Friday Finals: Binghamton Hands New Hampshire First Regulation Loss

New Hampshire 2 @ Binghamton 4 - The New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings went to Binghamton to take on the Buzz. The scoring started early just 2 minutes into the game with a goal from Theo Fritz to put the Buzz on the board, Andrew Jazwin and Chris Lane pick up the assist. The scoring wouldn’t continue until Preston Peterson for the Buzz again to take a 2-0 lead on the power play, Tannan Nenninger and Keegan Elliott picking up the assist. Right before the end of the second period the Buzz would score again on another power play, Magnus Deamond scoring the unassisted goal. In the final period the Mountain Kings would finally get on the board with a power play goal of their own, Sedrick Swygert Jr. scores the goal, Dylan Rakes picks up the assist. Hunter Yates would score an unassisted goal for the Mountain Kings to climb back within 1 goal. But with 1 second left the Buzz put the nail in the coffin with a goal from Magnus Deamond once again, Preston Peterson and Ilya Baldin gets the assist. The Buzz pick up the win 4-2 over the Mountain Kings.

Rochester 6 @ Peoria 5 - The Rochester Grizzlies traveled to Peoria to take on the Mustangs. The first period was quiet until just a minute and a half left when Skyler Tompkins give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead, Wyatt Duke picking up the assist. The scoring in the second period started quickly with Konnor Goclan scoring an unassisted goal to tie it up for the Grizzlies. Mason Decker would score being assisted by Andrew Bastian to give the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead. Cody Thomas would score 2 minutes later to tie it up again. Then  just a minute later Mason Decker would score again to the take lead 3-2. Konnor Goclan would also get his second of the contest, assisted by Baylor Stebbins and Cooper Johnson. Mason Decker would get the hat trick being assisted by Andrew Bastian once again. With just 18 seconds left Skyler Thompson would also score again on a power play, assisted by Wyatt Duke once again as well. The Grizzlies up 5-3 going into the final period. To start the final period Wyatt Duke would get a goal of his own to make the score 5-4. Then Isaac Berberena would score for the Grizzlies, assisted by Brett Ludvigsen. With just 31 second left Skylar Tompkins would get a hat trick of his own but it was too late as the Grizzlies defeated the Mustangs 6-5.

Norwich 3 @ New Jersey 1 - The Norwich Sea Captains went to New Jersey to take on the Titans. The scoring would start early with the Sea Captains scoring, Kolin Krizan gets the goal, Ryan Janik gets the assist. The Titans would answer fast as Yosek Peivsky scores on the power play to tie the game, Junsang Park and Jessy Kiroff gets the assist. The Sea Captains would score 5 minutes later on a power play of their own with Trenton Impens scoring and Logan Niesen and Jake Wilkerson get the assist. The second period had no scoring in it so they go into the final period with the Sea Captains up 2-1. Half way through the final period the Sea Captains would score the final goal with Jake Wilkerson scoring one of his own, Matthew Pavlik and Trenton Impens picking up the assist. The Sea Captains defeat the New Jersey Titans 3-1 in a low scoring match.

Carolina 9 @ Atlanta 4 - The Carolina Rage visited the Atlanta Capitals and skated to a dominating 9-4 victory on the road. Riley Morton, assisted by Gage Kraus would strike first for the Capitals just twenty-seven seconds into the game. However, that didn’t rattle the Rage as they would quickly respond with two power play goals by Anderson Cornwell and Teagan Gardner. The Capitals would even up the score at two a piece with a goal at 11:35 by Isaiah Ronson, assisted by Riley Morton and Avi Goldschmidt. Just eight seconds later the Rage would take back the lead with Tobin Tuzinsky, assisted by Roman Brown scoring his first of the night. A minute later, James Parnell would score unassisted to expand the Rage’s lead. A few minutes later Tobin Tuzinsky would score twice to complete a first period hat trick, with assists to Anderson Cornwell and Teagan Gardner. The Rage would take a 6-2 lead into the second period. The Rage kept their foot on the gas as three more goals would be added to their lead. Roman Brown scored ninety seconds in to the second, assisted by Anderson Cornwell and Tobin Tuzinsky. Two minutes later, Tobin Tuzinsky scored his fourth of the night, assisted by Anderson Cornwell. Lastly, at 11:40 Connor Kelly would score for the Rage, assisted by Tobin Tuzinsky. At the start of the third, the Rage had a 9-2 lead, but the Capitals did not give up. A minute in, Max Woulfin scored unassisted. Four minutes later, Gavin Jones scored his first of the season, with assist to Riley Morton. The Rage would go on to win 9-4.  

