Saturday Scores: Bismarck Claws Back to Overtime Victory and a Postseason Ticket Punched

Photo Credit: Hope Magelky

Rochester 4 @ Northeast 2 - The Rochester Jr. Americans used a strong offensive performance and timely scoring to defeat the Northeast Generals 4–2 in East Division action. Rochester opened the scoring in the first period on the power play. Keanan DewBerry finished a play set up by Owen King and Cameron Doran, giving the Jr. Americans had a 1–0 lead heading into the first intermission. The Generals answered early in the second period when Stephen Fabiano tied the game, scoring off assists from Andrew Gibbons and Alejandro Blum. However, Rochester responded quickly—just 30 seconds later—as Keanan DewBerry netted his second goal of the night, assisted by John-Paul Saddy and Konner Powell, restoring the Jr. Americans’ lead at 2–1. Rochester pulled away in the third period with two more goals. Adam Gionta extended the lead with help from Brendan Giles and Ryan Flaherty, and Lukas Bellinger added another tally off assists from Stone Rolston and Cameron Doran to make it 4–1. Northeast managed a late goal when Andrew Gibbons scored with 27 seconds remaining, assisted by Beckett Hinchsliff and Alec Hall, but the Generals could not close the gap. In net, Jensen Carlstrom earned the win for Rochester with 24 saves on 26 shots. The victory strengthens the Rochester Jr. Americans' position in the competitive East Division standings, while the Northeast Generals were unable to complete a comeback despite late-game pressure.

Maine 3 @ New Hampshire 5 - The New Hampshire Mountain Kings used a strong third-period surge to defeat the Maine Nordiques 5–3 in East Division action. New Hampshire struck first in the opening period when Nicolas Vrtiel scored on the power play. Maine answered soon after as Rylan Oster tied the game with an assist from Josh Itri. The Nordiques then took the lead later in the period when Pete Luecke scored, assisted by Michael Sandruck, giving Maine a 2–1 advantage after the first. The Nordiques extended their lead late in the second period. With just 19 seconds remaining, Henry Butte found the back of the net off an assist from Austin Borggaard, putting Maine ahead 3–1 heading into the third period. The final frame belonged to New Hampshire. Aidan Petroff started the comeback with a power-play goal assisted by Joey Sylvester. Cole Roenick then tied the game with help from Marco Boccardi, shifting the momentum toward the Mountain Kings. New Hampshire continued the rally when Nicolas Vrtiel scored his second goal of the game, assisted by Ben Dias and Aidan Petroff, giving the Mountain Kings the lead. Tanner Anctil added an insurance goal later in the period with an assist from Alex Gelhar, sealing the 5–3 victory. The comeback win gives the New Hampshire Mountain Kings a key result in the East Division standings, while the Maine Nordiques were unable to hold onto their two-goal lead entering the third period.

Danbury 3 @ Johnstown 4 (OT) - The Johnstown Tomahawks opened the game quickly, striking first when Drew Peterson found Emerson Marshall, who set up Ben Norris for the game’s opening goal. The Danbury Hat Tricks answered soon after with a goal from Kai Elkie, assisted by Matt Dabrowski and Patrik Ula, tying the game 1–1. Late in the period, Danbury struck again when Austin Michaud knocked in a puck that bounced off the stick of Matt Dabrowski, giving the Hat Tricks a 2–1 lead heading into the second period. Johnstown found the equalizer in the middle frame. Emerson Marshall fired a shot on net that was tipped by Sean Morgan, and the puck slid over to Jack Genovese, who knocked it past the goaltender to tie the game 2–2 heading into the final period. Danbury opened the third period with momentum, taking a 3–2 lead on a goal by Matt Shpungin, assisted by Ludovik Gauvin and Kai Elkie. The Tomahawks responded later in the period when Emerson Marshall found the back of the net on a play set up by Justin Chiras and Jack Genovese, evening the score at 3–3 and forcing overtime. In the final seconds of 3-on-3 overtime, Jack Sullivan capitalized on a chance created by Emerson Marshall, securing a 4–3 victory for the Johnstown Tomahawks. In the net, Zack Ferris earned the win with 25 saves, while Jon Dukaric made 31 saves for the Danbury Hat Tricks in the loss.

