Saturday Scores: The Minnesota Mallards Power to a 7-6 Shootout Win Against the Anchorage Wolverines

Elmira 4 @ New Hampshire 6 - The New Hampshire Mountain Kings secured their first win of the season in a Saturday night contest against the Elmira Aviators. Elmira started things off with a power-play goal from Matthew Maglio late in the first frame. The Mountain Kings were quick to respond, with Evan Ferraro finding the top of the net to even the score. Benjamin Short was able to secure the lead for New Hampshire before the intermission, sinking the shot from the left faceoff dot. Defense was strong for the better part of the second frame, limiting scoring opportunities until Ben Dias was able to take advantage of a breakaway. In the final three minutes of the period, Dias picked up his second goal of the game on the power play to extend New Hampshire’s lead to 4-1. Elmira responded within the opening minute of the third period, as Maglio scored his second power-play goal of the game. A minute later, John Lowe was able to cut the lead to one with a one-timer off of a faceoff win from Timofei Korober. Cael Primanti scored a shorthanded goal to tie things up with seven minutes remaining. Looking to put things away in regulation, Ferraro sent the puck to the back of the net to reclaim the lead for the Mountain Kings. 20 seconds later, New Hampshire secured the win as Aidan Petroff scored an empty-net goal. The Mountain Kings capitalized on their scoring opportunities despite being outshot 46-31 by the Aviators, as Nolan Francis made 42 saves in net.

Northeast 4 @ Danbury 1 - The Northeast Generals earned their second win of the weekend over the Danbury Hat Tricks Saturday night, 4-1. After a tussle of defenses and strong goaltending, Danbury’s Alex Nurhan scored his first goal of the season with just over a minute left in the first frame. The Hat Tricks lead was short-lived, as 30 seconds later, Wyatt Ezman scored from just outside the crease, sending the teams into the locker room tied at 1-1. The Generals took their first lead of the night when Logan Poulin scored on a shorthanded breakaway opportunity. Midway through the second frame, Braydon Hudtloff lifted the puck over the goalie's shoulders to extend Northeast’s lead to 3-1. Defense was on top of their game for the Generals, limiting Danbury to just three shots on goal in the second period. The third frame was a similar story, with Northeast’s defense once again limiting Danbury to three shots on goal in the final frame, never allowing them to close the gap. Kyle Moyer topped off the night for the Generals, bringing home the 4-1 victory with just over four minutes left in the third period.

Johnstown 2 @ Maryland 3 (OT) - Maryland continued its strong start to the season, coming from behind to defeat Johnstown in overtime at home. The first period saw both teams generate scoring chances, but neither was able to break the deadlock. In the second period, Ethan Coots opened the scoring for the Tomahawks, recording his first goal of the season at 13:27. Despite a combined 15 power-play opportunities, neither team was able to capitalize on the man advantage. Johnstown extended its lead in the third period, as Coots scored his second goal of the game to make it 2-0. Maryland would storm back, however, as Ajay Rai continued his strong start with his second goal of the season at 6:39 of the third. Vincent Glos then found the tying goal late in the period, sending the game to overtime. Just two minutes into the extra period, Rai scored the game-winning goal to complete the comeback and give Maryland a 4-0-0 record to start the season. Rai now has six points through his first four games with the Black Bears. Both goaltenders saw plenty of action, as Maryland's Micheal Iliff stopped 37 shots while Johnstown's Luc Beauparlant made 33 saves.

Kenai River 7 @ Springfield 3 - As the Springfield Jr. Blues played host to the Kenai River Brown Bears, nobody was ready for such a high scoring first period, as the Brown Bears scored four times in the period, while the Jr. Blues and Brady Turner opened the home team’s scoring. Springfield got one back in the second, and the game went to the third period with Kenai River ahead, 5-3. As breaks in the action mounted, the Brown Bears netted two more, and by the night’s end seven different Brown Bears had a goal while their goalie, Blake McMenamin, was equally excellent, totaling 23 saves on 26 shots against him. 

Watertown 4 @ Austin 5 (OT) - Andrew Leung played the hero in sudden death, burying the game-winner to lift the Austin Bruins over the Watertown Shamrocks in a wild Saturday night clash at Riverside Arena. Watertown commanded the opening minutes by surging out to a 3-0 lead courtesy of tallies from Jordan Brothers, Kirill Borodulin, and a power-play marker by Owen Chartier. Refusing to go quietly into the first intermission, Austin wiped away the deficit in less than six minutes as Logan Lambrecht, Hugo Thulin, and Kyle Sorensen each lit the lamp. Hudson Weber-Stewart pushed the Bruins ahead late in the second period, but Brothers came through again for Watertown early in the third frame with his second power-play goal of the night to force overtime. Leung ended the thriller three minutes into the extra session, while Dilans Birkans stopped 34 shots to earn the victory in net. Luke Courtney turned aside 26 shots in relief for Watertown.

