Friday Playoff Frenzy: Hat Tricks, Shutouts & Comebacks

Photo Credit: Faith Healey

Bayou State 0 @ Louisiana 13 - Louisiana rolled to a 13–0 victory over Bayou State on Friday to claim Game 1 of their Southeast Division playoff series. The Drillers got on the board in the first period when Loghan Weber scored on the power play with assists from Riley Schmidt and Daniel Vihavainen. Jack Slotka followed with a goal assisted by Brody Neish and Daniel Vihavainen, and Brayden Pelcl added another with assists from Brody Neish and Dayton Ruppel to make it 3-0 after one.  Louisiana extended the lead in the second period. Brody Haas scored with assists from Daniel Vihavainen and Carter Gnau, followed by a power-play goal from Lucas Dyer assisted by Carter Gnau and Loghan Weber. Weber added another goal with assists from Riley Schmidt and Braden Bates. Draydin Johnson then scored with assists from Braden Bates and Lucas Dyer, Daniel Vihavainen found the net with assists from Brody Neish and Emerson Laroche, and Riley Schmidt added a goal assisted by Jack Slotka and Weber to push the lead to 9-0.  Louisiana kept the offense going in the third period. Weber completed the hat trick with assists from Schmidt and Vihavainen, Schmidt later scored again assisted by Weber, Dante Zaffarano added a goal with assists from Carter Gnau and Lucas Dyer, and Pelcl scored his second of the game with help from Emerson Laroche and Brody Neish to make it 13-0. 

Buzz 1 @ New Hampshire 6 - Another strong performance from Jacob Landry and a hat-trick outing from Talon Schackman propelled the No. 2 seeded New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings to a big 6-1 win in Game 2 of the East Division Semifinal over the No. 3 seeded Buzz to punch their ticket to the East Division Final. After a hat-trick, five-point performance in Game 1, Landry followed up with a two-goal outing along with Schackman’s hat-trick to carry their squad to the East Division Final. New Hampshire await the winner of the No. 1 Long Beach Sharks and New Jersey Titans series, where Long Beach lead the best-of-three 1-0. Anthony Ayala got New Hampshire off and running with 4:25 left in the first period, scoring his first goal of the postseason via the power play to give his team a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. The Jr. Mountain Kings doubled the lead just after the seven-minute mark of the middle frame on another power-play goal, this time from Schackman (first). Landry showed up just 59 seconds later, tallying his fourth goal in less than five periods of hockey to start the playoffs. His goal gave New Hampshire a 3-0 lead with just 20 minutes separating them from a trip to the East Division Final.  New Hampshire put any hope of a Buzz comeback to bed early in the third period. Short-handed goals from Landry (fifth) and Schackman (third) just 53 second apart put the Jr. Mountain Kings ahead 5-0.  Jaylen Nurse stopped the bleeding for the Buzz with his second goal of the playoffs with just over 17 minutes to play, but that was as close as they could get.  Schackman completed the hat-trick with 1:27 to go, sealing the 6-1 Game 2 win to lock up the series for New Hampshire. 

Wausau 4 @ Rochester 7 - Rochester opened its Central Division playoff series with a 7–4 Game 1 win over Wausau. The Grizz opened the scoring in the first period when Julian Mollersrandh scored on the power play with assists from Andrew Bastian and Ole Fevold. Wausau responded with a power-play goal from Jackson Maddock, assisted by Brady Knutsen and Elijah Von Gunten, to tie the game 1-1 after one period.  Rochester pulled ahead in the second period. Mason Decker scored on the power play with assists from Brett Ludvigsen and Trenton Fore. Dominic Arndt followed with a goal assisted by Alex Arneson and Sam Paczani. Decker added his second goal of the game on the power play with assists from Felix Wadstromer and Benjamin Oleary. Wausau answered later in the period as Elijah Von Gunten scored with help from Brady Robbins to make it 4-2 heading into the third. The teams traded goals in the third period. Von Gunten scored again on the power play with an assist from Brady Knutsen. Rochester answered with a power-play goal from Trenton Fore assisted by Felix Wadstromer and Mason Decker. Wadstromer then added a goal with assists from Tevin Stukel and Ole Fevold. Wausau got a power-play goal from Jackson Schroeder, but Rochester sealed the win when Brett Ludvigsen scored an empty-net goal with assists from Jesse Varner and Mason Decker. 

New Mexico 2 @ Texas B 1 - New Mexico grabbed Game 1 of the South Division playoff series with a 2–1 win over Texas. Texas opened the scoring in the first period when Jayani Benson found the net with assists from Aidan Lebold and Benjamin Humphreys. New Mexico answered later in the period as Brock Seeger scored with assists from Hunzeker Piersimoni and Breckin Ross to tie the game 1-1 after the first. Neither team scored in the second period as both defenses and goaltenders held strong.  New Mexico broke the tie in the third period when Calahan Butler scored with an assist from Jacob Wenner to give New Mexico a 2-1 lead.  New Mexico goaltender Joshua Middleton made 34 saves on 35 shots in the win, while Texas goaltender Gavin Erickson stopped 25 of 27 shots. 

