Friday Finals: Bobcats making push for final spot in East
The Peoria Mustangs won their 13th straight game on Friday and sit only six points behind division-leading Rochester.
New Jersey 1 @ Bay State 8: Forward Landon Boothe scored four goals and had five points in Bay State’s convincing victory over the Jr. Titans. The Bobcats grabbed a quick lead as Landon Boothe, Ian Skinner, and Dylan Gallagher each buried goals in the opening period. Brian Woak, Boothe, and Nate Mastrony extended the lead in the 2nd period with goals. Boothe added his 3rd and 4th goal in the final period to further the lead. New Jersey’s lone goal came early as Isaiah McKinney found his 4th goal of the season 6:30 into the 1st. Ben Di Fiore grabbed the win keeping out 34 of 35 shots. Donovan Alfama took the loss keeping out 32 of 40 shots.
Rochester 3 @ Peoria 4 (SO): Tristan Trudel and Perry Lagatuz each scored in the shootout to help lift Peoria past the Grizzlies on home ice. Rochester took the first lead of the game as Matthew Shaw buried his 7th of the year on the powerplay. Sean Patrick Merck evened the scores for Peoria before the 1st intermission scoring on the powerplay as well. In the 2nd, Peoria grabbed and extended the lead as Jake Ratner and Thomas Kayner each tickled the twine. In the final frame, Justin Wright and Adam Johnson helped cut the deficit for the Grizzlies with goals but it was too late. Andrew Doran grabbed the victory, saving 31 of 34 shots. Zach Wiese was dealt the shootout loss making 21 saves.
Mid Cities 0 @ Louisiana 5: Jack Lambert netted a hat trick as the Louisiana Drillers beat the Mid Cities Jr. Stars 5-0. Josh Hrip potted a pair of goals and added an assist as well for Louisiana. Mark Kurliandchyk and Anderson O’Connor contributed two assists each. Brandon Keeney made 18 saves to pick up the shutout for the Drillers. Aaron Palos stopped 43 shots for the Jr. Stars in the loss.
Austin 0 @ TX RoadRunners 5: Eitan Geralnik led the RoadRunners with a goal and two helpers as Texas blanked Austin 5-0. Jack Klunk had a goal and an assist while Dominic Maangiapane, Tyler Singpradith and Jack Herron all scored for the RoadRunners. Alexander Opalacz was perfect, stopping all 16 shots he faced. Sebastian Skarzenski was busy on the other end of the ice as he made 56 saves.
TX Brahmas 7 @ Atlanta 4: Seven different Brahmas lit the lamp as they beat the Atlanta Capitals 7-4. Michael Imala, Micah Maldoonado, Aleksandr Gamzatov and Luc Yorkison led the Brahmas with two points. Ethan Kochanny, Cameron Colberg and Elijah buried goals as well for Texas. Anthony O’Neal led all skaters with two goals and two helpers. Carson Holliday had a goal and an assist while Nick Mumford contributed a goal as well. Dolan Gilbert picked up the win, denying 29 shots. Paul Jarvis and Seth Hudgel combined to make 39 saves for Atlanta.
Wausau 0 @ Milwaukee 3: Kaden Grant kept out all 25 shots he faced to secure the shutout and provide Milwaukee with a 3-0 victory over the Cyclones. The contest remained scoreless after 40 minutes but Matthew Ebersole broke the deadlock 7:30 into the final frame to give Milwaukee the lead. Nate Stone and Trent Van Gels each buried empty net goals to extend the lead and seal the victory. Zach Dosan remained sturdy in net for the Cyclones, keeping out 30 of 31 shots in the loss.
Great Falls 3 @ Helena 6: Harlan Wojtusik found himself a hat trick in Helena’s victory over the Americans and their 6th straight victory. Harlan Wojtusik gave Helena the first lead of the contest but Micah Serino and Jacksono Henningsgard would provide goals to keep Helena on top through 20 minutes. Ian Vannelli and Wojtsusik helped extend the lead in the 2nd with scores. In the final frame, Thomas Gazich helped cut the deficit with a goal but Erik Gibboney, Wotjusik and Samuel Feamster each extended the lead with goals. Eric Buccholz grabbed the win keeping out 36 shots. Will Simpson took the loss making 63 saves.
Yellowstone 2 @ Badlands 4: Brooks McLean was sturdy in net for the Sabres, keeping out 29 shots in Badlands’ victory over Yellowstone. The two teams traded goals in the opening period as Isaiah Burchett scored for the Quake and Carter Merritt scored for the Sabres. In the middle frame, Keagon Holloway and Kael Delzer both buried goals for the home team while Logan Brown helped Yellowstone keep the deficit at one. In the 3rd period, Merritt added his second of the net into the empty net to seal the victory. Brooks McLean grabbed the victory making 29 saves. Edvin Flakenstrom took the loss keeping out 45 of 48 shots.
Gillette 11 @ Butte 1: The Gillette Wild grabbed their third straight victory whilst taking down the Cobras 11-1 on the road. Fifteen different Gillette skaters found the points sheet, highlighted by a hat trick and five-point performance from forward Declan Young. Defenseman Logan Dudinsky buried a goal and dished four helpers in the winning effort. Saizha Norwegian also potted a pair of goals. Cade Wessman scored the lone goal for the Cobras 18:30 into the middle period. Jack Orchard stopped 31 of 32 shots in the victory. Nikolai Wallery and Dale Pfannenstein shared time in net for Butte, Wallery taking the loss with 47 saves on 52 shots.
Sheridan 2 @ Bozeman 9: The Icedogs took the 1st of the two game series against Sheridan, taking them down by a final score of 9-2. Luke Hartmark, Michael Schwartz, and Jackson Dukes each potted a pair of goals to power Bozeman’s offense. Ian Bowman, Liam Massie, and Luke Busher also provided multiple points in the win. Sheridan’s goals came from Mason Friedrichs and McCaffrey Billings. Collin Soderholm secured the victory making 18 saves. Thomas Kursicak was dealt the loss making 44 saves on 53 shots.
Oregon 7 @ St. Louis 3: The Tradesmen got back in the winning column as they took down the Jr. Blues 7-3 on the road. Oregon’s Jason Tenezaca and Amir Vellikhanov each scored goals in the opening period to give Oregon a quick lead. Dillon Schmidt, Sam VanderHoeven, and Carter Watters all buried goals in the middle frame to extend the lead. Watters and Jack Summer tallied goals in the 3rd period to help seal the victory for the visitors. St. Louis’ goals came from Gus Immken, John Dapron, and Brayden Wilson, each coming in different periods. Austin Bartell was the victor in the blue paint, making 31 saves on 34 shots. Espen Reager completed the night making 28 saves for St. Louis.