Bismarck 6 @ St. Cloud 3 - A lethal power play powered the Bismarck Bobcats past the St. Cloud Norsemen at Municipal Athletic Complex. Bismarck set the tone early in the first period by capitalizing on back-to-back penalties, with Maddox Malmquist and Jake Caffrey each cashing in on the man advantage before Will Harker added an even-strength tally. Blake Dosan answered for St. Cloud early in the middle frame, but Luca Cannata restored Bismarck's cushion with another power-play goal. The Norsemen made a strong push in the final 20 minutes when Brandon Rodenwald and Eddie Hannan scored to pull St. Cloud within one. Harker halted the comeback bid with his second tally of the night, and Malmquist secured the win with his second power-play conversion. Bismarck finished a sharp 4-for-5 on the power play, while goaltender Easton Thvedt locked down the road win with 18 saves.

Anchorage 6 @ Minnesota M 7 (SO) - Ty Gordon buried the deciding goal in the third round of a dramatic shootout to lift the Minnesota Mallards past the Anchorage Wolverines after a wild 13-goal battle at Forest Lake Sports Center. Minnesota came out flying, jumping out to an early 3-0 cushion behind Leon Buff, Thomas Gale, and Pete Moore, then extended it to 5-0 early in the second period with markers from Jack Fang and Deagan Watson. Michael Kotora and Balint Lobenwein pushed Anchorage onto the board, but Gordon struck late in the second frame to give Minnesota a four-goal cushion. The Wolverines staged an unbelievable third-period comeback, getting goals from Caleb Mahar, Chase Trompeter, and Ryder McDonald before Harout Arutyunyan buried the equalizer with under two minutes remaining in regulation. Following a frantic, scoreless overtime, the contest went deep into a shootout. Kotora scored for Anchorage in round two and Fang kept Minnesota alive in round five, allowing Gordon to score the final shootout goal to secure the Mallards' victory. Troy Wright stood tall in net, turning away 52 shots before stopping the final attempt to close out the win.

Fairbanks 8 @ Janesville 2 - Fairbanks traveled to Janesville and earned an 8-2 victory over the Jets. In the opening period, Nikita Scherbakov gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 6:49. Garett Fischer answered for the Ice Dogs at 3:27, followed by a goal from Mason Knaffla as Fairbanks quickly took the lead. Charlie Rutz added to the lead in the second period at 14:56, recording his first goal of the season. Special teams played a key role for Fairbanks, as Dean Andrews scored shorthanded and Dane Gatmaitan added a power-play goal with five minutes remaining in the period to give the Ice Dogs a 5-1 lead. Janesville responded with a goal from Grant Dillard to cut into the deficit. Late in the second, Gatmaitan scored his second goal of the game to make it a 6-2 contest heading into the third. Fairbanks continued to add to its lead in the third period, as Garrett Fischer scored his second goal of the game at 16:54 to make it 7-2. Ben Green then scored the final goal of the game at 14:07, giving Fairbanks an 8-2 victory. Gatmaitan also recorded his fourth point of the night with an assist on the goal. Despite being heavily outshot, Fairbanks earned the victory behind a strong performance from goaltender Izaak Kalis, who stopped 33 shots for the Ice Dogs. 

Shreveport 5 @ Amarillo 2 - A rematch of Friday night's game saw Shreveport split the series in Amarillo with a 5-2 victory. Evan Hoglund opened the scoring early with a power-play goal to give the Mudbugs a 1-0 lead. Jonah Jasser then scored his first goal of the season at 14:31, giving Shreveport a quick 2-0 lead. Ralfs Veidemanis cut into the deficit with a late first-period goal. In the second, Hoglund scored his second goal of the game at 6:36. He continues to be a key part of the Mudbugs' offense, with four goals and seven points through four games. In the third, Veidemanis notched his second goal of the game at 15:23 to make it a 3-2 contest. Jeremiah Roberts then added to the Mudbugs' lead, making it 4-2 with 10:08 remaining in the period. Despite Amarillo's efforts, the Wranglers were unable to mount a comeback, as Anthony Brereton scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory for Shreveport. The Mudbugs improved to 3-1-0 with help from goaltender Kristers Plepis, who stopped 31 shots.

