Friday Finals: Grizzlies Win Thriller Over Woodsmen
Noah Joyce (top) grabbed the game winner in the shootout for Rochester while Ashton Collings (bottom) netted the overtime winner for Alexandria
Maine 2 @ Northeast 3 - Matej Dvorsky scored in the final minutes to lift the Northeast Generals over the Maine Nordiques 3-2. The Generals were on the board first with Samuel Gusty's eighth goal of the season. It stayed that way until the opening seconds of the third period when Michael McLaughlin netted his 12th of the campaign. Maine would tie the game with a pair of goals in three minutes as Carter Walls and Jaxson Sardinha found the back of the net. That set the stage for Dvorsky's game winner that came with 1:45 left in regulation. Jasch Grossenbacher stopped 43 of 45 shots to earn the win in goal while Gabe Pomerleau was dealt the loss in goal as he made 31 stops.
Norwich 2 @ Binghamton 5 - The first period belonged to Jason DiMatteo of the Binghamton Buzz as he netted a hat trick in the opening frame to give the Buzz the lead after 20. Griffin Gagnon and Jack Stephen would provide insurance for Binghamton in the second. They would not need any scoring in the third as they would go on to win 5-2. Glen Farmer and Ryan Bernard provided the offense for Norwich. Matthew Ketcham was busy, finishing the evening with 45 saves. Peter Alfano was given the loss as he ended the night with 29 saves.
Wisconsin 5 @ Rochester 6 (SO) - In the game of the night, the Woodsmen got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Tyler Osborne and Joshua Kauppinen. Tommy Woods would get the Grizzlies within one before the intermission. Msaon Decker would even the game in the second period but the tie would be short lived as Kauppinen scored his second of the night to put Wisconsin back in front. In the final frame, the Woodsmen came out flying with goals from Brandon Slasor and Maxim Lazo to make it a 5-2 game. Rochester responded quickly with two goals in the next two minutes of the sticks of Felix Wadstromer and Tyler Steuck. It would remain a 5-4 game until the final minute. That's when Decker found Ben Parent for the game tying goal to force overtime. After a scoreless five minute sudden death period and four rounds of the shootout, Noah Joyce netted the game winning goal in the fifth round of the skills competition to give Rochester the extra point. Andrew Dubin earned the win in relief as he stoped 21 shots. Lleyton Jaschke ended the game with 52 saves for Wisconsin.
Minnesota W 2 @ Minnesota M 6 - The Minnesota Moose continued their strong play as they defeated the Minnesota Wilderness 6-2. The Wilderness got off to hot start as goals from Jake Hodd-Chlebeck and Ansen King put them ahead 2-0. From there, it was all Moose as they netted six unanswered goals en route to the victory. Luke Steffen had two goals and two assists to lead all skaters. Kaden Milles hada goal and a helper while Reid Watson, Andrew Winter and Sam Knight all found the back of the net as well. Dylan Posch got the win in goal again, this time needing 32 stops to do it, Nate Jansen ended up with 27 saves for the Wilderness.
West Bend 5 @ Wausau 2 - Five different West Bend players tickled the twine in their 5-2 win over Wausau. Blake Mitchell and Lucca Weinkauf each had a goal and two assists. Danny Jurcich and Teagan Scheurer each had a goal and a helper of their own while Oliver Schroeder also scored for West Bend. Eiji Hofmann and Davis Polifka were the goal scorers for the Cyclones. Adam Prokop was the winner in the blue paint with 23 saves. Tanner Bonjernoor was saddled with the loss, he made 21 saves.
Alexandria 2 @ Granite City 1 (OT) - In a battle of West Division heavyweights, Ashton Collings netted the game winner in overtime to give the Blizzard the win over Granite City. Eli Tiernan got the scoring started as his third of the season put the Lumberjacks ahead 1-0. The game would remain that way until the third when Connor Zgoda notched his second goal of the season to even the game at one. It look 1:59 into overtime for Collings to grab his 12th of the season and lift his team to victory. Kyle Abrahamson was nearly perfect as he denied 32 of 33 shots he faced. Nick Hansen was also good, allowing just two goals on 24 opportunities.
Yellowstone 1 @ Badlands 10 - Patrick Gosselin had a hat trick and Charlie Lorbiecki notched two goals and two assists as the Badlands Sabres defeated the Yellowstone Quake 10-1. Thayne Coston and Kyyan Jahner each grabbed a goal and two helpers while Austin Thompson potted a pair of goals. Josh Behrends also got in on the action with a goal and an assist. Jordan Murray scored the lone goal for Yellowstone. Bennett Leingang stooped 20 of 21 shots to earn the win between the pipes while Chase Ebeyer stopped 51 shots for the Quake.