New Jersey @ Elmira 2 - The New Jersey Titans built a big early lead and held off a late push from the Elmira Aviators to secure a 4–2 victory in East Division play. New Jersey dominated the opening period with four unanswered goals. Skogen Schrott opened the scoring on the power play with an assist from Luke Schoen. Shortly after, Hudson Slenker extended the Titans’ lead to 2–0. The offense continued to roll when Nikolas Doumas scored, assisted by Owen Leahy, making it 3–0. Later in the period, Joe Pocrnic added another power-play goal, set up by Skogen Schrott, giving New Jersey a commanding 4–0 lead after the first period. Elmira began to climb back into the game late in the second period when Corson Maguire scored on the power play with just 13 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to three goals heading into the final frame. The Aviators continued their push in the third period as Corson Maguire struck again on the power play, this time assisted by Matt Maglio and Luke Rubin, bringing Elmira within two goals. However, the Titans’ defense held firm the rest of the way to preserve the win. With the victory, the New Jersey Titans strengthened their position in the tightly contested NAHL East Division, while the Elmira Aviators were unable to fully recover after the difficult first period.

Maryland 6 @ Philadelphia 3 - The Maryland Black Bears jumped out to an early lead when Harrison Smith sent a pass down low to Joshua Frenette, whose shot on net was tipped in by Owen Drury. Maryland extended the lead shortly after when Owen Drury struck again, this time assisted by Joshua Frenette and Cole Peters to make it 2–0.The Philadelphia Rebels got on the board in the final minutes of the period when Abzal Alibek moved the puck up to Joe Stauber at the point, and Stauber ripped a shot from the top of the circles past the goaltender to cut the deficit to 2–1 heading into the second period. Philadelphia took control in the second frame, adding two goals to take the lead. Joe Stauber picked up his second goal of the night unassisted, and quickly followed it up with his third of the game, assisted by Dylan Moran and Brayton Frick, giving the Rebels a 3–2 advantage after two periods. Maryland responded midway through the third period when Harrison Smith found Ryan Franks open in the slot, and Franks slid the puck into the net to tie the game 3–3. The Black Bears quickly grabbed the lead when Harrison Smith scored with help from Liam Doherty, making it 4–3. Maryland continued to apply pressure late in the game, adding two more goals in the final minutes. Owen Drury completed his hat trick with an assist from Daniel Johnson and Kristofers Krumins, and Tanner Duncan added another goal assisted by Harrison Smith and Liam Doherty to seal the win. In net, Dom Gatto combined for 18 saves to earn the victory for the Maryland Black Bears, while Roberts Kravalis and Ilja Nikitins made 35 saves in the loss for the Philadelphia Rebels.

Springfield 3 @ Wisconsin 4 - The Springfield Jr. Blues opened the scoring midway through the first period when Lukas Wallinheimo capitalized on an opportunity created by Aaron Martikainen. The Jr. Blues extended their lead later in the period as Zach Howard sent a pass from behind the net to Logan Sutton in the slot, who fired the puck into the net to make it 2–0. The Wisconsin Windigo got on the board in the final minutes of the period when Thomas Quast sent a cross-ice pass to Peyton Mithmuangneua, whose shot produced a rebound that popped out to Jackson Ernst. Ernst buried the chance to cut the deficit to 2–1 heading into the second period. Springfield grabbed the only goal of the second period when Logan Sutton delivered a cross-ice pass to Zach Howard, who redirected the puck to Niko Laus. Laus finished the play to extend the Jr. Blues’ lead to 3–1 heading into the final 20 minutes. Wisconsin responded with a dominant third period. McCarthy Richardson started the comeback with a goal assisted by Jack Templeton, and quickly followed it with another goal with assists from Riley Joslin and Brendan Finley to tie the game 3–3. The Windigo then took their first lead of the night when Riley Joslin scored the go-ahead goal with help from Hunter Friedrich, securing a 4–3 victory. In net, Max Larsson made 25 saves to earn the win for the Wisconsin Windigo, while Amir Valiullin stopped 27 shots for the Springfield Jr. Blues in the loss.

