. This year, Maryland now notches a phenomenal 32nd win on the season, while Northeast drops their 14th loss for the year, hoping to bounce back tomorrow.

Danbury 4 @ New Jersey 1 - The Danbury Hat Tricks crushed the Jersey Titans on the road on Friday evening's slate. As for the scoring, we would have to wait until later in the second period for that, as Danbury got on the board first. Peter Freel took matters into his own hands to light the lamp first. However, minutes later, Skogen Schrott responded for the Titans and tied the game when he buried Ty Creech’s rebound. But then, with 39 seconds on the clock, Pat Ula grabbed the go-ahead lead for the Hatricks before heading into the third. In the third, the Hatricks took it from there, as Kai Elkie extended the lead. Then, 14 minutes later, Ben Dempster buried the empty net goal to seal a win over Jersey.

Maine 0 @ New Hampshire 5 - The New Hampshire Mountain Kings dominated at home Friday night, pulling away from the Maine Nordiques with a decisive 5-0 victory. Fueled by a strong offensive start and solid defensive effort, New Hampshire was able to take down a very good Maine squad. Nico Pasquale kicked off the scoring in the affair with a goal of his own, off the assists from Nicolas Vrtiel and Aidan Petroff, to give New Hampshire the 1-0 lead. Cael Knutson added onto the lead later in the period, with Alex Gelharand Kaden Rehberger helping set up the tally. In the second, Knutson notched his second of the night to give the Mountain Kings a secure 3-0 lead. They weren’t done yet, however, as New Hampshire started to pour it on; Alex Nasreddine found the back of the net with the assists from Pasquale and Tomislav Brennan. A few minutes later, Cole Roenick put the nail in the coffin on the power play off the assist from Van Martin, making it a 5-0 game as the rest of the contest remained a defensive shutout. In net, New Hampshire’s Nolan Francis put up a tremendous game, stopping 29 shots in the victory and securing a big 12th win for this Mountain Kings team. On the other side, Maine now drops their 11th loss of the year as they hope to bounce back tomorrow on the road.

Rochester 5 @ Johnstown 0 - The Rochester Jr. Americans paid a little visit to Johnstown to dominate over the Tomahawks, with Florian Wade and Jensen Carlstrom grabbing the shutout victory. Carlstrom served the last 20 minutes between the pipes, stopping six shots, while Wade made 18 in 40 minutes. In the first period, Konnor Powell opened the scoring after wristing one through the pocket, with Cameron Doran and Maxim St. Pierre grabbing the assists. From the middle frame, Owen King got it rolling while empty-handed. Shortly after, Colin Dustin would bury Adam Gionta’s rebound for the un-needed insurance. For the third, King would grab another one for his ‘shorty from a two-on-one with Sam Schulte while short-handed. Then, seven minutes later, Stone Rolston sealed the deal for the Amerks.

Elmira 2 @ Philadelphia 5 - On a home ice thriller, the Philly Rebels knocked out the Elmira Aviators to start out this weekend. The club got things started in the second when Alex Lunski opened the scoring. After that, they scored four more unanswered points and made the second half the highlight of the night. Mikey Conlon made it two-nothing after making use of Joe Stauber’s saucer pass. Then, minutes later, he would light the lamp up again. Four minutes later, they kept the wheels rolling, as Joe Stauber would tip in a shot from Justin Vlassis. And not even a minute after, Jordan Brothers would call it a night for the scoring when he sniped one in. For the third, the Aviators took over but didn't muster enough for a lead or a tie. Likewise, at 5:54, Yianni Koukouves broke the shutout dreams for Philly, and shortly after, Shawn Laperriere called it a night with a final score of 5-2.

North Iowa 4 @ Watertown 0 - Similar to the Amerks from Friday night, the North Iowa Bulls shut out the home club, Watertown Shamrocks, in an unlucky night for the home crowd. The shutout dream was flipped on in the third period, as the scoring got started after over 40 minutes of hockey. Andrej Tomasec opened the score a minute into the frame, after Brody Dietz and Drake Maresca. Minutes later, they would jailbreak one through, as Fugi Suzuki grabbed a shorty with Dietz chipping in. Ten minutes in, and Jack Holland forced a turnover to score past Watertown’s netminder. And to cap it off, Zach Howard would knock in the empty-netter while short-handed to call it a night in Watertown

