Saturday Scores: New Mexico Makes Statement with Shootout Victory Over the Lone Star Brahmas

Photo Credit: Zach Price

Johnstown 5 @ New Jersey 2 - Despite being thoroughly outshot, the Johnstown Tomahawks pick up the road victory against the New Jersey Titans. Johnstown goaltender Matthew Wood led the charge, holding New Jersey scoreless in the first period after facing 14 shots while the Tomahawks could only generate 4 themselves. The Titans would get on the board first in the second period after Joe Pocrnic was able to bury one past Wood. Johnstown would quickly answer with a goal from Ryan Tartaglione (his first of the season)to tie the game back up. Late in the period, Johnstown would score twice on the power play, getting goals from Peter Morris and Evan Kensey to take a 3-1 lead despite being outshot 29-16 at the end of the second period. Special teams continued to roll for Johnstown as Tartaglione would score a shorthanded goal early in the third to put the pressure on New Jersey. Looking for an answer, the Titans would eventually find one, getting a goal from Martin Prizgintas halfway through the period. While New Jersey had tried to catch up in the third period, Johnstown had already flipped momentum and had an even third period. Aiden Macisaac would score an empty-net goal for the Tomahawks, securing the 5-2 victory.

New Hampshire 6 @ Danbury 3 - A complete team effort helps lift the New Hampshire Mountain Kings past the Danbury Hat Tricks to pick up the road win. This back-and-forth game had New Hampshire and Danbury trading scoring chances early before New Hampshire’s Dylan Podergois scored to kick things off. Danbury would sneer quickly as Tucker Mears scored just over a minute after to tie the game. The Mountain Kings would get another on the board, this time from Nicholas Vrtiel to break the tie before the first period ended. Danbury would tighten up and not only allow just five shots, but also generate 15 of their own. Unfortunately, for them, New Hampshire goaltender Ethan Mosher was dialed in and carried that momentum through the whole game. New Hampshire would extend their lead by two, getting goals from Benjamin Short and Aidan Patton, with Short scoring his team's leading 8th goal of the season. Tristan Konobelj would eventually score for the Hat Tricks, to cut the lead to two going into the final period. Danbury would score again as Liam Storch would score a shorthanded goal, but they would not be able to generate enough scoring chances overall against Moser. New Hampshire forwards Jackson Shaddick and Ben Dias would score, putting this game out of reach, with Dias’s goal coming late in the period and on the power play, bringing us the other final score of 6-3 and solidifying the series split from the weekend, with each team winning one game against each other.

Elmira 3 @ Maryland 4 - Penalty killing, late-game heroics secure win for the Maryland Black Bears over the Elmira Aviators. The East Division leaders were coming into this game looking to avenge their first regulation loss from a day before, but it wouldn’t be easy. Nico Pohjola scored to give the Aviators a lead early. Elmira would end up outshooting Maryland in the first period, due in no small part to a plethora of penalties committed by Maryland. The second period saw the teams exchange a total of five goals in five minutes. Brayden Wade, Matthew Shpungin, and Vincent Glos would score for the Black Bears, while Max Campbell and Lukas Novak would score for the Aviators, setting up the chance for a wild finish to the third period. Maryland was getting the better of Elmira through the third, more than doubling the shot total of their Eastern rival, but they could not finish. That is, until Wade scored his team's leading seventh goal of the season to break the tie and bring us to the final score of 4-3 in an exciting rematch of yesterday’s game.

Northeast 3 @ Philadelphia 4 (SO) - The Philadelphia Generals avoid a comeback disaster against the Northeast Generals, winning in a shootout to split the weekend series. In what has been a very heated East division rivalry series, special teams play was on full display in this game. Timmy Donohue and Dylan Moran scored a minute apart from each other in the first period to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead, with Donohue’s goal coming on the power play. Both goaltenders would be stellar throughout this game, but especially in the third period as Northeast’s Gavin Weeks and Philadelphia’s Mathieu Raymond would face multiple shots and turn them all away. The Rebels’ Braxton Ingle what score is short-handed goal early in the third period to give Philadelphia a comfortable lead. But no lead is truly safe in hockey, as the Generals would get two power-play goals, one from Kody Moyer and one from Logan Poulin, to cut the lead to just one with plenty of time left. They would need almost all of it, however, but would end up tying the game on a shorthanded goal from Jack Montaldo with under a minute left in regulation, forcing this game to go to overtime. While the Rebels were trying to put things away in overtime, generating three shots against Weeks, it wasn’t enough, and overtime would end in a tie as well, sending this game to a shootout. Round one saw both goalies making the save, but in round two Northeast’s Braydon Hudtloff would score, putting all the pressure on Philadelphia. Raymond would stop Moyer in the third round, meaning that Donohue would have a chance to extend the shootout by scoring, and he did just that, burying a shot past Weeks to give his team one last gasp.

