Friday Finals: Corpus Christi Extends Their Winning Ways with a Shootout Victory

New Hampshire 2 @ Maryland 8 -The Maryland Black Bears hosted the New Hampshire Mountain Kings for their fifth matchup of the season. The Black Bears won all of their previous matchups. The Black Bears got off to a hot start in the first period with forward Tanner Duncan scoring at 16:49. Black Bears forwards Brayden Wade scored at 16:07, Duncan scored his second of the game at 11:26, and Trey Hinton scored at 9:17. New Hampshire Forward Alec Nasreddine scored the Mountain Kings’ first of the game with an unassisted goal at 8:43. Maryland forward Logan Dueling scored with four minutes remaining in the period to extend the Black Bears’ lead to four goals before New Hampshire forward Aidan Petroff scored an unassisted goal at 2:26 to end the period 5-2 with the Black Bears in the lead. In the second period, Maryland forward Dominik Boltnar scored on the power play at 7:46 and forward Joshua Frenette scored on another power play at 2:47. In the third period, Maryland forward Owen Drury scored the lone goal of the period to end the game 8-2 for the Black Bears. Ryan Denes started in net for Maryland and made two saves on four shots and Nolan Francis started in net for the Mountain Kings and made 37 saves on 45 shots.

Northeast 2 @ New Jersey 4 -The New Jersey Titans hosted the Northeast Generals for their third matchup of the season. The Generals had won their previous two matchups. New Jersey opened up the scoring in the first period with forwards Skogen Schrott scoring at 5:03 and Ty Creech on the power play at 3:16. Generals forward Rich Rucireto scored on the power play with 18 seconds remaining in the first to end the period 2-1 with New Jersey in the lead. In the second period, Generals forward Owen O’Rear tied up the game with the lone goal of the period at 18:47. In the third period, the Titans pulled away with the lead with forwards Ryder O’Neil and Arseniy Zharikov scoring at 14:27 and 13:06, respectively, to win the game 4-2 for the Titans. Tyler Rounds started in net for New Jersey and made 43 saves on 45 shots and Keagin Wilson started in net for the Generals and made eight saves on 12 shots.

Johnstown 3 @ Rochester 4 (OT) - The Rochester Jr. Americans hosted the Johnstown Tomahawks for their fifth matchup of the season. Rochester had won three of their previous four matchups. The Tomahawks opened up the scoring in the first with an unassisted power play goal from forward Charlie Zetterkvist at 6:28. The Jr. Americans took the lead at the very end of the period with a pair of goals from forwards Ryan Shaw at 2:12 and Colin Dustin on the power play with a second remaining. In the second period, the Tomahawks tied up the game with a goal from forward Nick Jarmain at 12:55. Rochester forward Stone Rolston would score at 10:21 to reclaim the lead for the Jr. Americans by the end of the period. In the third period, Jarmain scored the lone goal of the period with 36 seconds remaining for the Tomahawks and sent the game into overtime. In overtime, it was Rochester’s Shaw who scored at 3:12 to win the game 4-3 for the Jr. Americans. Florian Wade started in net for Rochester and made 18 saves on 21 shots and Zack Ferris started in net for Johnstown and made 24 saves on 28 shots.

Danbury 2 @ Maine 7 - A big offensive night from Maine Nordiques forward Austin Boorggaard propelled them to a dominant 7-2 win over the Danbury Hat Tricks Friday night. Borggaard filled up the scoresheet, posting two goals and two assists on the night for four points. Michael Sandruck also got his name on the scoresheet with a two-goal game. Maine sit comfortably in the third slot of the East Division with 61 points, keeping pace with second-place Rochester with the win. The Hat Tricks drop out of their fourth-place tie with Rochester and now sit in a tie for fifth place with the Northeast Generals. Borggaard got the Nordiques off and running late in the first period, slotting his 20th goal of the year into the net with just over a minute to go in the opening frame. Borggaard was not done in the first period. He tallied a short-handed goal with just one second left in the period to put Maine ahead 2-0 after the first 20 minutes. The second period was full of offense, as the teams combined for six goals in the period – four of which were scored by Maine. Danbury’s Ben Dempster (10th) scored a power-play goal 41 seconds into the second period to cut the Maine lead to 2-1. The Nordiques took over after Dempster’s goal. A power-play marker from Rylan Oster (12th), an even-strength goal by Henry Bute (fifth), and two power-play goals from Sandruck (10th and 11th) gave Maine a commanding 6-1 lead in the late stages of the second period. Peter Freel stopped the bleeding for the Hat Tricks late in the second period with his 10th of the season, but that was all Danbury could muster as Maine ended the middle frame leading 6-2. Maine held Danbury at bay for the remainder of the game and got one more insurance goal from Marshall McCharles (eighth) to secure the 7-2 victory.

