Friday Finals: New Mexico Pick Up Big Road Win

Photo Credit: Zach Price

Philadelphia 6 @ Northeast 5 -  The Philadelphia Rebels earned a 6-5 road win over the Northeast Generals on Friday night at Canton Ice House, jumping out to an early lead with first-period goals from Alejandro Blum and Brayton Frick to take a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission. The Rebels extended their lead in the second period with a power-play goal from Kody Moyer before the Generals responded to keep the game close, and Philadelphia maintained a slim edge heading into the third. The final period featured back-and-forth scoring, with Billy Sheridan and Frick each adding goals for the Rebels while Northeast pushed late, but Philadelphia held on down the stretch to secure the win despite being outshot 28-27.

Rochester 5 @ New Jersey 2 - The Rochester Jr. Americans earned a 5-2 road win over the New Jersey Titans on Friday night at Middletown Sports Complex, opening the scoring early and building a 2-1 lead after the first period. Rochester took control in the second period with a pair of shorthanded goals from Adam Giunta to stretch the advantage, while New Jersey struggled to capitalize despite multiple power-play opportunities. The Titans got on the board again in the third, but Rochester scored on the empty net to put the game away, finishing with a 30-33 shot deficit but strong special teams play to secure the victory.

New Hampshire 2 @ Elmira 3 (SO) - The Elmira Aviators earned a 3-2 shootout win over the New Hampshire Mountain Kings on Friday night at LeCom Events Center, building an early lead with first-period goals from Max Campbell and Ilya Baldin. New Hampshire answered in the third period with a power-play goal from Ronnie Hill and a late equalizer from Van Martin to force overtime, outshooting Elmira 38-26 in the process. After a scoreless extra frame, the Aviators converted in the shootout to secure the victory and hold off the Mountain Kings’ late push.

Danbury 2 @ Maine 3 (OT) - The Maine Nordiques earned a 3-2 overtime win over the Danbury Hat Tricks on Friday night at Norway Savings Bank Arena, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Jack Klevby and Henry Butte. Danbury responded in the second and third periods with goals from Tanner Terranova and Lukas Zimovcak to force overtime, despite being heavily outshot throughout the game. Maine controlled play offensively and was rewarded when Joe Gasperko scored in overtime to secure the victory.

Johnstown 2 @ Maryland 5 - The Maryland Black Bears, one of the top teams in the East Division during the 2025–26 NAHL season, continued their strong play with a 5–2 win over the Johnstown Tomahawks, who entered the matchup battling in the middle of the division standings. Maryland wasted no time setting the tone in the first period, as Harrison Smith struck twice to give the Black Bears an early advantage. Smith opened the scoring at even strength before adding a power-play goal later in the frame. Jaden Sikura capped the opening period with another Maryland tally, giving the Black Bears a commanding 3–0 lead after one. Johnstown responded in the second period, getting on the board with a goal from Jack Genovese, cutting into the deficit and giving the Tomahawks some momentum. Maryland answered back, however, with Owen Drury restoring the three-goal cushion before the period came to a close. In the third period, Johnstown showed resilience as Domeniks Domokejevs scored to make it a 4–2 game, but Maryland quickly shut the door. Brady Anes netted the Black Bears’ fifth goal of the night, sealing the victory and reinforcing Maryland’s position near the top of the East Division standings. The win helped Maryland maintain separation from the pack in the East, while Johnstown continued its push to climb the standings as the season progressed. These two teams face off again tomorrow night at Piney Orchard Ice Arena.

Austin 3 @ St. Cloud 1 - The Austin Bruins, a Central Division contender during the 2025–26 NAHL season, used a strong special-teams performance to pull away late and earn a 3–1 road victory over the St. Cloud Norsemen. St. Cloud opened the scoring in the first period when Billy Biedermann found the back of the net, giving the Norsemen an early 1–0 lead and energizing the home crowd. Austin answered in the second period, as Kyle Sorensen netted his 26th goal of the season, evening the score and swinging momentum back toward the Bruins. The game tilted decisively in Austin’s favor during the third period, where the Bruins’ power play proved to be the difference. Siamion Marshchankok scored a power-play goal, his 23rd of the season, to give Austin its first lead of the night. Later in the period, Sam Kline added another power-play tally, providing insurance and sealing the win. With the victory, Austin continued to solidify its position near the top of the Central Division standings, while St. Cloud remained in pursuit of climbing back into the playoff mix as the season moved forward. These two teams will face off again tomorrow in what sets up to be an exciting game two.

