Saturday Scores: Duke's Hat Trick Fuels Mustangs to Victory

West Bend 3 @ St. Louis 2 (OT) - The fifth-place St. Louis Blues gave the Central Division-leading West Bend Power a run for their money but ultimately fell 3-2 in overtime. Despite having just 15 shots on goal in the contest, 40 less than the Power, the Jr. Blues were able to score two goals and keep the game tied through three periods of play. The 55 shots on goal were handled by a rotation of two St. Louis goalies, Travis Visvadra and Oscar Pupillo. Visvadra was the one in the net who let up each of West Bend's three goals. West Bend defensemen Brody Josselyn and Teagan Scheurer were the driving force for the Power's offense, as each scored a goal and totaled an assist in the win.

Austin 4 @ Tulsa 0 - The Austin Ice Bats extended their winning streak to five by shutting out the Tulsa Jr. Oilers 4-0. During this winning streak, the Ice Bats' offense has been effective. They've outscored their opponents 21-8, scoring at least four goals in each win. Austin's attack was orespecially suffocating in this victory, with 52 shots on goal, 33 more than Tulsa. Austin forward Arys Perardi did exceptionally well with two goals, bringing his season total to 21, and an assist.

Texas B 5 @ Louisiana 6 - The Lousiana Drillers extended their first-place lead in the South Division by defeating the second-place Texas Brahmas 6-5. The Brahmas came back from an early 3-1 deficit and tied the game entering the third period. Despite two more goals from forward Henry Griffin, the Drillers managed to snatch the win with the go-ahead score coming from forward Brody Neish. The win is the Drillers' fourth straight, placing them nine points ahead of second place in the division standings.

Northeast 2 @ Norwich 5 - The Norwich Sea Captains have kept themselves within striking distance of the first-place spot in the East Division following a 5-2 win over the second-place Northeast Generals. The Seas Captains routed the Generals offensively, producing 31 more shots on goal and scoring each goal with a different skater. Norwich forwards Ryan Bernard and Logan Niesen each shined in the contest, both contributing a goal and an assist. The margin of victory for Norwich could've been even more significant if they had converted more of their power plays, as they only produced one goal in seven opportunities.

Long Beach 2 @ Maine 3 - The Long Beach Sharks had a 2-0 lead entering the second period, but three unanswered goals from the Maine Nordiques handed the Sharks their second straight loss. A missed opportunity to hold on to the lead and increase it was with their power play opportunities. The Sharks had six power plays but only produced one goal from it. The number of shots on goal was also gravely low compared to how much Maine was attempting. While the Sharks got off to a hot start, they only had 24 shots on goal compared to Maine's 48. Forward Jaxson Sardinha helped the comeback the most for the Nordiques, assisting the team's first goal and scoring the go-ahead goal with less than three minutes left in the game.

Wausau 5 @ Minnesota W 3 - In one of the cleanest games of hockey you'll ever see, the Wausau Cyclones defeated the Minnesota Wilderness 5-3. There was just one power play: Minnesota forward Kaden Rocheleau scored his fifteenth goal of the season following a tripping call. Other than that, there were no other recorded penalties. The five goals from Wausau were each from a different skater. Defensively, two goalies, Brady Faille and Tanner Bonjernoor, worked the net for the Cyclones in the win. The loss for the Wilderness is their seventh in a row as they sit at the bottom of the totem pole in the West Division. Meanwhile, the victory for the Cyclones is their third straight and keeps them within one point of first place in the Central Division. 

Granite City 1 @ Minnesota M 2 (SO) - Granite City got off to an incredible start on Saturday night when Seth Terhell scored 35 seconds into the game. His 11th goal of the season put the Lumberjacks up by a goal before the hosting Minnesota Moose knew what hit them. However, Granite City was unable to build upon the early marker. In the third period, the Moose brought the game level thanks to Reid Watson’s 15th of the season. Overtime did not produce a winner, sending these teams to the shootout. Terhell scored again for Granite City, but the Moose scored twice to skate away with the victory.

New Mexico 6 @ Texas R 1 - Liam Mooney potted a pair of goals as the New Mexico Ice Wolves took down the Texas RoadRunners 6-1. Carson Gotelaere, Issa Murakami and Edward Gregorin each tallied a goal and an assist. Jacob Kahle also got on the scoresheet for the Ice Wolves. Skylar Bawcom provided the lone goal for Texas. Ryan Wallin was the winner in goal as he stopped 20 of 21 shots. Jimmy Packee suffered the loss despite making 34 saves.

Peoria 5 @ Wisconsin 3 - The Peoria Mustangs let the Wisconsin Woodsmen come close to tying the game on Saturday. Peoria held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 at various points in the game. However, the Mustangs never let the hosting Woodsmen truly stand on equal footing. Wyatt Duke scored a third-period hat trick to go along with a first-period assist to put Peoria over the top on Saturday night. Colton Cox also had a standout performance, scoring a goal and recording two assists for the visitors.

Bozeman 2 @ Helena 3 - In many respects, the Bozeman Icedogs and Helena Bighorns were equally matched on Saturday night. Both teams had five power play opportunities throughout the game, for instance. And the Icedogs won the shots battle 37-36. However, the Bighorns did just enough to claim victory on home ice. The big difference ended up being the power play. The Icedogs were 0/5 with the man advantage, while Helena scored two of their three goals on the power play. Finn Theriault and Kelton Chadwick each recorded two points in the win.

Badlands 10 @ Yellowstone 0 - The Badlands Sabres rolled into Yellowstone on Saturday night as a team on a mission. And it was clear who the better team was from the opening faceoff. The Sabres outshot the hosting quakes 26-5 in the first period and ended with a 2-0 lead. Yellowstone generated little to nothing offensively, being outshot 77-15 the entire game. Rylan Salo, Rhylan Olson, and Dawson Wirth each scored two goals for the Sabres as they cruised to a 10-0 victory.

Great Falls 4 @ Butte 2 - The first period between the Great Falls Americans and Butte Irish was hotly contested. Neither team broke through, and the shots were 10-8 Great Falls following the opening frame. However, the Americans scored twice in the second period to give them an edge. A two-goal lead is typically considered the worst lead in hockey, but Great Falls held on. Butte scored twice in the third but so did the Americans. Chase Clouse and Mason Kerr scored in the final frame to put a bow on a 4-2 victory away from home.

Gillette 4 @ Sheridan 6 - The hosting Sheridan Hawks got off to a 3-1 lead at the end of the second period on Saturday night. However, the true fireworks awaited them and the Gillette Wild in the third period. The two teams combined for six goals in the final frame as they attempted to claim victory. In the end, Sheridan held on. They withstood a Brady Johnson hat trick in the third period for the Wild and skated away with a 6-4 victory on Saturday night.

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