Friday Finals: Lumberjacks Continue Winning Ways

Tyler Klingbeil notched three points in the Icedogs win

Maine 1 @ Norwich 4 - The Norwich Sea Captains (6-1) stayed hot in the Rosegarden Ice Arena on Friday, defeating the Maine Nordiques (3-4) by a score of 4-1. Both teams entered the contest on a three-game winning streak. However, it was the Sea Captains continuing their run of success, scoring four unanswered goals - the last two from defenseman Jake Wilkerson - after the Nordiques took an early one-goal lead a little over a minute into the game. It was a clean game for both teams, with five penalties called in the game, two on Norwich and three on Maine. A norm for the Sea Captains as they have recorded 73 penalty minutes this season, the fewest in the East division. An exception for the Nordiques, who lead the East division with 178 penalty minutes. The Sea Captains took advantage of their power play opportunities, scoring twice, while the Nordiques went 0-for-2. Scoring power play goals against Norwich has been a tall task for their opponents this season as they boast a .952 penalty kill percentage, the fourth-best in the league. The win improved Norwich's point total to 12, ranking them third in the East division, while the loss placed Maine tied for fifth place with six points.

New Jersey 1 @ Binghamton 8 - The Binghamton Buzz (7-2) held on to first place in the East division on Friday, routing the last-place New Jersey Titans (2-6) by a score of 8-1 at the Broome Ice Center. Binghamton forwards Tyler Hamlin and Jason DiMatteo both scored a pair of goals in the game, while forward Ethan Miller increased his points total on the season to 22, the most in the NA3HL, with a goal and two assists. The Titans were neutralized offensively, going 0-for-2 in power play opportunities and only scoring one goal in 33 shots, stifled by Binghamton goalie Dalton Elliott, who hasn't allowed more than a goal in three games this season. The victory for the Buzz keeps them placed on top of the East division with 14 points, while the loss for the Titans keeps them in the basement with 4 points.

Wisconsin 2 @ Wausau 4 - In a fight for first, the Wausau Cyclones (6-1) overcame the Wisconsin Woodsmen (4-2-1-1) at home in Marathon Park on Friday, winning 4-2. Wausau forward Connor Dvorak scored a pair of goals for the Cyclones, his fourth and fifth of the season. Neck and neck in the standings, both clubs sitting at the top of the East division - Wisconsin with 10 points and Wausau with 12 - were tied 2-2 heading into the third period. The Cyclones scored two more goals, Dvorak's second and a goal from Wausau defenseman Easton Plachetka. Wausau swept Wisconsin last season, going 10-0, but the series between the two this season is now split as the Woodsmen won their first game against the Cyclones on Sept. 20, 3-2. Wausau retains its first-place position in the Central division with 14 points, and Wisconsin sits tied for second with 10 points.

Granite City 6 @ Alexandria 3 - The undefeated Granite City Lumberjacks (6-0) extended their winning streak to six games as they chopped down the Alexandria Blizzard (3-3) by a score of 6-3 on Friday at the Runestone Community Center. The Blizzard were leading the Lumberjacks 2-1 heading into the third period - was Alexandira going to hand Granite City its first loss of the season? The answer: a resounding no. The Blizzard added another goal to make the lead 3-1 until the Lumberjacks offense detonated and scored five unanswered goals in the game's final five minutes. The scoring was almost entirely contributed by Granite City forward Parker Comstock, who slapped a hat trick and offered an assist within those five minutes, the second time Comstock has recorded 4+ points in a game in his NA3HL career. The win keeps the Lumberjacks first in the West division with 12 points and places the Blizzard tied for third with six points.

Minnesota M 1 @ Willmar 3 - The Minnesota Moose (1-6-1) missed opportunity after opportunity in their seventh straight loss on Friday at the Willmar Civic Center Arena to the Willmar WarHawks (3-4), falling 3-1. The Moose couldn't take advantage of the WarHawks penalties, falling short in nine power-play opportunities, a bad habit formed for Minnesota during this seven-game losing streak. In the last seven losses, the Moose have gone 3-for-35 in power play opportunities - a grave .085 success rate. The WarHawks, however, capitalized, scoring their first goal during a power play in the first period from Willmar forward Zane Irion, his first of two goals in the contest. The win places Willmar in the middle of the pack in the West division, tied for third with six points, meanwhile, the loss for Minnesota keeps them placed last in the West division with three points.