Oklahoma 4 @ Corpus Christi 1 - The Oklahoma Warriors and the Corpus Christi IceRays traded opportunities throughout the opening period until Oklahoma capitalized on a key mistake. Mason Wright intercepted a pass from the Corpus Christi goaltender and quickly moved the puck to Jackson Hone, who buried it into the open net to give the Warriors a 1–0 lead heading into the second period. The second period featured plenty of scoring chances, but Oklahoma struck again in the final moments of the frame. Trace Day received a cross-ice pass from Easton Rooney, walked in on goal, and lifted a backhand shot top shelf to extend the Warriors’ lead to 2–0. Oklahoma carried that momentum into the third period, adding another goal early. Easton Rooney picked up a loose puck in the slot and slid it across to Jakub Kristek, who finished the play to make it 3–0. Corpus Christi responded later in the period when Lucas Hihn passed the puck to Nick Evans at the blue line. Evans carried it forward and ripped a shot past the goaltender to cut the deficit to 3–1. The Warriors sealed the game in the final seconds as Jackson Hone scored his second goal of the night unassisted, securing a 4–1 victory for the Oklahoma Warriors. In net, Billy Stuski stopped 14 shots to earn the win for Oklahoma, while Gavin Melcher made 28 saves for the Corpus Christi IceRays in the loss.

Odessa 1 @ Shreveport 4 - The Shreveport Mudbugs were looking for a weekend sweep, while the Odessa Jackalopes were in the hunt to respond to a Friday night loss. The contest kicked off with Charlie Burchfield finding twine in the opening frame for Shreveport. With a 1-0 lead into the second period, Odessa was hoping to strike. The Jackalopes found the back of the net quickly in the middle frame, with Daniel Kuczkowski scoring his ninth of the year. Midway through the period, Shreveport took back the lead with a goal by William-Alexis Tremblay. Heading into the final frame, the Mudbugs would secure the victory with two more tallies. First, Duke Ehrhard finds twine at the 12:31 minute mark of the frame. Following him with less than a minute on the clock would be Jonah Jasser, in empty-netter style. The Mudbugs skate away with a 4-1 victory and a weekend sweep.

Watertown 1 @ Bismarck 2 (OT) - The Bismarck Bobcats clawed back to an overtime victory thanks to Teddy Richardson. The contest kicked off with an early goal by Watertown on the power play. Justin Obrochta scores at the 17:37 minute mark of the opening period. The matchup would be quiet until the final 20 seconds of regulation as Teddy Richardson lights the lamp in game-tying fashion. As the contest was forced into overtime, Richardson would skate away as the hero once again. The Nanooks commit scores, sealing his team the victory while clinching a spot in the playoffs. 

Austin 3 @ Aberdeen 2 - With a playoff ticket to punch on the line, the Austin Bruins were hungry to respond to a Friday night road loss. The contest kicked off with Austin’s EJ Paddington finding twine twice in the opening period. His two early goals gave his team some cushion until Aberdeen’s Matthew Martin lit the lamp with four minutes on the clock in the first period. As the contest moved into the middle frame, it would be quiet as both teams traded chances. Moving into the final period, the scoring would not pick back up until the final minutes of the game. First, Austin’s Michael Coleman scores on the man advantage to give his team a 3-1 lead. In the final 33 seconds of the game, Aberdeen makes a push as Price Grimes finds twine to bring the score within one. The contest would end in the Bruins’ favor with a 3-2 victory. With this win, Austin punched their ticket to a postseason berth.