Minot 2 vs Austin 4 - After a close loss on Friday night, the Austin Bruins bounced back to defeat the Minotauros 4-2. The Bruins scored the first frame’s lone goal when Andrew Leung found the back of the net with assists from Nolan Newton and Brett Ludvigsen. The teams traded shots-on-goal in the second period, with Austin outshooting Minot 12-4. Logan Brown was the only one to light the lamp, giving the Bruins a 2-0 advantage with one period left to play. The Minotauros offense found their rhythm early in the third period. Briggs Knott scored Minot’s first of the night, and Joey Dellacroce took advantage of the power play just five minutes later to tie the game 2-2. Tevin Stunkel swung the momentum back in the favor of the Bruins with the game-winning goal late, while Andrew Leung secured the win with an empty-net tally to make the final score 4-2.

​Aberdeen 5 vs St. Cloud 8 -The St. Cloud Norsemen defeated the Aberdeen Wings in a high-scoring Saturday night battle. Payne Riffey kicked off the scoring just two minutes into the opening frame to give the Wings an early lead, but Cristian Nichols scored for the Norsemen on the man advantage to even the score at the end of one. An eight-goal second period started with a power-play goal from St. Cloud’s Lucas Schaefer. The Norsemen would score the next two with Niklas Anderson and Kruz Sauer giving St. Cloud a one-goal advantage. But Aberdeen answered quickly when Ari Popvskiy added one just 18 seconds later, and Schaefer added his second goal of the frame to tie the score once again. The Norsemen capitalized on a long power play, finding three goals with Sauer and Nichols scoring their second of the game and Dante Rodriguez adding his first. Tucker Lovejoy continued the Norsemen’s power play scoring in the third period, but Aberdeen wasn’t going quietly, with Filip Hendriksson closing the gap to two with three minutes remaining. Dante Rodriguez brought the St. Cloud lead back to three and took home the victory by a score of 8-5.

Bismarck 5 vs Watertown 2 - Following a 0-2 loss on Friday night, Teddy Richardson’s hat trick propelled Bismarck over Watertown in a 5-2 victory. Watertown opened the matchup’s scoring when Maksims Pumpins scored his first of the season with assists from Stefan Rots and Grady Dimberio. Jake Caffery tied the score at one, and Richardson scored his first to give the Bobcats a 2-1 advantage after the first 20 minutes. The Bobcats outshot the Shamrocks 15-7 in the middle period, and Isak Forslund put Bismarck up by two, off assists from Caffery and Jake Browning, while Richardson notched his second to make the score 4-1. The Shamrocks found one before the end of the frame when Jordan Brothers found the back of the net to cut the Bobcat lead to two. Richardson completed the hat trick just 41 seconds into the final period to secure the victory for the Bobcats. Easton Thvedt earned the win, making 16 saves on 18 shots.

Shreveport 5 @ Amarillo 0 - The powerhouse Shreveport Mudbugs took on the Amarillo Wranglers for game two of the South Division series. Shreveport started hot, scoring a power-play goal in the opening minutes, courtesy of Evan Hoglund. The Mudbugs would tack on another goal from Jason Simons just minutes later to give them an early two-goal lead. The teams traded countless penalties after the goal, but neither could capitalize on the power play. The first frame came to a close with Gunner Gullstrand scoring an even-strength goal with just two seconds left in the period, extending the Mudbugs’ lead to three. The second period saw a huge number of penalties from both sides, but each team’s penalty-kill unit came out strong, leaving the second frame scoreless. Action picked back up in the third frame as Gunner Gullstrand found his second consecutive goal midway through the period. Gullstrand then followed this with a third goal with minutes left in the game, completing his hat trick and securing Shreveport’s 5-0 victory. Jack Greenwell protected the Shreveport crease, recording a 16-save shutout. Shreveport will look to find similar results next week against the Corpus Christi IceRays, while Amarillo prepares for their series with the Odessa Jackalopes.

New Mexico 2 @ Lone Star 1 (SO) - The New Mexico Ice Wolves took on the Lone Star Brahmas after a shootout loss in game one. The first frame kicked off with the Brahmas owning the possession battle. The teams traded off minor penalties, but as the period came to a close, New Mexico’s Porter Bayer buried a power-play goal. The Ice Wolves would hold this lead for the second period as the Brahmas found themselves in more penalty trouble. The Lone Star penalty kill limited the New Mexico offense. The Brahmas outshot the Ice Wolves 10-5 in the second period despite their time on the penalty kill. The second frame would end scoreless, leaving more work to be done for the Brahmas. Leo Lundblad found the net on a power-play equalizer midway through the third period, sending game two to overtime. The Brahmas saw another great opportunity in overtime, earning a power play in the final minute, but they were unable to capitalize, sending the teams to another shootout. The Ice Wolves found a way to take the win after a grueling eleven-round shootout. Killian Kissane would score the game-winner on the 21st shot of the shootout. New Mexico looks to take its newfound success to El Paso to take on the Rhinos, while the Brahmas will head to Oklahoma for their series with the Warriors.