New Mexico 1 @ Oklahoma 6 - Oklahoma defended home ice as they took down New Mexico 6-1. Despite being outshot 17-6 in the first period, Adam Bauer opened the scoring to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission. Nathaniel Pearce then struck on the power play in the second period, with Bauer earning his second point of the game on an assist to make it 2-0. Luke Vanderroest added another tally for Oklahoma, giving the Warriors a 3-0 lead heading into the final period of regulation. Both sides of the special teams would strike in the third, as Avenir Belous scored shorthanded for Oklahoma at 7:25. Just three minutes later, Oliver Laverdiere made it a 5-0 contest with another goal for the Warriors. New Mexico would answer back as Copper Bayer scored the lone goal for the Ice Wolves with just under two minutes remaining in the period. Oklahoma followed that up with a late power-play goal from Jackson Hone, securing the 6-1 victory. The Warriors earned their second win of the season, with strong goaltending playing a major role in the victory. Jakob Hanlan made 33 saves on the night for Oklahoma.

Minot 4 @ Aberdeen 3 - The Minot Minotaurs went on the road and tangled with the Aberdeen Wings, and the Minotaurs struck early with a pair of goals, one each from Michael Solominsky and Luca Kataja. Minot then added two more in the middle period, although the Wings then evened the period and went to the last period of regulation down by a pair of goals. Aberdeen’s Campbell Epp halved the deficit, but Minot’s defense stood tall”, and at the final whistle the Minotaurs still held their slim margin. 

Houston 1 @ Lone Star 3 - The Houston Bulls clashed with in state foes the Lone Star Brahmas in a game where early scoring made all the difference. The Brahmas scored two goals in the first, from Channing Kao and Dimitri Tioumensev each. The scoring was not over, as both the Bulls Ivan Bercik and Lone Star’s Hugo Zetterlund added a tally. That was it for the scoring, as both defensive units tightened in the third and pitched shutouts, as the Brahmas kept their first period margin in victory. 

Corpus Christi 3 @ El Paso 1 - The IceRays returned to the El Paso County Event Center on Saturday night, looking to sweep their weekend series with the Rhinos for the second weekend in a row. The heated and physical play from the previous night’s game carried over into the first period of the Saturday night tilt. With the officials trying to keep the physicality limited and the game contained, 13 penalties in total would be handed out during the first period, with three being game misconducts. After the penalties were assessed, it was in the final minutes of the first that the Rhinos would head to the power play. Despite strong offensive play from the Rhinos on the man advantage, a bouncing puck would give IceRays forward Oliver Czaja a short-handed breakaway. Czaja scored, giving the IceRays the 1-0 lead heading into the second. Multiple penalties against the Rhinos would limit their chances to sustain offensive pressure. Despite being shorthanded for a majority of the period, El Paso’s defense held strong and killed off any power-play opportunities in the IceRays’ favor. The IceRays continued to apply offensive pressure, outshooting the Rhinos 20-9 with six minutes remaining in the second period. El Paso would turn the momentum in their favor late in the second period, with Brendan Murray cleaning up a rebound off a shot from Jacob Solano to tie the game 1-1 in the final minutes of the second period. The IceRays would resume their offensive pressure following the equalizing goal. In the dying seconds of the period, Alexi Gregoire of the Rhinos was assessed for a delay-of-game penalty that gave Nikita Konevych a penalty shot opportunity. Konevych scored for the IceRays on his penalty shot, securing the 2-1 lead for the IceRays heading into the third period. Throughout the third period, the Rhinos would continue to be outshot by the IceRays, whose sustained pressure in the offensive zone limited the Rhinos’ ability to generate sustained offense. This would continue throughout the third, and nearing the final minute of the game, El Paso pulled goaltender Luke Brassil for an extra attacker. It was less than 10 seconds later that Brodie Hankel would fire the puck toward the empty net. With an empty-net goal putting his team up 3-1, he would secure the win for the IceRays and the sweep over El Paso for the second weekend in a row.

