No Easy Nights — Saturday Final Scores

Photo Credit: Dave Tester

Maine 2 @ New Jersey 5 - The New Jersey Titans hosted the Maine Nordiques for their ninth matchup of the season and second of the weekend. New Jersey won Friday’s game 4-1. New Jersey got off to a hot start in the first period. Forward Kane Clark scored on the power play at 4:05 to give the Titans the first goal of the game. Forward Jackson Dougherty extended New Jersey’s lead to two at 2:36 and forward Mikhail Mishin added another goal for the Titans with 53 seconds remaining in the first. In the second period, Maine was unable to get on the board and the lone goal came from New Jersey forward Yosef Pievsky on the power play at 5:34. Heading into the third period, New Jersey held a four-goal lead. Maine forward Jaxson Sardinha was able to get his team on the board with a short-handed goal at 16:03. Clark scored his second of the game for New Jersey on the penalty kill at 6:55. Sardhina scored his second of the game for Maine at 2:50 and the Titans took the win 5-2. Landon Bullock started in net for New Jersey and made 33 saves on 35 shots.

Texas R 6 @ Bayou State 3 - The Bayou State Rougarou hosted the Texas RoadRunners for their 11th game of the season and second of the weekend. The RoadRunners won Friday’s game in a shootout. The RoadRunners had a strong start on Saturday, with forwards Logan Diskey and Kristopher Pope scoring at 18:57 and 17:19, respectively. The Rougarou got on the board first in the second period with a goal from forward Denis Portnoy on the power play at 18:36. Texas proceeded to score three more times in the second from forwards Anthony Riviello at 17:44, Joseph Izzo on the power play at 10:50 and Jayden Hitt with an unassisted goal at 1:24. The Rougarou scored again with a goal from forward Judah Temple at 1:06 to end the period 5-2. In the third, forward William Heskett scored on the power play at 9:10 for Texas. Portnoy scored his second of the game with an unassisted goal for Bayou State and Texas won with a final score of 6-3. 

Norwich 6 @ Buzz 2 - The Buzz hosted the Norwich Sea Captains for their sixth matchup of the season and second of the weekend. The Sea Captains won Friday’s game 8-3. On Saturday, Norwich got off to a strong start with a pair of goals in the first from forwards Henry Pinkerman on the power play at 12:25 and Louis Allanson at 7:59. In the second period, Norwich Defenseman Jake Wilkerson got on the board with a goal at 13:27. Buzz forward Keegan Elliott netted his team’s first goal with a power-play goal at 12:02. In the third, Norwich forward Jaden Mills scored twice, with a goal at 14:27 and an unassisted goal at 3:24. Buzz forward Yaromir Chicherin netted a short-handed goal with a minute remaining in the period. Wilkerson scored his second of the game with an unassisted power-play goal at the end of the game for a 6-2 win for the Sea Captains. 

Atlanta 5 @ Carolina 8 - The Carolina Rage hosted the Atlanta Capitals for their 14th matchup of the season and second of the weekend. The Capitals won Friday’s game 6-3. On Saturday, Carolina got on the board first with a pair of goals from forwards Garett Kocon at 17:23 and Reece Beckwith on the power play at 15:17. The Capitals got on the board with a goal from defenseman Hatcher Horton at 12:21. The second period was packed full of action. Carolina continued to extend their lead with goals from forwards Anderson Cornwell at 16:37 and Kocon with his second of the game at 8:32. The Capitals proceeded to find the back of the net twice with goals from defenseman Sebastian Jaso at 8:17 and Horton with his second of the game at 7:20. Carolina struck back with two more goals from forward Dawson Anderson at 3:58 and Cornwell with his second of the game at 3:39. Atlanta forward Quin Tyler scored a goal with 11 seconds remaining in the period. The Rage headed into the third with a two-goal lead. They proceeded to extend that lead with two goals from forward James Parnell at 8:13 and a power-play goal at 1:08. Tyler scored his second of the game for Atlanta on the penalty kill with 18 seconds remaining to close off the game in a 8-5 win for Carolina. 