Billings 3 @ Ogden 2 (SO) - The Billings Cattle Punchers took on the Ogden Mustangs in game two, after an overtime thriller in their previous matchup. Ogden started hot, as Liam Sheward scored an even-strength goal in the opening minutes of the game, giving the Mustangs the early lead. Sheward’s goal was followed by a trifecta of penalties from both teams. Neither team would capitalize on the penalty minutes as the game headed to the first intermission. The Cattle Punchers would retaliate in the second period, as Haydon Eckart would bury an even-strength strike midway through the frame. The second period saw both teams putting together quality offensive possessions, but the game would remain tied heading into the third period. Alec Johnson scored a go-ahead goal for the Cattle Punchers in the latter half of the period. A late penalty by Billings would give the Mustangs a chance to tie up the game. Sam Gero took advantage of the opportunity and buried an equalizer on the first shot of the Ogden power play, sending this game to overtime. The overtime period would go scoreless, forcing the teams to a shootout for the second consecutive night. Landon Jamieson would find the net, scoring the game-winning goal for the Cattle Punchers, but the saving grace for Billings was goaltender Daniel Dmitrievsky recording 53 saves in this affair. Billings will head back home to face the Idaho Falls Spud Kings, while the Mustangs will head to Texas for their series with the Houston Bulls.

Pueblo 4 @ Grand Junction 1 - The Pueblo Peppers took on the Grand Junction River Hawks with hopes of avenging their overtime loss in game one. The Peppers would be the first to light the lamp, with Nolan Warner scoring an even-strength goal midway through the first period. Grand Junction would have a couple of opportunities on the power play but could not find the net in the opening period. The Peppers would take advantage of penalty minutes, as Drew Albrecht buried a power-play goal in the opening minutes of the second frame. Pueblo owned the shot column in the second period, outshooting Grand Junction 12-4. Blake Graff would be the next to find himself on the scoresheet, drilling an even-strength goal to extend the Peppers’ lead to three. The River Hawks would find some life in the final minutes of the second frame with a goal from Gabriel Simpson, keeping his team in this game. The hope for a comeback would be short-lived, as the Pueblo defense silenced the River Hawks in the third period. Trevor Bodie added the cherry on top, scoring an even-strength goal midway through the third frame, securing the Peppers’ 4-1 victory. The two teams will face off for game three, with one squad hoping to find an edge.

Minnesota W 9 @ Anchorage 5 - The contest opened with Anchorage’s Michael Kotora striking first in unassisted fashion for the Wolverines. That quick lead would be held until the final few minutes of the period as Minnesota’s Jackson Knight and Frantisek Netusil found the net on special teams. Knight would light the lamp on the penalty kill while Netusil notched his goal on the power play. The middle frame would feature a scoring frenzy as nine goals were scored between the two teams. The Wilderness would strike first as Jackson Lackas scored in the first two minutes of the period. The Wolverines would respond quickly as Aiden Lawson and John Scott would even the score. That 3-3 scoreboard would be short-lived as the Wilderness tallied two quick goals by Ferry Netusil and Jackson Knight around the 13-minute mark. Both tallies were scored less than 20 seconds apart. However, the Wolverines would not back down in the frame as the Alaska-based club would score two goals to even the score once more. Finding the net for Anchorage would be captain Caleb Mahar and assistant captain Landon Greenough. The two veterans would help to keep the Wolverines in the hunt. Moments following Greenough’s tally, Minnesota’s Kash Crawford cashed in with his fourth tally of the year to regain the lead for the Wilderness. Four minutes later, Kevin Lysohir would add to Minnesota’s lead with his fourth tally of the season. The final frame would spotlight the Wilderness commanding the frame and securing the win for Saturday night. Lighting the lamp first would be University of Alaska-Fairbanks commit Landon Cottingham, finding twine in the first five minutes of the frame. 10 minutes later in the period, Ferry Netusil would complete the hat trick with an empty-netter tally and seal the 9-5 victory. The series now evens to 1-1 as the two in-division foes head into game three tomorrow.

Kenai River 3 @ Fairbanks 2 - In a Saturday night thriller, the Kenai River Brown Bears would even the series with a road win at the Big Dipper. The matchup kicked off with the Ice Dogs striking quickly in the opening frame. Fairbanks’ Ryan Shanahan found twine a little over one minute into the contest. The remainder of the period would be quiet as the Ice Dogs skated into the second period with the lead. The middle frame showcased Kenai River’s offensive prowess as they recorded three goals in the period. The scoring started with Karim Kazhibekov lighting the lamp three minutes into the frame. Not long after him, Braden Hansberger nets his fifth of the year and helps the Brown Bears to take the lead. Minutes later, Fairbanks’ Oliver Barna finds twine in unassisted fashion to even the score for his team. However, that 2-2 scoreboard would be short-lived as Alexander Salisbury lit the lamp and scored his first goal of the season for the Brown Bears to help take the lead. The final frame would be quiet as both teams traded chances. Kenai River delivered Fairbanks’ first regulation loss with a three-goal second frame.