El Paso 2 @ Texas R 3 - The Texas Roadrunners (6-1) keep running towards first place in the South Division, winning their sixth straight on Friday over the El Paso Rhinos (0-6) at Spirit Ice by a score of 3-2. Since dropping their first game of the season, the Roadrunners have scored three or more goals in each game, winning all six, and each featuring a goal from Texas forward Skylar Bawcom. This six-game streak for Bawcom is the longest of his young career and has featured two hat tricks. Bawcom currently leads his team with 10 goals and is tied for the second-most goals in the NA3HL. Conversely, the Rhinos offense has been consistent in a worse sense, scoring one or fewer goals in four of their six losses, posting a league-worst .088 power play success rate in the process. The Texas home win, which also showed goals scored by forwards Lucas Dyer and Vincenzo Cavazos, puts the Roadrunners second in the South division at 22 points - 11 behind the first-place Brahmas. The winless Rhinos occupy last place in the South division with no points. 

Peoria 1 @ West Bend 8 - The Peoria Mustangs were overwhelmed Friday night by the tenacious forwards of the West Bend Power. Tommy Kundinger scored the first goal of the game halfway through the first period, with the Mustangs responding five minutes later with a goal from Colten Cox, their only goal of the game. 55 seconds later, Mike Sobaski notched his first goal of the night, making it 2-1 Power going into the second period. Three Power goals would follow in the first two minutes of the second period, the first two from Brayden Graning. Odin Klebba earned the third goal. Sobaski found the back of the net for the second time halfway into the period, with Jackson Hoem raising the lead to 7-1 29 seconds later. Samuel Harper scored the final goal of the game in the ending minutes of the third period for his first goal of the season. Graning, Sobaski, and Hoem all tied for the lead in scoring tonight, each earning themselves three points.

Louisiana 5 @ Atlanta 0 - The Louisiana Drillers earned their first shutout of the season against the Atlanta Capitals. Max Workman and Brendan Johnson scored the first two goals in the first period, giving the Drillers a comfortable 2-0 lead going into the second period. Johnson has been on a scoring streak, scoring a goal in his last three games. Cole Stranathan picked up his first goal  of the season early in the second period, and Brody Neish followed a few minutes later. Alexander Boyd scored his third goal of the season, and the fifth goal for the Drillers in the third period, in which Capitals netminder Robert Pogosian faced 20 shots. Finn Willson earned the shutout tonight, stopping all 15 shots. Pogosian, despite the loss, was also stout with 42 saves on 47 shots faced.

Sheridan 0 @ Helena 1 - The Sheridan Hawks and Helena Bighorns went head-to-head in a battle of winners tonight. Both teams entered with only one loss in regulation, and over seven wins each. The sole goal of tonight’s matchup came off the powerplay from Austin Uecker for his fifth of the season, assisted by Caden Fenstein and Owen Gruener. Malik Johnson got the shutout for the Bighorns, blocking all 18 shots, including surviving seven penalty kills. Hawks goaltender John Simon blocked almost 50 shots in tonight's matchup, stopping 48 of 49 shots faced.

Badlands 1 @ Great Falls 3 - Despite never having a comfortable lead, the Great Falls Americans got the job done against the Badlands Sabres. The only goal of the first 40 minutes of regulation came off a shorthanded goal by Kennedy Easton for his seventh of the season. Zac Orwig and Matt Beazley assisted for their fifth and first assists, respectively. Blake Komrofske got his first goal of the season in the beginning minutes of the third period, with EJ Sanchez and Gavin Denis each getting their first assists of the season. The Sabres began to show life after their leading goal scorer, Zach Vockler, cut the lead to one three minutes later. Any hope of a tie game was ended with Blayne Jusczak finding the back of the net with six minutes to go in regulation.

Bozeman 6 @ Yellowstone 0 - The Bozeman Icedogs outshot the Yellowstone Quake by 50 shots in the shutout victory Friday night. Quake goaltender Matthew Neeser blocked all 28 shots in the first period, but the unrelenting Icedogs offense drew blood early in the second period, with TJ Kelsey getting his first of the season. Tyler Klingbeil got his fourth goal of the season in the final minutes of the second period, giving the Icedogs a 2-0 into the final period of regulation. Two more goals came in the first six minutes, from Seth Hanson and an unassisted Devin Bruns. Lex Steckleberg got his sixth of the season three minutes later, and Hanson scored the final goal halfway into the period. While Icedogs netminder Jack Ryan stopped 13 shots for the shutout, Neeser blocked 67 for a whopping 73 shots faced. Hanson led the Icedogs in scoring with two goals and an assist, and Bruns with his goal and assist brought his point total up to 15 already on the season.

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