Day 2 Thriller & Statement Win: Rochester Advances in OT, Granite City Erupts for 10

Louisiana 4 @ Rochester 5 (OT) - The Rochester Grizzlies are off to the Fraser Cup semifinals with a 5-4 overtime win over the Louisiana Drillers. After their win over the Helena Bighorns, the Grizzlies were looking to secure a spot in the top 2 of Pool A and advance to the playoff bracket. Building off this momentum, they wasted no time in this game with Mason Decker opening up the scoring on the power play. As the first period wound down, the Grizzlies were preparing to take their lead into the first intermission when Jack Slotka scored the tying goal with only 44 seconds left in the opening frame. In the second. Slotka struck once again giving the Drillers their first lead of the game. The Grizzlies would trail for the majority of the second until last game’s overtime hero, Brett Ludvigsen, tied the game with less than two minutes in the period. When the game looked like it would head into the final frame tied, the Drillers made a crucial mistake and took a penalty with a minute on the clock. On the power play, Rochester wasted no time as Felix Wadstromer found the back of the net to regain the lead and place his team up 3-2 heading into the second intermission. In the third period, the Drillers regained control of the game once again scoring two goals, including one on the power play. However, the Grizzlies did not let this score last, as Jace Jordan found the back of the net to send the game to overtime. In the extra frame, the Grizzlies dominated, limiting Louisiana to just one shot on goal. After all the pressure, Mason Decker finally broke through to win it for Rochester. With both the opening and game winning goals, Decker earned the top star of the game as leads his team to a second straight win and an appearance in the Fraser Cup semifinals. The Louisiana Drillers will play the Helena Bighorns on Friday to battle for the second spot in Pool A. The Grizzlies will await the results of Pool B to see who their opponent will be on Saturday.

Long Beach 2 @ Granite City 10 - The Granite City Lumberjacks responded in a huge way after their opening game loss, dominating the Long Beach Sharks 10-2 to keep their Fraser Cup hopes alive. Looking to bounce back and stay in the hunt for a semifinal spot, the Lumberjacks came out with energy, but the first period remained tight. Despite outshooting Long Beach 11-6, the game was deadlocked at 1-1 after the opening frame as both teams found the back of the net. In the second period, Granite City completely took over. The Lumberjacks erupted for six goals in a dominant stretch that put the game out of reach. Leading the charge was Garrett Plaude, who tallied a hat trick in the period, showcasing a relentless offensive attack. Backed by contributions up and down the lineup, Granite City carried a commanding 7-1 lead into the second intermission. The third period saw a bit more back-and-forth, but the Lumberjacks remained firmly in control. Long Beach’s Brendan Dalton added a goal for the Sharks, but Granite City continued to pour it on, adding three more of their own. Defenseman Coltin Wassengeso capped off a strong performance with his second goal of the night, further highlighting the team’s depth. Special teams played a key role in the victory, with three of Granite City’s ten goals coming on the power play. In total, seven different players found the scoresheet for the Lumberjacks in an impressive all-around effort. Garrett Plaude and Coltin Wassengeso stood out as the stars of the game, leading Granite City to a statement win as they look to carry this momentum forward.