Alexandria 0 @ Minnesota M 4 - An offensive explosion in the second period was all the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Moose needed in Game 1 of the West Division Semifinal, powering past the No. 3 seeded Alexandria Blizzard by a final score of 4-0. Minnesota put together a diverse offensive performance, getting its four goals from four different players and at least a point from nine players. Moose goaltender Gabe Otis was perfect, stopping all 28 shots he faced. The Moose grab a 1-0 series lead with the win and are now one win away from punching their ticket to the West Division Final. The teams started the game tight defensively, only conceding a combined 13 shots and no goals. Alexandria had the better of the shot totals in the first period at 8-5. The scoring started just 4:30 into the middle frame. Brady Johnson nabbed his first goal of the playoffs to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. The powerplay got going for Minnesota in the back half of the second period. Luca Salak (first) and Gavin Jensen (first) each scored a power-play goal to extend the Moose’s lead to 3-0. Minnesota was not done in the middle frame. Will Cymbaulk capped off the four-goal outburst with his first marker of the playoffs with 2:30 remaining to send the Moose to the last 20 minutes ahead 4-0.  Alexandria pushed to get back in the game, sending eight shots on Otis in the period. Otis and the rest of the Moose defense stood tall, not allowing any pucks through to secure the 4-0 win and take a 1-0 series lead. 

Carolina 0 @ Texas R 4 - Texas took Game 1 in the Southeast Division playoffs, blanking Carolina 4–0. Neither team scored in the first period as both defenses held strong early in the game.  The RoadRunners broke through in the second period when Kristopher Pope scored with assists from Michael Garrett and Nathan Pickett. Just a minute later, Jayden Hitt added another goal assisted by William Heskett and Jacob Brown to give Texas a 2-0 lead heading into the third. Texas extended the lead in the third period when Hitt scored his second goal of the night with an assist from Joseph Izzo. Later in the period, William Heskett added a goal with assists from Hitt and Hillard Johnmeyer to make it 4-0.

El Paso 6 @ Austin 4 - El Paso took Game 1 in the South Division playoffs, topping Austin 6–4. The Rhinos opened the scoring in the first period when Carter Tuplin found the net with assists from Boston Cornic and Mikhail Levanuk. Austin answered later in the period as Austin McPherson scored with assists from Jaxon McKnight and Aldiyar Irik. El Paso regained the lead just before the end of the period when Kenneth Chawadaller scored shorthanded with assists from Aldiyar Irik and Boston Cornic to make it 2-1 after one.  El Paso added to the lead in the second period when Huero Rivera scored with assists from Drew Reiger and Donovan Bradford. Later in the period, Mikhail Levanuk scored shorthanded with assists from Carter Tuplin and Chase Mathews to give El Paso a 4-1 advantage heading into the third.  The Ice Bats responded early in the third period when Mason Manderfield scored with assists from Jaxon McGovern and Owen Rattray. Manderfield added his second goal of the game shortly after with assists from Gunnar Hillman and Jake Bambaek to cut the lead to one. El Paso answered with a power-play goal from Carter Tuplin assisted by Evan White and Boston Cornic. Austin answered with a power-play goal from Jaxon McGovern with assists from Mason Manderfield and Jake Bambaek. Austin scored once more late in the game when Jake Bambaek found the net with assists from Mason Manderfield and Liam Cardona, but El Paso held on for the 6-4 win. 

St. Louis 0 @ West Bend 5 - In front of a packed Kettle Moraine Ice Center, West Bend claimed Game 1 of the Central Division playoff series, shutting out St. Louis 5–0. The Power got on the board early in the first period when Danny Jurcich scored on the power play with assists from Blake Kohnen and Michael Maillette to take a 1-0 lead after one. West Bend added to the lead in the second period. Tristan Hearley scored with assists from Jace Fitzgerald and Hunter O’Neal, and Aidan Callaghan followed with a power-play goal assisted by Shaun Paulson and Nolan Mix to make it 3-0 heading into the third. The Power continued the offense in the third period when Nolan Mix scored on the power play with assists from Nathan Antti and Jackson Hoem. Later in the period, Jackson Hoem added another goal with assists from Quinn O’Connor and Jurcich to secure the 5-0 win.  Goaltender Sam Ahl stopped all 30 shots he faced to record the shutout, his third shutout of the season. 