Springfield 3 @ Chippewa 2 - The Springfield Jr. Blues earned a road win over the Chippewa Steel, outlasting Chippewa 4–2 in a Midwest Division matchup during the 2025-26 NAHLseason. Chippewa struck quickly in the first period, as Blake Graff scored just 41 seconds into the game, giving the Steel an early 1–0 advantage. Springfield answered in the second period with Brayden Sprickman tying the game before Michael Mathison responded for Chippewa to briefly regain the lead. The Jr. Blues closed the period strong, however, as James Marshall scored to even the game at 2–2 heading into the third. Springfield pulled ahead for good in the third period when Zach Howard found the back of the net, completing the comeback and securing the victory. Despite the loss, Chippewa goaltender Max Kogler delivered a strong performance, stopping 40 of 43 shots. On the other end, Amir Valiullin turned aside 22 of 24 shots for Springfield to help preserve the win. The result helped Springfield gain ground in the Midwest Division standings, while Chippewa continued its search for consistency as the season progressed.

Amarillo 4 @ Oklahoma 1 - Amarillo Wranglers secured the first goal of the game as Ty Izadi found Daniel Rassega breaking up the ice and sent him a pass as he entered the zone. Rassega fired a shot that Caden Hegarty collected on the rebound, scoring the lone goal of the first period to give the Amarillo Wranglers a 1–0 lead. Amarillo carried the momentum into the second period when Jake Thornton scored with assists from An Buors and Mason Lupo to extend the lead to 2–0. Oklahoma answered midway through the period as Jakub Kristek fed Bronson Sabol at the blue line, where Sabol’s shot cut the Wranglers’ lead to 2–1. Amarillo responded late in the period when Hegarty scored his second goal of the game, assisted by Izadi, to make it 3–1 heading into the second intermission. The third period featured back-and-forth action, but Izadi sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final seconds to secure a 4–1 victory. Oklahoma goaltender Billy Stuski made 24 saves in the loss. Amarillo netminder Casimir Weckstrom earned the win with a 32-save performance.

New Mexico 3 @ Corpus Christi 1 - The Corpus Christi IceRays struck first early in the opening period when Lucas Hihn found Jack Mackenzie behind the net. Mackenzie sent the puck to Nick Sinani, who finished into an open net to give the IceRays a 1–0 lead after one period. The second period featured back-and-forth play until the final minutes, when the New Mexico Ice Wolves tied the game. Sean Smith scored with assists from Andy Earl and Noah Teng, evening the score at 1–1 heading into the final 20 minutes. Both teams battled for the advantage until a late surge by New Mexico in the final five minutes. Jeremy Sprung scored with assists from Nayan Pai and Jacob Guille to give the Ice Wolves the lead. Andy Earl added an empty net goal with nine seconds remaining, assisted by Sean Gibbons, sealing a 3–1 victory. Corpus Christi goaltender Xander Miceli made 30 saves in the loss. New Mexico netminder Jackson Silverberg earned the win with a 25-save performance.

Minnesota M 0 @ North Iowa 5 - The North Iowa Bulls jumped out to an explosive start, opening the scoring within the first five minutes of the game. Ivan Berík scored with assists from Andrej Tomasec and Denis Hodas to give the Bulls a 1–0 lead. Lukas Yeck added to the advantage with a goal from the slot, set up by Denis Kuzmenkov and Niko Russ. North Iowa struck again shortly after when Michael Malatino scored with assists from Vitaliy Korolyuk and Fuji Suzuki, sending the Bulls into the first intermission with a 3–0 lead. The Bulls continued their momentum in the second period when Carter Davis collected the puck along the goal line and fed Berík, who buried his second goal of the game to make it 4–0 heading into the final 20 minutes. Denis Hodas capped the scoring in the third period, finishing a pass from Brody Dietz and Filip Rysz to seal a 5–0 victory for North Iowa. Minnesota Mallards goaltender Connor Mackenzie made 24 saves in the loss. North Iowa netminder Charlie Durkin earned the shutout with a 29-save performance.