Aberdeen 2 @ St. Cloud 4 - The St. Cloud Norsemen pulled off the home victory Friday night over the Aberdeen Wings by a score of 4-2. In what was a back-and-forth contest, the Norsemen were able to take control of the game in the third period. After a scoreless and uneventful first period, Christian Garrity was able to get on the board first for St. Cloud, finding a score off the assist from Dante Rodriguez. A few minutes later, Wyatt Farrell added on with a power-play goal to extend the lead to two, with assists from Garrity and William Esterbrooks. Aberdeen answered back with a tally from Taven James off assists from Charlie Burchfield and Briggs Orr to make it a one-goal game again. Before the end of the second, Matthew Martin tied the game back up for the Wings with a goal of his own. In the third, Garrity had the answer for St. Cloud, finding the back of the net off a pass from Farrell. Late in the frame, Sam Crane was able to put the finishing touches on the game, burying a goal off the feed from Billy Biedermann to make it a 4-2 final. In net, Beck Liden put up a tremendous performance as he turned away 38 shots and helped clinch the win for the Norsemen. For St. Cloud, they notch win number 13 on the season, while for Aberdeen, they now drop to their 10th loss for the year.

Minnesota M 1 @ Austin 4 - In an in-state battle in the State of Hockey, the Austin Bruins host the Minnesota Mallards for a Friday night contest. The game opened up with the Bruins striking first. Austin’s Michael Coleman finds twine at the 5:47 minute mark of the opening period. The second featured the Bruins adding to their lead, this time Gavin Hruza lighting the map with 12:34 on the clock. As the contest moved into the final frame, the Mallards would show up on the scoresheet thanks to a tally by Wes Berg in the first four minutes of the period. Following him 12 minutes later would be Hruza scoring his second of the night. Finally, in the last 1:22 of the game, Austin’s captain, Nathan Williams, would add insurance to the Bruins’ lead with a short-handed empty-netter. Austin would skate away with a 4-1 victory, and between the pipes, Jack Solomon spotlighted a 34-save performance.

Springfield 1 @ Janesville 5 - The Janesville Jets return to the lower 48 to host the Springfield Jr. Blues for a weekend series. The opening period of the contest was scoreless as both teams traded chances. The second frame would tell a very different story. The Jets would take flight with four back-to-back goals scored. First, Dain Gordon would score his first tally of the season at the 18:48 minute mark for Janesville. Following him seven minutes later was the captain, Joseph Hyten, who would add to the Jets' lead. The scoring would continue, this time with a power-play goal by Matthew Dedecko at the 7:43 minute mark. Finally, a little over 45 seconds later, the captain, Hyten, would light the lamp once again. With a 4-0 lead, Springfield was looking to respond. The Jr. Blues would show up on the scoresheet with 4:40 left on the clock in the second, thanks to Logan Sutton scoring his eighth of the season. As the final period commenced, Janesville’s Kade Meyer would score his first goal of the season midway through the period. The Jets would extend their winning ways to four-straight games with this 5-1 victory. Playing in the blue paint for Janesville, Kaenan Smith dominated and stopped 23 out of 24 shots on net.

Odessa 4 @ Corpus Christi 5 (OT) - It was a Texas-sized showdown at the American Bank Center as the Corpus Christi IceRays played host to the Odessa Jackalopes. The contest kicked off with Charles Norris III lighting the lamp first for the IceRays. The Jackalopes would respond by tallying two goals. First, Alex Thomas would notch his 10th of the season at the 8:28 minute mark. Following him two minutes later, Caden Ghiossi would add to the Jackalopes lead. With 3:43 on the clock in the first, Corpus Christi’s Lucas Hihn tallied his first goal of the season to even the scoreboard. However, the Jackalopes would once again take the lead in the opening period. Chris Graves would light the lamp with 2:37 to spare in the first frame. Heading into the middle period, the IceRays would look to stay tight in the contest, and midway through the frame, Alexandr Skuratov scored to even the contest 3-3. Heading into the third period, the Jackalopes would immediately light the lamp with a power-play goal by Jeremy Jacobs. However, the IceRays would strike back once again. Corpus Christi’s Hihn scores his second of the night, marking his first two-goal performance of the season. With the contest forced into overtime, both teams were putting everything on the line for a full two points. With 3:13 left in overtime, Easton Swift finds twine for the IceRays, lifting his team to their seventh-straight victory of the season.