Lone Star 4 @ Oklahoma 2 - An all-around team effort from the Lone Star Brahmas propelled them to victory Friday night, as they took down the Oklahoma Warriors by a final score of 4-2. The Brahmas got contributions all over the lineup, including 10 different skaters recording a point and a stellar 21-save first period from goaltender Brady Krey to keep Lone Star within striking distance early. The win keeps the Brahmas 3 points up on El Paso for the top spot in the South Division, sitting at 65 points. The Warriors retain fifth place in the South Division despite the loss with 50 points – five points back of fourth-place Corpus Christi. The Warriors came out of the gate hot, dominating the entire first period in which they sent 22 shots to Krey. Despite the onslaught of shots, Mack Blue (eighth) was the lone scorer for Oklahoma to give them a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. The Brahmas found their legs to start the second period, tying the game just over a minute in thanks to Nathan Murray’s fifth goal of the year. Lone Star grabbed the lead just over three minutes later as Denver Damphousse nabbed his seventh goal of the campaign. The Warriors did not go down quietly. Blue responded with his second goal of the game and ninth of the season with just over three minutes to go in the middle frame. His goal took the game to the third period all even at 2-2. Both teams were tight defensively most of the third period until Lone Star finally broke through with 3:28 to go. Dylan McFadden’s sixth marker of the year gave the Brahmas late 3-2 advantage. The Brahmas got the dagger just 24 seconds later on Christian Venticinque’s 14th goal of the season to seal the 4-2 win.

Watertown 3 @ St. Cloud 2 (OT) - Joe Rice was the hero for the Watertown Shamrocks Friday, as they survived a late-game scare to bring down the St. Cloud Norsemen by a final score of 3-2 in overtime. With Watertown leading by two goals late in the game, a push from St. Cloud in the final seven minutes saw the game suddenly tied and headed to overtime. Rice put the Shamrocks in his backpack in overtime by scoring the game-winning goal. The win puts Watertown’s unbeaten streak at five games and gives them breathing room at fourth place in the Central Division with 52 points. St. Cloud remain in the seventh slot in the Central Division – eight points back of Minot for sixth place. The first period saw tight checking and shut-down defensive play from both teams. Neither team found a goal and combined for just 11 shots. Watertown finally broke the ice just past the eight-minute mark of the middle period. Zach Boren tallied a short-handed goal for his 23rd of the season to put the Shamrocks ahead 1-0. His goal sent the teams to the third period in a tightly-contested, one-goal game. The Shamrocks got insurance early in the third period. Jake Pietila doubled the Watertown lead just 1:22 in with his fourth goal of the campaign. The comeback began with a power-play goal off the stick of Andrew Karkoc (12th) with 6:59 remaining to cut the deficit to one. Just over a minute later, Wyatt Farrell (ninth) scored an unassisted short-handed goal to even the game in the blink of an eye. The teams battled through the remaining five minutes scoreless, sending the game to overtime where Rice’s eighth goal of the year let the Shamrocks breathe a sigh of relief and escape with a 3-2 win.

