Shootouts, Hat Tricks & Late Goals: A Friday to Remember

Photo Credit: Lyca Williams

Buzz 1 @ Norwich 4 - The Norwich Sea Captains hosted the Buzz, where they earned a 4-1 victory. They played a close contest in the first two frames, with both teams tallying a goal in the first period. After a scoreless second period, the Sea Captains brought the energy into the final frame to earn the decisive victory. Kolin Krizan, Trenton Impens, and Henry Pinkerman each tallied a goal for Norwich to earn the Friday night win. Anderson Wiemer made 31 out of 32 saves for the Sea Captains for his seventh win in between the pipes. 

Long Beach 7 @ Maine 3 - In an exciting battle at Norway Savings Bank Arena, the Long Beach Sharks defeated the Maine Nordiques 7-3. The Sharks came to play as they tallied in five goals in the first period. Sean Bailey led Long Beach’s scoring efforts as he earned a hat trick for the night. Despite back-to-back goals from Peyton Dyer and another from Brody Emond, the Nordiques were unable to respond to Long Beach’s scoring frenzy. 

Bayou State 1 @ Louisiana 16 - The Louisiana Drillers continue on their dominant season as they defeated the Bayou State Rougarou 16-1 at Planet Ice Rink. Scoring efforts were led by Skyler Tompkins, who earned a hat trick, and Dayton Ruppel, who notched a pair of goals. The Rougarou responded with one goal for the night scored by Denis Portnoy, but they were unsuccessful in matching the Drillers’ scoring success. 

Pelham 1 @ Atlanta 6 - The Atlanta Capitals took a decisive 6-1 victory over the Pelham Prowlers last night at Atlanta Ice Forum. Led by Brayden Grant with two goals, the Capitals took an early lead of three in the first period; Grant would then earn a hat trick after tallying in one more during the final frame. Dominic Cattelane notched in the Prowlers’ only goal of the night during the second period, but the Capitals would respond with another three in the final frame. Maxwell Pelton was great in net for Atlanta, making 21 out of 22 saves for a nightly save percentage of .955%. 

West Bend 3 @ Peoria 2 - The West Bend Power took advantage of a strong middle frame to secure a 3-2 victory over the Peoria Mustangs. Despite dominating the first period, outshooting their opponent 22-9, the Power were not able to find the back of the net until early in the second. Jace Fitzgerald opened up the scoring and Shaun Paulson extended the lead to 2-0 three minutes later. Less than a minute after trailing 2-0, Jordan Mini put the Mustangs on the board to cut the lead in half. However, this momentum was short lived as Jackson Hoem scored for West Bend to extend the lead to 3-1. Peoria found the back of the net once again at the end of the second, and that was the last goal of the night. The final period was scoreless, and the Power held on to secure the win. 

Willmar 3 @ Minnesota W 5 - The Minnesota Wilderness defeated the Willmar Warhawks in a high scoring affair. After controlling the first period, the Warhawks got on the board first to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The second period was the hughes scoring, featuring four total goals. Tommy Perkins tied it for the Wilderness before Max Jackson scored his second of the game to regain the lead for Willmar. Emmett Reiter then scored a pair of goals for Minnesota to tie it and then take the lead. The third period was dominant for the Warhawks, but they could only find the back of the net once, while the Wilderness scored another pair of goals to end the game with a final score of 5-3. 

Alexandria 5 @ Mason City 6 - The Mason City Toros win a tight game at home against the Alexandria Blizzard. The Toros jumped to an early lead as they scored a pair of goals in the first period, taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The second period was tight in terms of shots, but Alexandria was able to get the upper hand as they found the back of the net three times, including two goals from Caleb Waller. The Toros struck twice in the second to carry a 4-3 advantage into the final frame. In the third, both teams traded a pair of goals before Christian Plaga buried the game-winner with less than 90 seconds remaining in regulation, sealing the victory for the Toros.

Rochester 4 @ Wausau 1 - The Rochester Grizzlies dominated on the road to defeat the Wausau Cyclones 4-1. After dominating the first period shot count 17-4, the Grizzlies got on the board late in the period to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. In the second, they scored a pair of goals before getting one on the power play in the third to make it a 4-0 lead. Late in the third, Maksim Salienko found the back of the net to get one back for the Cyclones to cut the lead to three. However, the Grizzlies hung on for the rest of the game to secure the win. Nick Kurtiak was steady in net, stopping 34 of 35 shots, and Felix Wadstromer paced the attack with a pair of goals in Rochester’s victory.

Minnesota M 1 @ Granite City 2 - Granite City held off Minnesota for a 2-1 win at home. Manny Pearce got things rolling with a slick setup from Alexander Zelazowski and Teagan Dodge, and Mason Ray added the eventual game-winner off passes from Coltin Wassengeso and Micah Saxon. The Moose fought back in the third with a goal from George Ericson, but Nathan Mach was a brick wall in net, stopping 47 of 48 shots to lock it down. Granite City’s penalty kill held strong despite 23 minutes in the box, and the Lumberjacks kept their impressive home run going.