Pelham 0 @ Louisiana 11 - The Louisiana Drillers skated to an 11-0 win over the Pelham Prowlers. Brayden Pelc opened the scoring, assisted by Brody Neish and Daniel Vihavainen. Draydin Johnson followed with a goal from Carter Gnau and Braden Bates. Emerson Laroche added another, assisted by Pelc and Dayton Ruppel. Lucas Dyer scored next with help from Ruppel and Brody Haas. Laroche struck again, assisted by Neish and Kadyn Garcia, and Logan Weber closed out the first period scoring, with assists from Garcia and Bates. In the second, Dayton Ruppel found the back of the net, assisted by Riley Schmidt and Weber. Ruppel added his second of the game with help from Carter Gnau and Dante Zaffarano. Johnson also scored his second, assisted by Jack Slotka and Gnau.  In the third, Logan Woods scored on the power play, assisted by Daniel Vihavainen and Carter Tymchak. Johnson completed the hat trick with a goal assisted by Brody Neish and Laroche. Louisiana controlled the game from start to finish in the shutout win. 

Wisconsin 6 @ Peoria 3 - The Wisconsin Woodsmen picked up a 6-3 win over the Peoria Mustangs. Jack Dahl opened the scoring, assisted by Tristan Pownall and Bryce Bechen. Pownall followed with a goal from Dahl and Ethan Foiles, and Ty Paulios added another with help from Parker Holloway and Josh Kauppinen to give Wisconsin a 3-0 lead. Peoria responded in the second with a goal from Brendon Miller. Cody Thomas added another, assisted by Breyon Maroney, but Colton Holzer answered for Wisconsin with assists from Paulios and Holloway. In the third, Ozbej Muzan scored, assisted by Brandon Slasor. Holzer added his second of the game with help from Holloway, while Miller scored his second for Peoria, assisted by Corbin Beach and Hayden Gray. Wisconsin held control in the third to secure the win.

Minnesota M 8 @ Minnesota W 2 - The Minnesota Moose earned an 8-2 win over the Minnesota Wilderness. Mark Denoyer opened the scoring, assisted by Cullen Murray and Gavin Jensen. Luca Salak followed with a goal from Denoyer and Murray. Zacary Norberg got the Wilderness on the board shorthanded, assisted by Brant Tiedeman and Ethan Glimme. Mitchell Gawel responded for the Moose with assists from Charlie Marchand and George Daravignas, while Wyatt Hoefl added another with help from Brady Johnson and Will Burnevik. Brady Johnson made it 5-1, assisted by Burnevik and Hoefl. In the second, Carsen Gause scored, assisted by Burnevik and Johnson. Hoefl added his second of the game with assists from Johnson and Burnevik. Mitchell Gawel also scored his second, assisted by Denoyer and Hayden Albertson. Jace Kampsula scored for the Wilderness, assisted by Michal Soukup. Neither team scored in the third as the Moose closed out the win. 

Granite City 7 @ Alexandria 4 - A herculean effort from Ty Smith propelled the Granite City Lumberjacks to a dominant 7-4 win and series sweep over the Alexandria Blizzard. Smith was the star of the show Saturday, as he put four goals on the board for Granite City. With the four-goal effort, Smith’s total is now up to 40 on the season – good for a tie for fifth place in the NA3HL. The ‘Jacks’ fifth straight win helps them keep pace with Minnesota for the top spot in the West Division at 65 points apiece. Alexandria remain comfortably slotted at third place in the West – 10 points up of fourth-place Mason City. Smith (36th and 37th) made his presence felt in the later stages of the first period, potting two goals in a 1:48 span. The ‘Jacks were not done scoring, as Alexander Zelazowski ripped home his 10th of the year to put Granite City ahead 3-0. Alexandria got a goal back with just over four minutes to play in the period thanks to Easton Schmit’s fight of the campaign. Schmit’s goal was the last offense of the opening 20 minutes. The second period was quieter offensively for both sides. The only marker of the period came off the stick of Granite City’s Micah Saxon. His 12th of the year put the ‘Jacks up 4-1 heading to the third period. After Alexandria’s Zach Benson (eighth) put the deficit back to two goals, Smith and the rest of the Granite City offense took over. Smith (39th and 40th) and Cameron McCormack (third) potted three goals in a 2:30 span, providing the dagger the ‘Jacks needed to put the game away. Alexandria’s Wyatt Mineheine (66th) and Caleb Waller (34th) scored goals late, but it was far too late as the ‘Jacks skated away with a 7-4 win. 