Aberdeen 2 @ Austin 1 - The Aberdeen Wings scored a statement road victory Friday night, taking down the Central Division-juggernaut Austin Bruins by a final score of 2-1 in a tightly-contested, powerhouse matchup. The Wings took down the division-leading Bruins thanks to a late third-period game-winning goal from Cooper Anderson and a stellar game from goaltender Willium Braun in which he made 29 saves on 30 shots. The Wings’ winning streak hits three games with the statement victory as they remain comfortably in the third spot of the Central Division with 61 points. The Bruins lose two points of breathing room atop the Central Division, as second-place Bismarck’s win Friday cuts Austin’s cushion to just two points with 68. The teams matched each other every step of the way in the first period. Saimion Marshchanok (28th) got the scoring started via the power play late in the frame. His goal was matched exactly a minute later by Aberdeen’s Matthew Martin (23rd) on the power play to quickly tie the game heading to the middle 20 minutes. The teams were also dead even in shots in the opening period at 8-8. Aberdeen found another gear in the second period, outshooting the Bruins nearly double at 15-8. Despite the shots advantage, the Wings could not find the back of the net as Austin goaltender Jack Solomon stopped all 15 attempts. The third period flipped the ice in Austin’s favor in the shots department, but it was Aberdeen that finally broke through. Anderson (10th) beat Solomon to give the Wings their first lead with just under nine minutes to go. The Bruins pressed the attack in the remaining nine minutes, but Braun turned away all remaining shots – 14 total in the third period alone – to secure the tightly-contested, statement 2-1 win for Aberdeen.

Minnesota W 3 @ Springfield 2 - The Minnesota Wilderness defeated the Springfield Jr. Blues, 3-2, on Friday night. Springfield got on the board first as Dennis Emesibe scored, assisted by Sarunas Baltrunas. Minnesota answered later in the period with a goal from Robinson Djian, with assists from Kevin Lysohir and Ryan DeAngelis, to tie the game 1-1. In the second, Emesibe scored again to give Springfield the lead, but Bryce Dahl responded for Minnesota, assisted by Avery Anderson, making it 2-2 heading into the third. Minnesota took control in the final period as Zachary Homer scored the game-winning goal, with assists from Ryan DeAngelis and Ryan Gerlich. Minnesota outshot Springfield 32-21 in the win.

Wisconsin 2 @ Janesville 6 - The Janesville Jets beat the Wisconsin Windigo, 6-2, on Friday night. Wisconsin opened the scoring with a power play goal from Alexios Georgaklis, assisted by Thomas Quast and Joshua Sardo. Janesville answered with a power play goal from Hans Hedlund, with assists from Mason Minsky and Matthew Dedecko, making it 1-1. In the second period, Janesville pulled ahead as Mason Minsky scored, assisted by Declan Jason and Jonathan Lyskawa. Hedlund added another on the power play, with assists from Minsky and Sean Truby, extending the lead to 3-1. In the third, Hedlund scored again, assisted by Jonathan Lyskawa and Ty Bashaw. Wisconsin got one back from Jackson Ernst, with assists from McCarthy Richardson and Callen Grilz. Janesville added two more goals from Hans Hedlund, assisted by Justin Bloink and Sean Truby, and Grant Dillard, with assists from Murray Marvin-Cordes and Joseph Hyten. Janesville outshot Wisconsin 34-6 in the game.

Corpus Christi 3 @ Shreveport 2 (SO) - The Corpus Christi IceRays defeated the Shreveport Mudbugs, 3-2, in a shootout on Friday night. Corpus Christi got off to a strong start with goals from Colin Watson and Andrej Paricka, with Paricka’s goal assisted by Nick Peragine. Shreveport responded in the first period with a goal from Grayson Gerhard, assisted by Jeremiah Roberts, making it 2-1 after one. The second period remained scoreless, but Shreveport tied the game early in the third as Duke Ehrhard scored to make it 2-2. After a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout where the IceRays secured the win. Shreveport outshot Corpus Christi 31-19 in the game.

