Shutouts lead Steel, Vengeance to series wins
Pittsburgh goalie Joel De Simone made 34 saves for the 3-0 shutout victory over the Toledo Cherokee in Game 3. The Vengeance advance to the East Finals to play the Metro Jets.
West Division Semi-Final, Game 3: New Ulm Steel 5 vs. Alexandria Blizzard 0 (New Ulm wins series, 2-1) - New Ulm goaltender Nathan Siclovan made 46 saves for a 5-0 shutout win in Game three against the Alexandria Blizzard. Alexandria's Brey Effertz made 27 saves. Alex Egle, Vincent Billing, Jared Erickson, Alex Nagel, and Sam Wenner scored for the Steel. With the victory, the New Ulm Steel will play the Granite City Lumberjacks in the West Division finals.
East Division Semi-Final, Game 3: Metro Jets 4 vs. West Michigan Wolves 2 (Metro wins series, 2-1) - Four unanswered goals, including a hat trick from Louis Boudon, carried the Metro Jets to a 4-2 victory over the West Michigan Wolves. Connor Inger also scored for the Jets, and Justin Bloomfield and Thomas Harrison got on the board for the Wolves. In net, Jake Gwillim made 15 saves for Metro, and West Michigan's Sam Woznicki stopped 34 shots. With the win, the Metro Jets advance to the East Division finals, and will play the Pittsburgh Vengeance in the next round.
East Division Semi-Final, Game 3: Pittsburgh Vengeance 3 vs. Toledo Cherokee 0 (Pittsburgh wins series, 2-1) - Joel De Simone made 34 saves for the 3-0 shutout victory over the Toledo Cherokee. Reid Miller, James Unger, and Vincent Casale scored for the Vengeance. Toledo goaltender Roman Malkov stopped 37 shots. The Pittsburgh Vengeance win the series, 2 games to 1, and will play the Metro Jets in the East Division finals.
Coastal Division Semi-Final, Game 3: New England Stars 6 vs. Cape Cod Islanders 2 (New England wins series, 2-1) - The New England Stars grabbed a 6-2 win to claim the series over the Cape Cod Islanders. Ryan Paul (2), Ian Gately, Tyson Gudaitis, Nick Johnson, and Ryan Gauvin scored for the Stars, and Chris Conlin and Aaron Deady notched goals for the Islanders. New England's Sage Broda made 33 saves, and Anton Zemba stopped 18 shots for Cape Cod. With the win, the New England Stars will be playing the Long Beach Sharks in the Coastal Division Finals.
Central Division Semi-Final, Game 3: La Crosse Freeze 2 vs. Wisconsin Whalers 1 (La Crosse wins series, 2-1) - The La Crosse Freeze came out on top with a 2-1 win over the Wisconsin Whalers. Sam Dabrowski and Danny Toycen scored for the Freeze, and Austin Lewis notched one for the Whalers. La Crosse's Andrew Wagner made 26 saves, while Max McConnell stopped 40 shots for Wisconsin. With the win, the La Crosse Freeze advance to the Central Division finals, where they will play the North Iowa Bulls.
South Division Semi-Final, Game 2: Point Mallard Ducks 4 vs. Texas Jr Brahmas 1 (Series tied 1-1) - The Point Mallard Ducks grabbed an early lead on their way to a 4-1 victory over the Texas Jr Brahmas. Cody LaValley, Travis Brain, Elias Nilsson, and Joe Polcaro scored for the Ducks, and Jacob Berry notched one for the Jr Brahmas. Point Mallard's Kevin Mackey made 28 stops, while Tyler Myers made 25 saves for Texas. The teams are tied at one game each, and game three will be held on Monday, March 20.