St. Louis 5 @ Wausau 2 - A big third period for the St. Louis Jr. Blues helped them salvage a weekend series split Saturday, taking down the Wausau Cyclones by a final score of 5-2.  After letting a third-period lead slip in Friday’s contest, the Jr. Blues responded with a three-goal third period to earn the win. Lonnie Land led the way on the scoresheet for St. Louis, potting two goals. The Jr. Blues inch closer to the Cyclones in the Central Division standings with the win, sitting in fourth place and just three points back of the third-place Cyclones. Land got the party started early as he nabbed his 20th goal of the season just 3:33 into the game. Jack Vahle followed up Land with his 4th goal of the campaign to get St. Louis out to an early 2-0 lead. Wausau found its legs in the later stages of the period. A power-play goal from Jackson Schroeder (24th) and another tally from Elijah von Gunten (15th) brought the game back to even heading to the middle period. The teams tightened up defensively in the second period, as neither team found the back of the net. Wausau held the shots on goal advantage in the period at 19-8.  The Jr. Blues came out of the gate hot for the third period. Land (21st) scored just over four minutes in to restore St. Louis’ lead. The teams battled down to the final four minutes, where a power-play goal from St. Louis’ Eric Denny (seventh) and an empty-net goal from Caden Lindley (16th) provided all the insurance needed for the Jr. Blues skate away with a 5-2 victory. 

Mason City 7 @ Willmar 1 - Contributions up and down the lineup paid dividends for the Mason City Toros Saturday, as they easily handled the Willmar WarHawks by a final score of 7-1. The Toros had 12 different skaters register at least one point in Saturday’s contest. T.J. Gibson and Luke Gustafson led the way, each recording three points. Goaltender James Kamp was also stellar for the Toros, making 32 saves on 33 shots faced. The scoring started early for the Toros as Gibson got his squad off to a 1-0 lead with his 20th goal of the year 2:34 into the game. Mason City found offense in an unlikely spot late in the period. Stone Resch (12th) and Gustafson (17th) both tallied short-handed goals in the last five minutes to put Mason City ahead 3-0 after 20 minutes. Willmar finally struck back midway through the second frame. Lucas Thelen notched his first goal of the season via the power play to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Toros had a fast response. Gibson put his 21st goal of the year past the goal line just 1:37 later to restore Mason City’s three-goal lead. That lead stood to the end of the period as the teams entered the final period with Mason City ahead 4-1. The Toros left no doubt in the third period, scoring three goals in a 4:42 span. Mason Buchanan (ninth), Cooper Hedin (first) and Michael Ertle all found the back of the net during the scoring explosion to secure the 7-1 win. 

Tulsa 0 @ New Mexico 13 - The New Mexico Ice Wolves earned a three-game, weekend-series sweep in dominant fashion Saturday, bulldozing the Tulsa Oilers by a final score of 13-0. New Mexico’s Ryan Hoogsteen and Jacob Wenner led the way on a big offensive night. Hoogsteen posted three goals and two assists for five points while Wenner registered two goals and two assists for four points on the night. The Ice Wolves remain two points back of the third-place Austin Ice Bats in the South Division – who won Saturday – with the win. Tulsa have now dropped 11 straight games and sit at the bottom of the South. The domination began right from puck drop. Hoogsteen (16th), Hunzeker Piersimoni (10th) and Hunter Bauer (second and third) all found the back of the net in the opening period to give New Mexico a 4-0 lead. Scoring did not slow down in the second period. Wenner (14th), Alavarro Ramazzini (fifth), Piersimoni (11th), Cade Tilly (10th) and Calahan Butler (21st) all lit the lamp in the second period to put the Ice Wolves up 9-0 after 40 minutes. The third period was more offense from the Ice Wolves. A power-play goal from Sammy Albano (third), two power-play goals from Hoogsteen (17th and 18th) and one more goal from Wenner solidified the 13-0 smashing victory for New Mexico. 

Rochester 6 @ West Bend 3 - The Rochester Grizzlies picked up a 6-3 win over West Bend Power. Nik Secen opened the scoring, assisted by Mason Decker and Brett Ludvigsen. Quinn O’Connor answered for West Bend with help from Danny Jurcich and Tristan Hearley, and Aidan Callaghan gave West Bend the lead with assists from Mason Wanka and Shaun Paulson. Rochester responded in the second as Felix Wadstromer scored, assisted by Ludvigsen and Decker. Konnor Goclan followed with a goal from Benjamin O’Leary and Cooper Johnson to take the lead. In the third, Mason Decker added a goal with assists from Goclan and Johnson. Wadstromer scored again on the power play, assisted by Ludvigsen and Trenton Fore. Danny Jurcich scored for West Bend with assists from Blake Kohnen and Nathan Antill, but Sam Paczan sealed it with an empty-net goal, assisted by Johnson and Fore. Rochester pulled away late to secure the win