Watertown 2 @ Bismarck 3 - After losing their last three matchups of January, the Bismarck Bobcats were ready for a comeback to start the month. Bismarck kept their offensive chances high, outshooting their opponent 29-12. However, this was still a close match. The Watertown Shamrocks' goalie, Mason Gudridge, made a strong 26 saves to back his team. Scoring started in the second period when Bismarck’s Nick Snyder scored his first goal of the season. George Poirier added another tally for the Bobcats just four seconds later to wrap up the second period. Snyder scored his second of the match to start the final period. Kyle Greene responded for the Shamrocks, assisted by Justin Bartley and Joe Rice. Erick Comstock capped off the scoring with a power-play goal for the Shamrocks to make the final score 3-2. Marko Bilic was in the net for the Bobcats, playing in his eleventh game of the season.

El Paso 2 @ Odessa 1 - Currently ranked second in the South Division, the El Paso Rhinos earned their third straight win on Friday in a close match against the Odessa Jackalopes. After a quiet first period, Rhinos' Aidan Bergner struck early in the second period to get the Rhinos on the board. El Paso’s Ethan Woolcott scored next in the third, capitalizing on one of many power-play opportunities for both teams in the final twenty minutes. Carson Lynch scored Odessa's lone goal with 11:27 left on the clock, also on a power play. Throughout the match, both teams created numerous scoring chances, but it was the Rhinos' defense that secured them the win. Both goaltenders also had strong performances. Ben Vatis was in the net for Odessa, making a total of 30 saves. For the Rhinos, Michael Modelski made 35 saves and ended the game with a .972 save percentage to secure victory for his team.

Wisconsin 2 @ Minnesota W 4 - Despite being outshot 20-16 by the Wisconsin Windigo, the Minnesota Wilderness came out on top with a 4-2 win at home. Minnesota opened the scoring, controlling the first period with two goals. Talan Blanck scored first, followed by Zachary Homer. Theo Kiss added another for the Wilderness in the second period. Wisconsin responded with two goals of its own late in the middle frame. The first came from Alexios Georgaklis off the stick of Henry Steele before Thomas Quast netted another to make the score 3-2 at the end of the second. In an attempt to even the score, the Windigo pulled goaltender Easton Cody late in the third. However, the Wilderness ended up extending its lead. Avery Anderson scored on an empty net with just 34 seconds left in the game. Valdemar was between the pipes for Minnesota, making 18 saves in his nineteenth win of the season.

Minot 2 @ Aberdeen 1 - The Minot Minotauros secured their first win of February against the Aberdeen Wings. It was a close match on Friday night with the Tauros scoring first. Trevor Stewart scored on a power play with a little under two minutes left in the period. Briggs Orr responded for the Wings early in the second, scoring his first of the season, assisted by teammates Brody Dustin and Owen Pitters. Lucca Ori scored the game-winning goal for Minot with just 43 seconds left in the game. Chase Anderson was in net for Minot and made 29 saves, ending the match with a .967 save percentage

Shreveport 3 @ Lone Star 0  - The Lone Star Brahmas brought an aggressive offensive effort on Friday, while the Shreveport Mudbugs held firm behind strong defense and goaltending. Shreveport opened the scoring with an early second-period goal from Liam Wolf-Taulbee, followed by another goal later in the middle frame from Jonah Jasser. Defenseman Remy Pusateri scored the final goal for Shreveport in the third to extend the Mudbugs' lead with an empty netter. Ethan Phillips was in the crease for the Mudbugs, battling 36 shots from the division-leading Brahmas to secure a shutout win and earn the first star of the game. This is Phillips' third win with Shreveport.

Anchorage 1 @ Fairbanks 7 - The Fairbanks Ice Dogs dominated on home ice against their in-state rival, the Anchorage Wolverines. The opening frame featured a trio of goals by the Ice Dogs. Kyle Rohrer found the back of the net first on the power play. Following him was Dean Andrews five minutes later. Finally, Oliver Barna sealed the third tally with a goal on the man advantage. Moving into the second period, the Ice Dogs would score another trio of goals, this time by different skaters. First, Ice Dogs’ recent newcomer, Thomas Gunderson, finds twine with 14 minutes on the clock. Later in the period, the Ice Dogs would feature back-to-back goals, with Matthew Volkman lighting the lamp at the 2:54 minute mark. Following him 30 seconds later, Jace Sebert scores an unassisted tally to give the Ice Dogs a 6-0 advantage. Moving into the final frame, the Wolverines would show up on the scoresheet with a goal by Harout Arutyunyan at the 3:59 minute mark. However, the Ice Dogs would score once more, this time the captain, Luca Ricciardi, finding twine with three minutes to spare in the final frame. The  Ice Dogs would skate away with a big 7-1 win. Between the pipes, Mason McElroy stopped 23 out of 24 shots on net to pick up the win.