El Paso 3 @ New Mexico 2 (OT) - After losing to the New Mexico Ice Wolves the night prior, the El Paso Rhinos made a comeback on Saturday evening. This match was a close one, and both teams displayed competitive performances. However, it was offensive pressure from New Mexico that kept this game tied up until overtime. The Ice Wolves kept their scoring chances high, keeping Rhinos’ goaltender Michael Modelski busy, outshooting the Rhinos 38-27. Kamden Kaiser opened the scoring in the second, netting his seventeenth power-play goal of the season. Anton Malyshev tied the score back up for the Ice Wolves to finish off the second. Ian Kastamo scored another power-play goal for the Rhinos, demonstrating just how dangerous El Paso can be when they’re given the man advantage. Brock Fairbanks then scored another for New Mexico, tying the score at 2-2 at the end of regulation. First star of the game, El Paso's Alexander Stephen, ended this match by scoring a short-handed overtime goal to secure the win for the Rhinos.

Amarillo 1 @ Lone Star 3 - The Lone Star Brahmas have extended their winning streak to six games, taking on the Amarillo Wranglers and earning a second win this weekend. Christian Venticinque got the Brahmas on the board in the first period, sinking a power-play goal, assisted by Alexander Oliver and Dylan McFadden. A scoreless middle period followed before Vincenzo Capano added a tally for the Brahmas at the start of the third. Frenk Kolgushkin responded for Amarillo, scoring off the stick of Jake Thornton. This was Kolgushkin’s first goal of the season in his second NAHL game, having made his debut with the Wranglers on Friday. Maddox Tulacro extended the Brahmas' lead with just 28 seconds left on the clock in the third, scoring on an Amarillo's empty net. Goaltender Brady Krey was between the pipes for Lone Star, making 15 saves and earning his eighth win of the season.

Minnesota M 7 @ Minot 2 - After their loss to the Minot Minotauros on Friday, the Minnesota Mallards came back to this game hot and ready for a win. Bauer Murphy got the Mallards on the board, scoring his first goal of the season on a power play early in the first period. Cohen Hoening followed up with a second power-play goal for the Mallards before Jack Roberts finished the period with a third tally giving Minnesota a 3-0 lead after the first 20 minutes. Ty James struck first for Minot in the second period. Hoening then scored another power-play goal for the Mallards and his second of the night. Ryan Lucarelli capped off the middle frame, scoring the Mallards' fifth goal of the evening. Minnesota's momentum continued into the final twenty minutes of play. Lewis Majkozak next for the Mallards before Deke Davidson scored their fourth power-play goal of this match. Of ten power-play opportunities in this game, the Mallards were just a single goal short of scoring on half of them. Mackley Morelli ended the match with a second point for the Tauros, making the final score 7-2. Adam Kimbrel was in net for the Mallards, battling 36 shots from Minot and turning away 34 to seal Minnesota's win.

Chippewa 3 @ Kenai River 0 - After being shut out the night before, the Chippewa Steel were hungry for a victory against Kenai River. The contest featured the Brown Bears outshooting the Steel 43 to 26. In the opening period, the Steel lit the lamp thanks to Michael Mathison scoring at the 8:24 minute mark. The second period was quiet as both teams traded chances. In the final period, Chippewa’s Mattheo Bertrand struck quickly with a goal at the 19:03 minute mark. Bertrand scores once more in empty-netter fashion. The Steel skated away with a 3-0 victory.

Anchorage 8 @ Fairbanks 4 - In a scoring frenzy between two Alaskan rivals, the Wolverines would be the one who comes out on top. The opening period featured a trio of goals by Anchorage. Leon Buzek, Jack McKenna, and Balint Lobenwein scored to give the Wolverines the 3–0 lead. In the second, another tally by Lovenwein and the team’s leading scorer, Luc Bydal, would open the scoring in the frame. However, the Ice Dogs would strike back with a trio of goals themselves. Clarke Nehmens, Dub Eunice III, and Gage Leonard find twine to make the score 5–3. Anchorage would tally once more in the period with Bown Burke scoring on the man advantage. In the final frame, the Ice Dogs were looking for a push. First, Oliver Barna would light the lamp on the power play for Fairbanks. However, the Wolverines would tally two more in the final minutes of the game. Buzek scores his second of the night while Sam Evert scores an empty-netter for his team. The Wolverines sealed the 8–4 victory on the road.