Power, Lumberjacks Win on Day 1 of Fraser Cup
Helena 1 @ West Bend 2 - In the opening game of the 2025 Fraser Cup, the West Bend Power outlasted the Helena Bighorns by a score of 2-1. In the opening frame, Marcs Fritel capitalized on a loose puck that bounced off the end boards to beat Adam Prokop to give Helena the opening 1-0 lead. In the second period, the Power responded outshooting Helena 18-7 in the frame. They tied the game on the scoreboard as Danny Jurcich deflected a Trace Shumlas point shot and that squeaked by Branson Appelman. In the third, a point shot from Kelly Coldwater went bar down to give the West Bend their first lead of the day. The Power would control the majority of the final frame and keep Helena off the scoreboard the rest of the game and earn their first win at the Fraser Cup. Prokop finished with 23 saves on the afternoon while Appelman stopped 29 of 31 shots.
Louisiana 2 @ Granite City 6 - The West Division champs flexed their muscles in their first game of pool play as they beat the Louisiana Drillers 6-2. After a scoreless opening period, Dominic Thomas and Ty Smith scored two goals in under three minutes to help the Jacks jump out to a lead. Easton Portner increased the lead for Granite City towards the end of the middle frame with his first of the tournament. Alexander Thomas got Louisiana on the scoresheet with a tap in back door goal early in the third period but it wasn’t canceled out just 28 seconds later by Dominic Thomas’s second goal of the evening. Alexander Thomas responded with another goal of his own to bring Louisiana back within two with 13 minutes left in regulation. Unfortunately for the Drillers that’s as close as they would get as Connor Miller and Finn Greeley added to the Granite City offensive onslaught as the Lumberjacks finished 3-for-6 on the power play. Nick Hansen earned the win in between the pipes with 22 saves. Cole Schmidt was saddled with the loss, making 31 saves for the Drillers.