Yellowstone 2 @ Helena 8 - The Helena Bighorns made easy work of the Yellowstone Quake on home ice. Firing nearly triple the amount of shots on goal and converting early, the Bighorns paved the way for a big bounce back win after losing the evening prior. Nearly five minutes in, Ty Schell received a perfect pass from Jeffrey Hershberger that put him out in front of the goaltender alone before scoring. Some time later, Julian Merschdorf tied the score but only before Cal Kellenberg got one right back to secure a 2-1 Bighorn lead going into the first intermission. Quick into the second period, Helena hammered out three big goals. First it was Cameron Kimmerly intercepting a pass in the slot and ripping the puck home. Then, Chase Berg score in a very similar fashion to set the score at 4-1. Exactly a minute later, Caden Feinstein picked the corner yet again and the Bighorns took a big lead in the second frame. With under a minute remaining, Carson Joersz stopped the bleeding momentarily with a goal and set the score at 5-2 with 20 minutes left in regulation. Under a minute into the third period, Kade Pareja buried a rebound off a Fischer Nicolet shot for the sixth Helena tally of the game. Kimmerly picked up his second goal of the night, while Hershberger got a goal of his own for his second point. The final buzzer sounded, and the Bighorns secured the win. Every win down the stretch gets more and more important for the Bighorns. Sitting at second place in the Frontier Division, they have three points on the third place Great Falls Americans and are just four behind Sheridan. Although they have already clinched a playoff spot, the sights will continuously be set on closing in on the first-place spot in the division.

Badlands 1 @ Great Falls 3 - The Great Falls Americans picked up a 3-1 victory on home ice against the Badlands Sabres, giving them a three-game win streak and an extra push to the number two spot in the division. The first period came and went with no scoring, and shots sat at 8-5 in favor of the Sabres at the end of the frame. The second period started and Matthew Cordis stuffed the first tally of the contest to give the Sabres the lead. Eight minutes later. Fisher Hannesson responded for the Americans and tied the scoring before the second intermission. In the third, Aidan Mulheran cleaned up a loose puck in the crease and scored his first NA3HL goal, one that would end up being the game winning goal. Ethan Miller buried the empty netter with just a second left in regulation, and the Americans picked up their second win of the weekend. A big difference maker in this contest was Americans goaltender Kaden Rhyder who saw 34 shots and saved all but one of them. That’s an extremely solid backbone for the team to work off of, and that they did en route to a big 3-1 victory.

Gillette 6 @ Butte 3 - The Gillette Wild got the best of the Butte Irish in a largely back and forth matchup that saw a lot of offensive production. Although neither team could gain footing through the first 50 minutes, the Wild dominated the closing minutes of regulation and captured the win. Elijah Gilbertson scored to grab the first lead of the game for the Wild, but Bryce Hodges responded minutes later to tie it up. Then, Rocco Corl scored to get the second Wild lead of the game, but the Irish were able to respond again, this time courtesy of Jacob Avgustovskiy. The only goal scored in the second period was from Donovan Balek to give his Wild a 3-2 lead going into the third period. Anthony Launderville scored quickly into the final 20, and the trend continued as both teams traded goals. With five minutes remaining, Dylan Crossley scored for the Wild, but this time they managed to maintain their lead. CJ Lang followed up with some insurance, and Balek did the same to seal victory on the road. Neither team lacked opportunity. Both teams had chances on the man advantage, both posted at least 45 shots on goal, only the Wild were fully able to convert when it mattered most.

Sheridan 6 @ Bozeman 3 -  The Sheridan Hawks picked up a big win on the road as they continue to maintain distance for their first-place spot in the Frontier Division. After entering the first intermission down 1-0, the Hawks shifted gears and turned on the jets before storming back and winning this contest. Just after the midpoint of the first period, Matthew Stamp picked the top left corner on the rush for the first lead of the game for the Icedogs. In the first quarter of the second period, Deagan Watson responded to tie the game, but Ryan McCreary retaliated 18 seconds later to revive the Icedogs lead. Despite this promising start for the Icedogs, the Hawks quickly turned the tide. Max Krueger continued his excellent season with the tying goal, and 49 seconds later, Jameson Clark took the first Sheridan lead of the game. At the midpoint of the third, Krueger grabbed the puck in the slot before scoring his second goal of the game and his 20th of the season. Baron Masopust scored for Bozeman, but Deagan Watson and Vincent Leaf scored some insurance goals for the Hawks and iced this game 6-3. The Sheridan offensive was in full effect with Vincent Leaf picking up a goal and four points, while Max Krueger and Deagan Watson both had two goal games. These three players have been essential to the Hawks push for the division title, and this game was a perfect indicator of that impact.