New Mexico 5 @ Amarillo 3 -  In an entertaining showdown at the Budweiser Bull Pen, the New Mexico Ice Wolves triumphed over the Amarillo Wranglers with a final score of 5-3. The Ice Wolves showed relentless spirit, with Brock Fairbanks netting the opening goal at 5:37 of the first period, assisted by Andy Earl and Koen Harrold. Just a few minutes later, Tiernan O'Rourke equalized for the Wranglers at 6:05, thanks to assists from Kolos Feher and Hayden Hedquist. The Ice Wolves took the lead again with Stanley Hubbard's goal at 11:30 of the first period, assisted by Sean Smith and Anton Malyshev. The second period saw Alfons Jentler leveling the score for Amarillo at 9:29, assisted by Caden Hegarty and Daniel Rassega. However, Andy Earl exploded with two quick goals at 11:06 and 15:08, with assists from his teammates, cementing the Ice Wolves' lead. Kolos Feher managed to bring one back for the Wranglers at 00:45, but Andrey Moskvitin sealed the win for New Mexico with the final goal at 4:31. Andy Earl's dazzling performance with two goals and an assist earned him the first star of the game, while Ice Wolves' goalie Jackson Silverberg stood tall stopping 27 of 30 shots. The Wranglers’ Casimir Weckstrom made 22 saves in a valiant effort. With five goals from five different players, the Ice Wolves showcased their depth and versatility, continuing their impressive streak with their latest victory.

Minnesota M 2 @ Bismarck 6 - In a dazzling display of offensive might, the Bismarck Bobcats overwhelmed the Minnesota Mallards with a 6-2 victory at the VFW Sports Center, much to the delight of the 1,285 fans in attendance. The Bobcats struck early and often, with the opening goal coming just 1:20 into the game at 18:40 of the first period, courtesy of Mark Evans, assisted by Nick Snyder and Royce Pietila. Nick Snyder was the star of the first period, netting two goals of his own. His first came at 15:36, assisted by Patch Cronin and Theodore Richardson. Just 40 seconds later, Snyder struck again at 14:56, with Richardson and Evans providing the assists. The Bobcats weren't finished. Noah Ziskie added to the tally at 10:17, assisted by Frantisek Broz and Richardson, before Ben Rakowski found the net at 4:15 of the second period, with assists from Gianni Divita and Ziskie. Camden Alemond capped off the night for the Bobcats with a goal at 12:11 of the third period, assisted by Haydon Eckart and George Poirier. Despite two goals from the Mallards, with Bryce Wiitala scoring at 14:48 of the second and Cohen Hoening at 01:01 of the third, Bismarck's goalie Bryce Francisco was a wall, stopping 30 of 32 shots. The Bobcats dominated the game, outshooting the Mallards 36-32, while successfully killing all penalties and maintaining a clean sheet on power plays. The Mallards' goaltender Connor Mackenzie faced a barrage, with Adam Kimbrel stepping in to stem the tide. Snyder and Richardson racked up three points each, while Francisco's stellar goaltending earned him the first star of the game. The Bobcats' relentless attack and Francisco's heroics were key to their triumph, extending their impressive head-to-head record against the Mallards this season.

North Iowa 1 @ Minot 5 - In an electrifying showdown at the Pepsi Rink, the Minot Minotauros stormed to a commanding 5-1 victory over the North Iowa Bulls, sending the home crowd of 2,083 into raptures. The game kicked off with a bang in the second period as Denis Kuzmenkov of the Bulls drew first blood with a power-play goal at 1:48, assisted by Brody Dietz and Denis Hodas. The Minotauros, however, responded with a flurry of goals. Briggs Knott equalized at 13:56, assisted by Anthony Spadaro and Will Nolan. Just under three minutes later, Trevor Stewart put Minot ahead at 11:02, with assists from Will Nolan and Briggs Knott. A power-play goal by Will Nolan at 4:34, assisted by Ivan Sidorov and Briggs Knott, extended the lead, ending the second period 3-1. In the third period, Mackley Morelli scored at 2:44, assisted by Trevor Stewart and Riley Mullen, furthering Minot's dominance. The game-winner was sealed with a power-play goal by Dane Ramirez at a mere 00:08, assisted by Lucas Ryen and Nikita Kolmykov. Brian Cooke was a wall in goal for Minot, making 29 saves, earning the first star of the game. The Minotauros excelled with two power-play goals on three opportunities, while the Bulls struggled with penalties, accruing eight minutes in the box. The Minotauros' victory solidifies their reputation as a formidable force at home, leaving fans eagerly anticipating their next matchup.