Granite City 4 @ Minnesota W 1 - The Granite City Lumberjacks took a trip to Minnesota to take on the Wilderness. The first period would go quiet as neither team scores in the first period going into the second period tied 0-0. The Lumberjacks would come out on fire in the second period with Ty Smith scoring 2 power play goals back to back with Micah Saxon and Teagan Dodge assisting on both. Less than a minute later Teagan Dodge would get a goal of his own assisted by Eli Tiernan. Finally the Wilderness would answer with a goal from Kai Yurichuk, Zacary Norberg picking up the assist. Going into the final period with the Lumberjacks up 3-1. The final period would have no scoring until 45 seconds left when the Lumberjacks put the final nail in the coffin with another power play goal, this time scored by Garrett Plaude, Coltin Wassengeso picking up the assist. The Granite City Lumberjacks pick up a big win over the Minnesota Wilderness 4-1.

Minnesota M 5 @ Willmar 4 - The Minnesota Moose secured a road win Friday night against the Willmar Warhawks in a back-and-forth battle. Minnesota opened the scoring late in the first period with two quick goals. Hunter Rappel struck first off an assist from Mitchell Gawel, followed less than 30 seconds later by Luca Salak, set up by Will Burnevik and Brady Johnson. Willmar responded before the break, as Walker McGillis closed the gap to one with help from Max Jackson, making it 2–1 heading into the second. Despite chances traded on both ends, neither team found the back of the net in the middle frame, keeping it a one-goal game. In the third, Burnevik broke through for Minnesota to restore a two-goal lead, assisted by Johnson. Shortly after, Maddox Domagala answered on the power play for Willmar, with Kaiden Jackson and Carson Wendorff collecting assists. The Moose responded again midway through the period as Charlie Marchand made it 4–2 off a feed from Caleb Schwark. But the Warhawks found late-game magic, tying the score with two power-play goals from Aidan Callaghan and Kaiden Jackson — Max Jackson assisted on the first, while Callaghan helped set up the second. Minnesota had the final word, though, as Salak netted the game-winner in the final minute off a pass from Preston Gamer. In goal, Myles Ganske stopped 21 of 26 shots for Willmar, while Easton Lemke turned aside 25 of 29 to secure the 5–4 win for Minnesota. Despite converting on three of four power plays, the Warhawks ultimately fell short in an offensive duel Friday night.

New Mexico 4 @ West Texas 0 - The New Mexico Ice Wolves shut out the West Texas Wranglers on the road Friday night, dominating in a physical, chippy 4–0 victory. In a game filled with penalties, New Mexico capitalized on its opportunities early. Hunzeker Piersimoni opened the scoring on the power play in the first period, assisted by Ryan Hoogsteen and Caleb Debruyne, giving the Ice Wolves early control. Later in the period, Breckin Ross extended the lead with an unassisted goal, making it 2–0 heading into the second. In the middle frame, Alvaro Ramazzini added to the lead to make it 3–0, with assists from Cade Tilley and Grant Sexton. Late in the third period, New Mexico struck again on the power play to cap off a dominant 4–0 performance. The final goal came from Calahan Butler, with Jacob Wenner and Breckin Ross each picking up assists. The game overall was a chippy, hard-fought battle, featuring over 60 combined penalty minutes between the teams. In net, Garret Lant put up a valiant effort for West Texas, stopping 35 of 39 shots against a relentless Ice Wolves offense. For New Mexico, Joshua Middleton turned away all 29 shots he faced to earn the shutout and secure another win for a red-hot Ice Wolves squad.

Wisconsin 3 @ St. Louis 5 - The St Louis Jr Blues hosted the Wisconsin Woodsmen Friday night. The home team would eventually reign victorious, outshooting the Woodsmen 43-20. The Blues struck first at 12:18 of the first period with a power play goal by Chase Kozma, assisted by Caden Lindley and Mitchell Nappier. The Woodsmen would answer three minutes later with a goal by Cole Schreiber, assisted by Tyler Osborne and Patrick Bowser. A minute later, the Blues would take the lead back with a short-handed goal by Caden Lindley, assisted by Jaxon Karandjeff. In a physical second period, the Blues would increase their lead by two with teammates Jace Jordan and Lonnie Land each netting a goal and an assist. The Blues took a 4-1 lead into the locker room. In the third, the Blues would strike one final time with a power play goal by Rece Sanderson, assisted by Lonnie Land and Jace Jordan. The Woodsmen would start to cut into the deficit with a goal by Tyler Osborne, assisted by Cole Schreiber and Micah Sieben at 13:54. They would also tack on another goal at 11:06 by Maxim Lazo, assisted by Ty Paulios and Brandon Slasor, but it wouldn’t be enough as the St. Louis Jr Blues win 5-3.

