Saturday Scores: Grizzlies, Bighorns, RoadRunners win divisions
For the second straight season, the Helena Bighorns captured the Frontier Division regular season title.
St. Louis 1 @ Rochester 7 – Seven different players scored for the Grizzlies and Luke Sawicky had three points as Rochester claimed the Central Division regular season crown with a 7-1 win against the Jr. Blues. Spencer Klotz and Grant Dardis scored in the 1st period. Ryan Berglund and Austin Meers added 2nd period goals to make it 4-0. Brady Burke scored for the Jr. Blues to make it 4-1. In the 3rd period, the Grizzlies put the game away with goals from Sawicky, Luke Morrisette, and Connor Stoffel. Tate Cothern made 11 saves in the win.
Butte 1 @ Helena 5: The Helena Bighorns topped the Butte Cobras in a 5-1 final score, which clinched the Frontier Division regular season crown for the Bighorns. Tyler Alldredge scored for the Bighorns in the opening period. In the second, Helena added 3 unanswered goals with Joe Feamster scoring a hat-trick. In the third, the Cobras got on the board with Luke Schleusner for a 4-1 score. Nearing the end of the game, Darby McCarthy added the final goal of the game for a 5-1 Helena win. Keaton French got the win in net after stopping 21 shots.
El Paso 1 @ Texas RoadRunners 8: The Texas RoadRunners dominated the El Paso Rhinos in an 8-1 game, which clinched the South Division regular season crown for the RoadRunners. The RoadRunners scored four goals in the first period with Adrian Sanchez and Eitan Geralnik both scoring twice and El Paso with Bryan Wood scoring. In the second, Eitan Geralnik netted his third of the game for a 5-1 lead. In the third, Matvey Ivanov scored twice and Adrian Sanchez scored his third for a 8-1 final. Hunter Hein was near perfect in net after stopping 17 shots.
Bay State 1 @ Long Beach 4 – The Sharks kept their playoff hopes alive with a 4-1 home win over the Bobcats. Four different players scored and Colten McIntyre made 21 saves in the win. Long Beach scored first on a goal from Colin McPherren. Bay State answered to make it 1-1 as Landen Schoonover scored. The Sharks took the lead for good on a goal from Christopher Keller. Hayden Doggett added a 2nd period goal and Zac Kretzschmer scored in the 3rd period. Bobcats goalie AJ Cooper made 33 saves in the loss.
Mid Cities 1 @ Louisiana 11 – Al Evanyk had five goals and an assist and Joel Liljegren had five assists as the Drillers beat the Stars, 11-1. Evanyk had a hat-trick in the 1st period and Brody Neish scored twice to make it a 5-1 contest after 20 minutes. Brody Dejong had the lone goal for Mid Cities. Micah Maldonado, Thomas Mougin, and Jack Lambert scored in the 2nd period and Evanyk added two more goals in the 3rd period along with a goal from Logan Gill to make it a 11-1 final. John Moriarty made 12 saves in the win.
New Jersey 3 @ Norwich 0 – Titans goalie Daniel Antal stopped all 30 shots that came his way as he kept his team alive for the final playoff spot in the East with a 3-0 win in Norwich on Saturday. Aidan Gallagher opened the scoring in the 2nd period and then Fionn Thomann added two goals in the 3rd period to secure the 3-0 win. Sea Captains goalie Brendan Pellerito made 16 saves in the loss.
Wausau 2 @ Peoria 3 – In the second to last game of the season for both teams, the Mustangs edged the Cyclones, 3-2. After a scoreless 1st period, the teams were tied at 2-2 after the 2nd period as Edvards Bergmains and Joseph Rancilio scored for Peoria and Chase Chapman and Chase Heckerson scored for Wausau. In the 3rd period, Caleb Bross would score the game-winner for the Mustangs. Cam Pendleton made 16 saves in the win, while Colin Lemanski made 61 saves in the loss.
New Ulm 2 @ Willmar 4 – Michael D’Orazio made 27 saves to lead the WarHawks to a 4-2 win over the Steel. Willmar jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Michael Sweetland, Christian Kankelfritz, and Owen Johnston. New Ulm tried to make a game of things with goals from Jackson Heim and Cooper Kantola, but a 3rd period goal from Gavin Simon provided the insurance for the 4-2 win. Alex Benson made 42 saves in the loss.
Alexandria 4 @ Mason City 5 (OT) – In a West Division playoff preview, the Toros scored late in regulation to tie the game and then win it in overtimes as they beat the Blizzard, 5-4. The Toros went up 1-0 in the 1st period on a goal from Cal Levis III. Goals from Calvin Knight and Jameson O’Flynn have Alexandria a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period. In the 3rd period, the Blizzard got goals from Joe Gronholz and Hayden DeMars, while the Toros answered with goals from Carter Newpower, Matt Kochanowski, and Colten Gerken. Halfway through overtime, Dylan Duckson netted the game-winner. Connor Graham made 36 saves in the win, while Kyle Abrahamson made 25 saves in the loss.
Oregon 2 @ Milwaukee 3 (OT): The Milwaukee Power edged the Oregon Tradesmen in overtime 3-2. Oregon got on the board first with Carter Walters in the first period. In the second the Tradesmen added to their lead for a 2-0 score with Marcus Mack. In the third the Power evened the game 2-2 with Joe Potter and Blake Kellers. In the overtime period, Micheal Dalaly scored for the win for a 3-2 final. Adam Prokop took the win in net stopping 40 shots.
Granite City 4 @ Minnesota 3 (OT): The Granite City Lumberjacks took a 4-3 win overt he Minnesota Loons in overtime. In the second period both teams ended with a 2-2 score as Tucker Skime scored twice for Granite City while Willem Kerr and Kyler Couture for the Loons scored. In the second Aston Ericksen scored for the Lumberjacks and then Willem Kerr did late for the Loons to force overtime. In the extra frame, Ashton Ericksen netted his second of the night and took the win for the Lumberjacks 3-2. Ryan Lehet took the win in net for Granite City after stopping 15 shots.
Bozeman 1 @ Gillette 8: The Gillette Wild completed a weekend sweep over the Bozeman Icedogs in a 8-1 final. Both Teams were tied 1-1 after the first period as Owen House scored for Bozeman and Anthony Foster for the Wild. After the first it was all Gillette as Isaac Young, Alec Waller, Ryan Hipsag and Saizha Norwegian scored in the second for a 5-1 lead. In the third it was Foster, Jacob Guiltard and Alec Waller scoring to end the game for a 8-1 Gillette win. Jake Turek was great in net after stopping 28 shots.
Great Falls 1 @ Yellowstone 4: The Yellowstone Quake defeated the Great Falls Americans 4-1 after scoring three times in the third period. In the second Wes Weisenburger and Ryan Hiles both scored for a 1-1 game. In the third it was all Quake as Wyatt O’Donoghue, Cole Whitman and Brayson Bennett scored for a 4-1 final. Edvin Falkenstrom stopped 37 shots in the win.
Badlands 3 @ Sheridan 4: The Sheridan Hawks edged the Badlands Sabres in a 4-3 final. The Hawks added two goals in the second period with Makhai Sparks and Danny Shelden. The Hawks added another to open the third with Teejay Torgtimson for a 3-0 lead. The Sabres added three goals in a row with Peyton Wilson and Hunter Walla for a 3-2 score. Later in the game Makhai Sparks scored the game winning goal for a 4-3 final. Patric Loeffler got the win between the pipes after stopping 36 shots.