West Texas 0 @ New Mexico 8 - New Mexico ran wild on West Texas, rolling to an 8-0 shutout at the Outpost Ice Arena. Brock Seeger set the tone with the opening goal, and Alex Ihling and Calahan Butler added early insurance. The scoring didn’t stop—Breckin Ross, Connor Hanley, Hunzeker Piersimoni, Tanner Ross, and Jacob Wenner all found the net, with the Ice Wolves cashing in on three power-play chances along the way. Joshua Middleton was rock solid in goal, stopping all 27 shots for the shutout, while Garret Lant faced a relentless 42-shot assault for the Wranglers. With this dominating win, the Ice Wolves keep building momentum and making a statement this season.

Wisconsin 3 @ St. Louis 2 (SO) - Wisconsin pulled out a 3-2 shootout win over St. Louis in a hard-fought battle on the road. Anthony Moorehead got the Woodsmen on the board first, setting up the early momentum, and Ty Paulios added a second to give Wisconsin a comfortable lead. The Jr. Blues weren’t backing down, though, Caden Lindley and Teagan Lee answered to tie it up and force overtime. Both goalies were spectacular, with Alex Rivolta standing tall for Wisconsin, stopping 39 of 41 shots and making key saves in the shootout. In the end, it was Ozbej Muzan who sealed the victory with the decisive shootout goal, keeping Wisconsin’s winning streak alive. St. Louis fought hard throughout, with Chase Kozma shining with two assists, but the Woodsmen proved just a little too strong in the end.

Texas B 4 @ Austin 5 (SO) - Austin pulled off a 5-4 shootout win over Texas in a wild back-and-forth at the Ice and Fields at the Crossover. Mason Manderfield was the star of the show, opening the scoring, adding a second, and completing his hat trick in the third to force overtime. The Brahmas kept it close, with Benjamin Humphreys and Peyton Deperno scoring key goals, including a shorthanded effort, and Caden Michael putting Texas ahead briefly in the second. In the shootout, Jake Bamback sealed the win for Austin, while Gavin Morris was perfect in net, stopping every Brahmas attempt. Both teams battled hard with 71 shots on goal and 16 penalty minutes combined, but the Ice Bats came out on top in an instant classic.

Helena 4 @ Badlands 1 - The Helena Bighorns went on the road to take on the Badlands Sabres. In the opening period both teams would stay silent scoring 0 goals. In the second period, the Sabres would strike first with a power play goal from Rhylan Olson, Maddox Harn and Patrick Gosselin picking up the assist. The Bighorns would then answer back on a power play, Cameron Kimmerly scoring, Caden Feinstein and Cal Kellenberg picking up the assist. Just a minute later Austin Tyler would score for the Bighorns, Austin Uecker and Mason Blair getting the assist. Exactly 2 minutes later, Cameron Kimmerly would score an unassisted goal, his second goal of the night. In the final period the lone goal would belong to the Bighorns, Bryer Lang scoring with an assist from Chase Berg and Casey Barriteau. The Bighorns scored 4 straight goals to defeat the Sabres 4-1 on the road.

Sheridan 5 @ Yellowstone 2 - The Hawks headed into Quake territory for a road test. In the opening period the Quake would strike first with a goal from Colby Jensen, Noah Vega and Nolan Winkler picking up the assist. The Hawks would then get on the board with  a goal from Timothy Vaculik, Ernie Allena and Jeff Slivon picking up the assist. Just 2 minutes later Zachary Marsell would score for the Hawks to give them the lead, Vlad Zubriichuk getting the assist. The Hawks would continue to grow their lead with a goal from Max Krueger, Vincent Leaf and Charles Stow with the assist. In the second period the Hawks would keep their momentum going with another goal from Timothy Vaculik, Caden Gleason with the assist. Zachary Marsell would then score his second goal of the night, Vlad Zubriichuk with another assist, and Daniel Shelden getting an assist. In the final period the Quake would score with a goal from Carson Joersz, Shayne Smith and Dean Schlarman with the assist. The Hawks defeat the Quake 5-2 in a big road win.

Bozeman 12 @ Butte 0 - The Bozeman IceDogs hit the road for a matchup with the Butte Irish. Within the first 10 seconds of the game the Icedogs would score with a goal from Andrew Kaunas, Baron Masopust with the assist. The Icedogs would score again with a goal from Lex Steckelberg, Avery Martin picking up the assist. In the second period Baron Masopust scored on a power play for the Icedogs, Michael Reich and Andrew Kaunas with the assist. Less than a minute later the Icedogs would score again, Sam Trufant with the goal and Lex Steckelberg and Devin Bruns with the assist. Lex Steckelberg would then score on an unassisted goal. Followed by Jacob Larned with an unassisted goal. Devin Bruns would then score, Andrew Kaunas and Dnaiel Heath with the assist. Andrew Kaunas would then score an unassisted goal with 30 seconds remaining in the second period. In the final period, Preston Wight would score an unassisted goal. Andrew Kaunas would score again, being assist by Baron Masopust and Devin Bruns. Jace Griffin and Alex Brello would both score unassisted goals to end the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the IceDogs skated off with a commanding 12-0 win over the Irish.