Blizzard & Bighorns Win Game 3s, Punch Finals Tickets

Photo Credit: Bulldog Photography

Alexandria 5 @ Minnesota M 2 - In a do-or-die Game 3, No. 3 seeded Alexandria Blizzard forward Caleb Waller showed up in a big way to aid his team to a 5-2 win over the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Moose to clinch a spot in the West Division Final. 

Waller came through with a huge performance in Monday’s Game 3, posting two goals and an assist for three points. His fingerprints were all over Alexandria’s series win as his three-point night brought his postseason point total to seven. 

The Blizzard’s series-upset punches their ticket to the West Division Final where they will take on the top-seeded Granite City Lumberjacks, who swept Mason City in their best-of-three series. 

Neither team conceded a goal in the first period, but Alexandria had the better of the opportunities by a wide margin with a 20-8 shots advantage. 

Waller finally broke through midway through the second period with his fourth goal of the playoffs to put the blizzard ahead 1-0. 

Alexandria doubled the lead thanks to Waller again, scoring his fifth goal in under three games in the series with just over three minutes to go in the middle frame. 

The Moose did not go away quietly. Carsen Gause (first) scored a huge goal with just over a minute to play in the second period to cut the deficit in half and set up a photo finish heading to the final 20 minutes. 

Alexandria kept its foot on the gas in the third period. Goals from Reece Hubmer (first and Wyatt Mineheine (second) gave the Blizzard much-needed breathing room to push the lead to 4-1. 

Luca Salak tried giving the Moose a spark with his second goal of the playoffs with 3:08 to go, but Blake Breiland (first) provided the dagger with just over two minutes left to seal the 5-2 win and Alexandria’s spot in the West Division Final. 

Great Falls 2 @ Helena 5 - After dropping Game 1 and recovering in Game 2 of their Frontier Division Semifinal, the No. 2 seeded Helena Bighorns completed the series comeback Monday with a dominant 5-2 win over the No. 3 seeded Great Falls Americans to secure a spot in the Frontier Division Final. 

Helena showed up to Game 3 with its best performance of the series, carrying the play to the tune of a 61-26 shots advantage. Cameron Kimmerly – who scored the overtime winner in game 2 to keep Helena’s season alive – came through for the Bighorns again with a goal and an assist. 

The Bighorns take the best-of-three after trailing 1-0 in the series and advance to the Frontier Division Final where they will take on the top-seeded Sheridan Hawks – who swept the Badlands Sabres in their best-of-three. 

Despite the edge in play for Helena, it was Great Falls that got on the board first. AJ Prioli nabbed his fifth goal of the series with 7:26 to go in the first period to give the Americans a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. 

Helena knotted the game up just under seven minutes into the middle frame when Joe Viox tallied his first goal of the playoffs. 

The Americans struck back midway through the period when Cooper Clouse ‘s first goal of the playoffs restored Great Falls’ one-goal lead at 2-1. 

The Bighorns did not go away, once again tying the game thanks to Blake Chapman. His first marker of the postseason with 2:17 left in the second period set up an exciting final 20 minutes with the score tied 2-2. 

When the third period hit the Bighorns grabbed a stranglehold on the game. Braden Davis gave Helena its first lead of the game just 54 seconds into the period with his first goal of the playoffs. 

Helena kept up the pressure in the final period, almost doubling up the Americans in third-period shots at 19-10. Jeffrey Hershberger (first) and Kimmerly (second) both scored during the Bighorns’ onslaught of shots to seal the 5-2 win in the win-or-go-home Game 3 and come-from-behind series win.