Friday Finals: Blizzard blank division-leading Lumberjacks
Nick Bradshaw had a hat-trick and an assist to help Butte move closer to clinching a playoff spot in the Frontier Division.
Alexandria 5 @ Granite City 0 – The Blizzard got a 24-save shutout from Konrad Kausch in a 5-0 win in Granite City on Friday, which put the Lumberjacks title plans on hold. Ryan Hadland opened the scoring in the 1st period. Charlie Larsen and Wyatt Johnson added 2nd period goals and Matt McIntyre and Joe Gronholz scored in the 3rd period. Granite City goalie Paul Cassin made 22 saves in the loss.
Great Falls 4 @ Bozeman 5 (OT) – Bodie Shepardson scored twice to keep Bozeman’s playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 overtime win over Great Falls. Shepardson scored the first two goals in regulation for Bozeman and Spencer Wilkinson and Braden Koliha also had goals. For the Americans, Jace Thompson had a hat-trick and Phil Harrell also scored. In the overtime, Dominik Hauer would net the game-winner just over two minutes into the extra frame. Sean Smer made 33 saves in the win, while Ryan Stowe made 34 saves in the loss.
Sheridan 2 @ Butte 5 – Nick Bradshaw had a hat-trick and an assist to lead the Cobras to a 5-2 home win over the Hawks. Butte took a 2-0 lead with goals from Luke Schleusner and Bradshaw. Sheridan tried to come back in the 2nd period with goals from Teejay Torgrimson and McCaffrey Billings, but the Cobras responded with a goal from Jonathan O’Brien and two more from Bradshaw in the 3rd period. Caleb Cross made 61 saves in the win, while Patric Loeffler made 45 saves in the loss.
Willmar 3 @ Minnesota 7 – The Loons erased a 3-0 deficit and scored the final seven goals of the game in a 7-3 win over the WarHawks. Willmar opened up a 3-0 lead with goals from Spencer Bergman, Gunnar Sibley, and Michael Sweetland. The Loons started their comeback late in the 2nd period with a goal from Armado Rojo Bolton. Minnesota then added six more goals in the 3rd period, including two from Jack Hanson and others from Jamison St. Clair, Kyler Couture, Jack Kritzeck, and Jacob Behnke. Matthew Ryynanen made 26 saves in the win, while Michael D’Orazio made 35 saves in the loss.
Badlands 1 @ Helena 4 – The Bighorns pulled to within a point of 1st place in the Frontier Division thanks to a 4-1 home win over the Sabres. Helena jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a 1st period goal from Ty Moore and three more goals in the 2nd period from Andrew Deskin, Tyler Bloom, and Braden Cunningham. Denim Young would score the lone Sabres goal later in the 2nd period. Keaton French made 22 saves in the win, while Brady Devries made 77 saves in the loss.
Bay State 0 @ Norwich 3 – The Sea Captains outshot the Bobcats 43-13 and cruised to a 3-0 win on Friday. Sea Captains goalie Andrew Yocum made 13 saves for his third shutout of the season. Andry Guy scored in the 1st period and Sava Makarenko and Nicolas Piluso added 2nd period goals. Bobcats goalie Jarret Perino made 40 saves in the loss.
Long Beach 1 @ Danbury 5 – Denis Radchenko had a goal and two assists to lead Danbury to a 5-1 win over the Sharks. Danbury opened up a 2-0 lead in the 1st period with goals from Radchenko and Oleg Egorov. Long Beach cut the lead down to 2-1 with their lone goal from Jack Fitzpatrick. Danbury took control the rest of the way with goals from Robert Martufi, Kenny Granaker, and Seth Beagle. Ryan Maguire made 29 saves in the win, while Ryo Murakami took the loss with 15 saves.
TX Brahmas 11 @ Austin 0 – The Brahmas moved into a tie first 1st place in the South thanks to an 11-0 win over Austin. The Brahmas got two goals from Benjamin Mondou, Wyatt Witham, and Aaron Best. Alexander Cagan, Michael Imala, Joseph Crowley, Ilnur Madiarov, and Trent Barker also scored. Riley Gorman made 17 saves in the shutout, which was his third of the season.
Rochester 4 @ Wausau 3 – The Grizzlies kept their Central title hopes alive with a 4-3 win in Wausau. Logan Kroyman opened the scoring for Rochester, which was matched by a goal from Wausau’s Dylan Chapman. The Grizzlies went up 3-1 in the 2nd period on goals from Austin Meers and Ruslan Ospanov. Wausau tied the game in the 3rd period with goals from Cullen Moehring and Antonio Gomez, but a late goal from Brady Strand would be the difference. Tate Cothem made 14 saves in the win, while Collin Lemanski made 47 saves in the loss.
TX RoadRunners 2 @ New Mexico 5 – Zak Wentworth and Jaden Stiller each scored twice as the Ice Wolves moved closer to a playoff spot thanks to a 5-2 win over the RoadRunners. Still gave New Mexico an early 1-0 lead, but the RoadRunners came back with goals from Adrian Sanchez and Eitan Geralnik to make it 2-1. It was all New Mexico after that as a goal from Jameson Klein tied the game and two goals in the 3rd period from Wentworth and another from Stiller secured the win. Krzysztof Jakubowski made 17 saves in the win.
Peoria 1 @ Oregon 2 (OT) – The Tradesmen kept their division title hopes alive thanks to a 2-1 overtime win over Peoria. Tyler Fromolz made 25 saves in the win. Peoria scored first thanks to a 1st period goal from Beckett Doyle. Oregon tied the game in the 2nd period with a power play goal from Bryce Stensrud. Ben Parent scored the overtime-winner to give Oregon the extra point. Cam Pendleton made 38 saves in the loss.
St. Louis 1 @ Milwaukee 6 – Michael Dalaly had two goals and an assist as Milwaukee handled the Jr. Blues, 6-1. The Power scored three goals in the 1st period as Dalaly, Luke Nemeth, and Matthew Ebersole lit the lamp. Carter Eifert scored the lone goal for the Jr. Blues in the 2nd period. Bryce Garber, Connor O’Neal, and Dalaly added 3rd period goals. Gavin Wolhmacher made 24 saves in the win, while Jordan Behnen made 47 saves in the loss.