Odessa 1 @ El Paso 6 - In an electrifying showdown at the El Paso County Event Center, the El Paso Rhinos triumphed over the Odessa Jackalopes with a commanding 6-1 victory. The Rhinos wasted no time, with Gaige Giblin opening the scoring at 18:44 of the first period, assisted by Kamden Kaiser and Chase Nyitray. Just over 16 minutes later, Troy Hunka extended the lead with a goal at 2:15, thanks to Ethan Woolcott and Brendan Murray. Kamden Kaiser made his mark at the start of the second period, notching a power-play goal at 00:11, assisted by Tommy Shore and Hunka. The third period saw Aidan Bergner scoring at 18:04, followed by Jacob Solano at 14:53 and Hunka again at 6:18, showcasing the Rhinos' offensive prowess. Troy Hunka dazzled with two goals and an assist, earning the first star, while Kamden Kaiser’s goal and two assists secured the second star. Goalie Logan Hughes was a wall, stopping 33 of 34 shots, earning him the third star. Despite Odessa’s efforts, including a lone goal from Henry Thornton at 13:20 of the third period, the Jackalopes couldn’t overcome the Rhinos' relentless attack. El Paso capitalized on two of four power plays, while Odessa failed to score on six opportunities. With this victory, the Rhinos continue their dominance in the South Division.

Fairbanks 4 @ Kenai River 0 - The Fairbanks Ice Dogs skated to a commanding 4-0 victory over the Kenai River Brown Bears at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex, much to the delight of the visiting fans. The opening goal was a quick strike from Oliver Barna at 19:45 of the first period, assisted by Luca Ricciardi and Dean Andrews, setting the tone for the Ice Dogs. Just over twelve minutes later, Matthew Volkman found the back of the net at 07:11 of the first period with assists from Kyle Rohrer and Ryder Vargas, doubling their lead. The second period saw Kyle Rohrer himself light the lamp at 04:56, with help from Clarke Nehmens and Thomas Gunderson, further emphasizing the visiting team's dominance. The scoring was capped in the third period when Mack Diggins scored at 12:25, assisted by Luca Ricciardi and Kyle Rohrer, locking in the Ice Dogs' victory. Miles Roberts was a fortress in goal for Fairbanks, stopping all 20 shots he faced, earning a well-deserved shutout. Devin Rustlie, despite a valiant 13-save effort, couldn't hold back the Ice Dogs' relentless attack. The Kenai River Brown Bears struggled to capitalize on their chances, reflected in the even penalty minutes and power play statistics, ultimately falling short in front of their home crowd of 1005 attendees. Fairbanks' disciplined play and efficient scoring secured their triumphant win.

Chippewa 4 @ Anchorage 6 - In a thrilling matchup at Sullivan Arena, the Anchorage Wolverines roared to a 6-4 victory over the Chippewa Steel, delighting the 2,765 fans in attendance. The action-packed game saw the opening goal at 7:35 of the first period when John Carney put Chippewa ahead. However, the Wolverines responded in the second period with Rylan Bydal scoring a power-play goal at 9:58, assisted by Aiden Lawson. The Steel struck back with two quick goals in the second period, with Joc Bukovec and Mason Johnson finding the net at 7:11 and 15:18, respectively. Not to be outdone, Anchorage's Jack McKenna tied it up at 17:34 of the third period, followed by Cole Frawner's goal at 12:53, both assisted by Bowen Burke. The game-winner came from Sam Evert at 10:30, and he sealed the victory with a power-play goal at 6:59. Jack McKenna earned first star honors with two goals, while Rylan Bydal and Sam Evert, who combined for five points, were also pivotal. Goaltender Kai Weigel made 28 saves, holding strong against 32 shots. The Wolverines capitalized on two of their three power-play opportunities, showcasing their special teams' prowess. Despite the Steel's four penalties, they managed four goals, keeping the game competitive until the final horn.