Idaho Falls 1 @ Ogden 4 - Following their win over the Mustangs last night, the Spud Kings returned to the Weber County Sports Complex looking to secure the series sweep over their Mountain Division rivals. Both teams were matched evenly throughout the first, each displaying their offensive and defensive capabilities across the first 20 minutes. A quiet period ended without a goal or penalty from either squad, and heading into the second period the Mustangs held the edge in shots on goal, outshooting the Spud Kings 11-7. It was early on in the second period that the Spud Kings would open the scoring. Just over three minutes in, Ryan Turner would score on a rebound off a shot from Dayton Tailfeather, giving the Spud Kings the 1-0 lead early in the second. It would not take long for the Mustangs to respond, however, and minutes later a roughing penalty against the Spud Kings put Ogden on the power play. The Spud Kings limited Ogden’s opportunities on the man advantage, but in the dying seconds of their power play, a shot from Eli Milinkovich went five-hole on Spud Kings goaltender Andrew McLouth and tied the game at one. The remainder of the period would see more penalties handed out than goals scored, and the teams would head into the locker room tied. The tie was short lived, however. 45 seconds into the third period, the Mustangs entered the Spud Kings’ defensive zone off the rush where Bryce Dahl would score and give his team the lead. Although the game remained relatively clean, multiple penalties would be handed out during the third period, all of which were killed off by the teams’ respective penalty kills. The Mustangs’ defense would hold strong during both the penalty kill and at even strength, limiting the Spud Kings ability to generate any offensive pressure. The Mustangs’ offense would take over the spotlight just before the eight-minute mark of the third period. After a defensive breakdown from the Spud Kings, Bryce Dahl scored his second goal of the night with a wrist shot that made its way into the back of the Spud Kings’ net, extending the Mustangs’ lead by two. Following this, the Mustangs would continue to sustain offensive pressure. Not even two minutes later, a shot from Ty Simonet was deflected by Max Harland to give the Mustangs a 4-1 lead over the Spud Kings. When the final horn sounded at the Weber County Sports Complex, the Mustangs secured the 4-1 win to split the weekend series. 

Billings 6 @ Grand Junction 2 - After their win over the River Hawks the night before, the Cattle Punchers looked to finish their series with a win against Grand Junction in this opening weekend matchup. The Cattle Punchers got off to a hot start when a turnover in the neutral zone by the River Hawks was taken by Joey Fankhanel. Fankhanel entered the offensive zone and left off a wrist shot that found its way past goaltender Eli Zucker, giving the Cattle Punchers the 1-0 lead less than a minute in. Following a slashing penalty against the Cattle Punchers, the Grand Junction power play generated sustained offensive pressure. Midway through their man advantage, a shot from Tibor Nemeth was rebounded by Gabe Iervella and put into the back of the net to get the River Hawks on the board and tie the game at one. The Cattle Puncher would quickly regroup, creating offensive pressure in their favor. Midway through the period, Landon Rogers would throw a wrist shot toward the net. The puck was deflected by Evan Foiles to put the Cattle Punchers back into the lead. Back-and-forth play continued between the two teams, but the River Hawks would find the equalizer after a cross ice pass from Niko Julian found Ryan Colleran for a backdoor goal to send both teams in the second period tied. Both teams continued to generate meaningful offensive opportunities, but it was at the 13:26 mark that the Cattle Punchers would take the lead. A turnover in the defensive zone by the River Hawks led to a bouncing puck in front of their crease. The puck was recovered by Alec Johnson who was able to find the back of the net and give the Cattle Punchers the one goal-lead. The River Hawks would push back following the goal, racking up multiple shots on goal it seemed that it was only a matter of time before they found the equalizing goal. But Cattler Punchers goaltender Nicolas Rempel would remain consistent in his crease, stopping all 17 of the River Hawks’ shots throughout the second period. In the dying minutes of the period, off a centering pass from Alec Johnson from behind the net, Ondrej Husak was able to beat Zucker glove side. Extending the Cattle Punchers by two heading into the third period. The River Hawks would continue to display their offensive pressure through the start of the third period, continuing to outshoot the Cattle Puncher but failing to get the puck past Nicholas Rempel. Despite being outshot, Billings found themselves with a faceoff in the offensive zone. After winning the faceoff, a centering pass from Owen Debrody would find Taylor Butt for a goal to extend the Cattle Punchers lead to three. Following their goal, the Cattle Punchers’ defense settled in defensively and limited any offense from the River Hawks. Grand Junction would pull the goalie with four minutes remaining, and despite sustaining some offensive pressure, Evan Foiles scored his second of the night for the Cattle Punchers. The empty-net goal sealed the win for the Cattle Punchers, who would leave Grand Junction with a 6-2 win, and a series sweep over the River Hawks.