Bismarck 5 @ Minot 4 (OT) - The Bismarck Bobcats traveled to Minot to face the Minotauros in a battle of North Dakota teams. The Bobcats are undefeated 4-0-0-0 in the season series. Bismarck struck first on a goal by Oscar Jonsson, his first of the season, for the 1-0 lead. In the second, the Tauros would answer back with six minutes left on a goal by Volodymyr Naumenko to tie it up at one. The Tauros would strike again with 17 seconds left in the second on a goal by Davin Nichols to take the 2-1 lead into the third. The Bobcats would add two more goals in three minutes at the start of the third to take back the lead 3-2. Shortly after, Dane Ramirez would tie it up at three for the Tauros. With six minutes left in regulation, Evan Foiles would take the lead for the Tauros, his third of the season. However, the Bobcats would not rest and found the net with just under two minutes in regulation on a goal by George Poirier, tying the game up at four. Sixty minutes were not enough for this rivalry, and the game went to overtime. Eddie Revenig would prove to be the overtime hero for the Bobcats, assisted by Holden Gallagher and Noah Ziskie for the 5-4 win over the Tauros.

Amarillo 1 @ El Paso 2 (SO) -  The Amarillo Wranglers traveled to the El Paso Rhinos for a Friday evening matchup. The Rhinos currently hold a 4-2-0-0 edge in the season series. It didn’t take long for the Wranglers to find twine as Caden Hegarty, assisted by Daniel Rassega and Ty Izadi, got the Wranglers on the board first, just thirty seconds in. The rest of the period would see no scoring. In the second, the Rhinos would answer back five minutes into the period on a goal by Jacob Solano, assisted by Aidan Bergner and Jackson Potulny to tie it at one a piece. Neither team could find the net before regulation ended. Overtime was needed to end this one. Neither team could score in overtime, and the game went to the shootout. The El Paso Rhinos ultimately won on a shootout goal by Troy Hunka to seal the 2-1 win over the Wranglers. Wranglers goalie Charles Antoine-Girard saved 38 of 39 shots for a 0.974 save percentage. El Paso goalie Michael Modelski saved 30 of 31 shots on goal for a save percentage of 0.968.

Minnesota W 4 @ Fairbanks 1 - The Minnesota Wilderness continued their Alaskan road trip in Fairbanks, squaring off with the Ice Dogs. The first frame was scoreless with both teams trading chances. Fairbanks outshot Minnesota 11-6. The middle frame featured the Wilderness lighting the lamp, thanks to a tally by Andrei Gudin at the 8:02 minute mark. The second period would showcase Minnesota's dominance on the ice. The Wilderness outshot the Ice Dogs 14-1. In the final frame, Minnesota would score a trio of goals to give their team a decisive victory. First, Avery Anderson would find twine midway through the period. In the final two minutes of the contest, Noah Dziver would score a short-handed empty-netter. 30 seconds later, the Ice Dogs would light the lamp thanks to a power-play tally by Gage Leonard. Finally, with 34 seconds on the clock, Minnesota would add insurance. Adel Akhmadeev would score his first goal of the season in a short-handed, empty-netter fashion. The Wilderness skated away with a 4-1 victory. Between the pipes for Minnesota, Valdemar Andersen stopped 22 out of 23 shots, lifting his team to a win.

Anchorage 3 @ Kenai River 4 - In a battle for the Alaska Airlines Club 49 Cup points, the Anchorage Wolverines head to play the Kenai River Brown Bears on Friday night. The opening period spotlighted the Wolverines striking first. Anchorage’s Harout Arutyunyan scores his first junior goal of his career with a tally at the 17:35 minute mark. Two minutes later, Kenai River’s Jacob Stock evens the scoreboard with a goal around the 15-minute mark. The Wolverines would continue to rage this time with an unassisted goal by Jason Bourdukosky a few minutes later. The Brown Bears would continue to light the lamp this time in back-to-back fashion in the final five minutes of the opening period. First, Parker Newman finds twine with 4:48 on the clock. 16 seconds later, Joe Gillespie scores for Kenai River, giving his team the edge heading into the first intermission. The second period was quiet until midway through the frame. The captain, Cole Frawner, would show up on the scoresheet with a tally at the 9:51 minute mark. In the final moments of the period, Gillespie would score his second of the night in game-winning fashion for the Brown Bears. This Kenai River victory marks their first against Anchorage this season.