Texas B 5 @ Austin 1 - The Austin Ice Bats hosted the Texas Brahmas in a physical match Friday night. The visitor would emerge victorious as special teams proved to be the difference. The Brahmas struck first with a short-handed goal at 14:50 in the first by Joshua Reaska. Less than a minute later, the Brahmas added to their lead with Alex Morris finding the back of the net, assisted by Taylor Lewis. The Ice Bats responded at 10:19 with an even strength goal by Mason Manderfield, assisted by Caden Barnhill. In the second, the Brahmas would score on the power play with a goal by Caden Michael, assisted by Aidan Liebold and Charlie Wilson. In the third, the Brahmas kept extending their lead. Jayani Benson, assisted by Malo Phillips scored a short-handed goal, the Brahmas second of the night. With less than three minutes remaining, Jason Fatta of the Brahmas scored an unassisted goal. The Brahmas win 5-1 over the Ice Bats.

Butte 4 @ Yellowstone 3 (OT) - The Butte Irish pulled off a thrilling overtime victory Friday night over the Yellowstone Quake. The game opened with plenty of scoring chances early on, but neither team could break through in the first period despite nearly 30 combined shots. Early in the second period, Butte got on the board first with a power-play goal as Easton Langemo scored to put the Irish ahead, assisted by Loghan Weber and Kaleb Ivens. Yellowstone answered back later in the frame with three consecutive power-play goals to take a 3–1 lead heading into the third. The goals came from London Jett, assisted by Carson Joersz and Chance Bryson; Tucker Sarkisian, assisted by Preston Mushlock; and Shayne Smith, set up by Cameron Beaver and Bryson. Butte mounted its comeback in the third. Langemo cut the deficit to one with help from Andrew James and Keegan Adams, and Jack Whitelaw tied it late, making it 3–3 with assists from Langemo and Weber. The game headed to overtime, where Butte completed the comeback. Loghan Weber scored early in the 3-on-3 frame to secure the win for the Irish.Both goaltenders were outstanding. Damen Baxter stopped 36 of 40 shots for the Quake, while Matteo MacDonald shut down Yellowstone late with 48 saves on 51 total shots. Butte escaped with a thrilling, hard-fought victory over a Yellowstone team still searching for its first win of the season.

Great Falls 1 @ Sheridan 7 - The Sheridan Hawks skated to a dominating win while hosting the Great Falls Americans on Friday. The Hawks struck first with a goal at 14:39 by Charles Stow his first this season, assisted by Deagan Watson. Later on the Hawks added another with just over four minutes left in the first with an unassisted goal by Dean Schlarman, also his first of the season. The Americans struck back in the first few minutes of the second period with a goal by Logan Mese. The Hawks did not let up however, adding on three more goals with two by Jameson Clark and one power play goal by Deagan Watson assisted by Max Krueger. The Hawks took a 5-1 lead into the start of the third. In the third, the Hawks took advantage of power plays tacking on two more goals to their already lengthy lead. Vincent Leaf found the back of the net at 14:53 and Jeff Slivon, assisted by Leaf, scored the last of the game at 9:21. The Hawks dominated with 42-29 SOG differential and a 7-1 win.

Helena 4 @ Bozeman 1 - The Helena Bighorns had a decisive victory Friday night over the Bozeman Icedogs, backed by stellar offense and a strong defensive performance. Helena got on the board first with a power-play goal late in the first period from Austin Uecker, assisted by Austin Tyler and Joe Viox. Helena added to their lead early in the second as Warren Ryser found the back of the net, with Garrett Lindsey setting him up to make it 2–0. The Bighorns didn’t stop there, extending their advantage to three with another power-play goal late in the period. Chase Berg put it home for Helena, with Austin Tyler recording his second assist of the night. Bozeman showed fight in the third with an unassisted shorthanded goal from Andrew Kaunas to close the gap to two. But Austin Uecker closed the door on any comeback, scoring another power-play goal assisted by Breck Buettner and Tyler, sealing the win for Helena. In goal, Andrew Blake helped shut down the Bozeman offense, stopping 29 of 30 shots to secure the victory. Jack Ryan gave a strong effort for the Icedogs as well, turning away 34 of 38 shots, but it wasn’t enough against a very talented Helena team.