Mason City 2 @ Granite City 5 - An all-around effort helped the top-seeded Granite City Lumberjacks take down the No. 4 seeded Mason City Toros Friday in Game 1 of the West Division Semifinals by a final score of 5-2. Baylor Stebbins, Jackson Engberg and Carter Oothoudt were at the forefront of the offensive for the ‘Jacks, each posting a goal plus an assist. In addition to the three forwards, four other skaters posted at lead a point while goaltender Nathan Mach stopped 33 of the 35 shots he saw. Granite City take a 1-0 series lead with the win and are just one win shy of advancing to the West Division Semifinal. Stebbins (first) got his playoff run started quickly, opening the scoring for Granite City just 1:13 into the game for a 1-0 lead. The ‘Jacks doubled the lead late in the opening period thanks to Tyler Starich’s first goal of the playoffs. His goal sent Granite City to the second period ahead 2-0. The Toros got a chance on the power-play near the midway point of the second period, but it was Granite City who found offense. Oothoudt (first) tallied a short-handed goal to extend the Lumberjacks’ lead to 3-0. His goal was the only offense of the period. Engberg put a damper on any comeback bid for the Toros. He scored his first tally of the postseason just under four minutes into the final period to give Granite City a 4-0 lead. Mason City got themselves back within striking distance in the later stages of the third period. Christian Plaga (first) and Connor Pirsig (first) each scored with under 11 minutes to play, pushing the score to 4-2. The Toros did not get any closer as Mach and the Granite City defense clamped down the remainder of the game. Easton Sankey potted an empty-net goal with 44 seconds left to secure the 5-2 win and 1-0 series advantage. 

Great Falls 5 @ Helena 4 - A stellar goaltending performance from Kaden Rhyder carried the No. 3 seeded Great Falls Americans to an upset Game 1 victory over the No. 2 seeded Helena Bighorns Friday by a final score of 5-4 in the Frontier Division Semifinal. Despite allowing four Helena goals, Rhyder faced an onslaught of shots from the Bighorns all game. Rhyder stopped a whopping 48 of the 52 shots sent his way, keeping his team in the game. Great Falls’ offense was opportunistic in Friday’s game, scoring five goals on just 25 shots and getting at least a point from 12 different skaters. The Americans take a 1-0 series lead and are on the cusp of advancing to the Frontier Division Final, where the Sheridan Hawks await a winner. Great Falls got off to a strong start as goals from AJ Prioli (first) and Reid Lezubski (first) got them out to a 2-0 lead. Cal Kellenberg cut that lead in half for Helena with just 37 seconds to go in the first period to send the team to the middle frame with the Americans ahead 2-1. The Bighorns pressed the attack in the second period, scoring three goals from Maddux Hale (first), Lincoln Kearney (first) and Chase Berg) while outshooting Great Falls 16-9. Gavin Dennis (first) scored the lone tally for Great Falls in the second period, pushing the score to a 4-3 Helena lead heading to the final period. The Americans wasted little time getting the game tied up. Ethan Miller notched his first goal of the postseason just under three minutes into the third. Great Falls grabbed its lead back thanks to Colton Bacon’s first marker of the playoffs. His goal put Great Falls ahead 5-4 with just under 12 minutes to go. Helena desperately searched for the equalizer as they outshot Great Falls by a ridiculous 24-9 margin in the third period. But Rhyder played Superman, turning away all 24 shots to seal the upset 5-4 win and 1-0 series lead for the Americans. 

Badlands 3 @ Sheridan 4 (OT) - Max Krueger had his postseason moment Friday night, scoring the game-winning goal to propel his top-seeded Sheridan Hawks to the Frontier Division Final with a come-from-behind Game 2 win over the No.4 seeded Badlands Sabres by a final score of 4-3. Just as it seemed Badlands was primed to force a Game 3 leading by two goals midway through the third period, Sheridan stormed back with two goals in the late stages to force overtime, where Krueger completed the comeback. Badlands, with its back against the wall, came out of the gate hot, outshooting the Hawks 13-5 in the first period. Oliver Giles provided the offense for the Sabres with his first goal of the postseason just over six minutes in. His goal gave Badlands a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Sheridan found its legs in the middle frame, outshooting Badlands 16-12, but only matched the Sabres offensive output. Dayton Niedert notched his second goal of the playoffs with 2:33 to go in the period to double the Sabres’ lead. Krueger (first) scored a huge goal with just six seconds remaining in the middle period to cut the deficit to one goal heading to the final 20 minutes. The Sabres got an opportunity on the power play midway through the third period and did not waste their chance. Gaven Marx (first) struck on the power play to restore Badlands’ two-goal advantage at 3-1. Sheridan’s comeback began just 46 seconds after Marx’s goal. Jeff Slivion (second) tallied an unassisted short-handed goal to bring the deficit back down to one score. The Hawks got a golden opportunity inside the final five minutes when Badlands were hit with two penalties that awarded Sheridan a full two-minute five-on-three power play. Sheridan’s power play came through in the form of Deagan Watson (second) to knot the game up at 3-3, sending the game to overtime. Having found their game since the slow first period, the Hawks wasted little time ending the series. Krueger buried the overtime winner just 3:21 into the extra frame to send Sheridan to the Frontier Division Final.