Saturday Scores: Rochester Wins in Extra Minutes

Photo Credit: Dave Tester

Atlanta 2 @ Bayou State 5 - The Bayou State Rougarou moved one step closer to a weekend sweep with a 5–2 win Saturday night over the Atlanta Capitals. The Bayou State’s offense has impressed throughout the series, piling up 13 goals across the first two games and building some much-needed momentum for the rest of the year. Ethan Tierman opened the scoring for the Rougarou, continuing his hot streak after a seven-goal performance in the previous game. Landen Crall and Peyton Essex picked up the assists, giving Bayou State a 1–0 lead early in the first. Donovan Dunbar added to the advantage off feeds from Crall and Tierman, sending the Rougarou into the first intermission up by two. The Capitals punched back in the second when Zealand Wann cut the deficit to one on a goal assisted by Jaylen Fluhr and Hatcher Horton. The response was short-lived, though, as Tierman scored again just five seconds later on a funky deflection, with Essex assisting. Tierman completed the hat trick late in the period off passes from Essex and Crall, stretching the Bayou State lead to three. Atlanta kept fighting in the third, with Braden Grant finding the back of the net on a setup from Tristan Hall. A few minutes later, however, the Rougarou put the game out of reach when Landon Kay scored, assisted by Jared Lang and Crall. For Atlanta, Zakary Petterson stopped 26 shots, but it was not enough for a Capitals squad still searching for its first win. Bayou State’s Lang turned away 38 shots to help secure the victory. The Rougarou now notch their second straight win and third of the season as they look to carry this momentum forward.

Texas R 0 @ Louisiana 8 - The Louisiana Drillers put on a dominant performance Saturday night, rolling past the Texas RoadRunners 8–0. The Drillers overwhelmed Texas from start to finish, highlighted by a hat trick from Brody Neish. Skyler Tompkins opened the scoring in the first period off assists from Carter Gnau and Preston Wright, giving Louisiana a 1–0 lead. Draydin Johnson extended the advantage later in the frame, burying a feed from Gnau and Kadyn Garcia. Neish made it 3–0 before the first intermission, with Garcia and Dayton Ruppel collecting the assists. Neish kept it going early in the second, scoring his second of the night off setups from Brayden Pelcl and Emerson LaRoche to push the lead to four. Moments later, Pelcl added a power-play goal of his own, assisted by Neish and Ruppel. LaRoche followed with another power-play tally, again assisted by Neish and Ruppel, stretching the Drillers’ lead to 6–0. In the third, LaRoche struck once more for back-to-back power-play goals, with Pelcl and Neish picking up the helpers. Neish then capped the scoring with Louisiana’s eighth goal and yet another power-play strike, assisted by LaRoche and Ruppel. Texas goaltender Brenden Patterson made 43 saves in a valiant effort, but the RoadRunners could not slow a relentless Drillers attack. Louisiana’s Cole Schmidt stopped all 15 shots he faced, securing the shutout and preserving the Drillers’ perfect 19-0-0 record.

Wausau 9 @ Peoria 2 - The Wausau Cyclones powered past the Peoria Mustangs on the road Saturday night, delivering a dominant offensive performance in a 9–2 victory. Truman Zerse opened the scoring early for Wausau off a setup from Eiji Hofmann, and Brady Knutsen doubled the lead minutes later with assists from Alec Mellon and Davis Polifka. Frank Goodman added to the surge, making it 3–0 less than six minutes into the game on a feed from Brayden Ernst. Mellon capped a commanding first period with a goal of his own, sending Wausau into the intermission up 4–0. The Cyclones kept rolling in the second. Brandon Piwko struck early off a pass from Hofmann, and Knutsen netted his second of the night shortly after, assisted by Jackson Schroeder and Sean Hall, pushing the lead to 6–0. Cade Doud piled on with another tally, set up by Knutsen, and Owen Gohm extended the advantage to 8–0 with help from Joel Anderson. Peoria finally responded with back-to-back goals from Nathan Pleva and Charlie Anthony, with assists credited to Owen Gruden, RJ Alverado, Nick Fabio, and Anson Zaiser. But the deficit was far too large to overcome. Doud closed out the scoring late, burying a feed from Hall and Zachary Pagel to seal the 9–2 final. In the net, Peoria’s Jakub Stary was pulled after allowing six goals on 24 shots, while Charlie Maquet stepped in and made 22 saves in relief. Wausau’s Tanner Bonjernoor stopped 25 shots to secure a much-needed road win for the Cyclones against a struggling Mustangs squad.

New Jersey 5 @ Norwich 2 - The New Jersey Titans are riding high after a strong 5–2 road win over the Norwich Sea Captains. New Jersey’s offense proved too much for Norwich, setting a promising tone as the Titans look to build momentum. The Titans struck quickly in the first period when Ivan Korshikov opened the scoring with his 16th goal of the season, giving New Jersey an early lead. Jackson Dougherty added to it later in the frame, sending the Titans into the first intermission ahead 2–0. Norwich pushed back early in the second, cutting the deficit to one on a power-play goal from Trenton Impens, assisted by Jake Wilkerson. New Jersey answered right back with a power-play tally of its own, as Yosef Pievsky buried his 10th of the year off a feed from Mikhail Mishin, restoring the two-goal cushion. The Sea Captains kept pressing in the third. Ryan Janik scored a power-play goal assisted by Henry Pinkerman and Wilkerson, tightening the score to 3–2 and raising the stakes. But the Titans responded once again, Korshikov netted his second of the night off assists from Mishin and Jessy Kiroff to make it 4–2. Juno Ryu then sealed the victory late with New Jersey’s fifth goal, set up by Mishin. New Jersey’s defense held firm the rest of the way, securing the 5–2 final. Tony Shaw made 36 saves to backstop the win, while Norwich’s Peter Alfano stopped 33 shots in a solid effort that ultimately was not enough. The Titans picked up a significant road victory and will look to carry this momentum into their next matchup.

West Texas 3 @ Austin 6 -The Austin Bats delivered a powerful offensive showing on home ice, rolling to a 6–3 win over the West Texas Wranglers. The Bats seized control early thanks to Jake Bamback, who made an immediate impact with a shorthanded goal in the first period, assisted by Garrett Morris and Mason Manderfield. Just over a minute later, Bamback struck again, giving Austin a 2–0 lead heading into the first intermission. Austin’s offense erupted in the second period. The Bats extended their lead to 3–0 on a power-play goal from Arys Perardi, assisted by Ethan Salter. Ninety seconds later, Luke Fowler added another, finishing a feed from Owen Rattray. West Texas finally broke through midway through the frame with a power-play tally from Justin Fielden, assisted by Cutter Daniel and Gavin Brown, trimming the deficit to 4–1. The Bats answered quickly. Mason Manderfield restored the cushion with a goal assisted by Morris and Matthieu Leblanc, and Morris followed up with a power-play strike of his own to cap Austin’s four-goal outburst in the period. The Bats took a commanding 6–1 lead into the third. West Texas mounted a small push in the final frame. Jason McKenna scored his first of the season off assists from Gunnar Vick and Fielden, and Caelen Cross added a late goal set up by William Andegren. But the Wranglers’ rally wasn’t enough to overcome the massive deficit. Goaltender Michael Lane backstopped the Bats with 26 saves, shutting down West Texas when it mattered most. On the other side, Kole Kitemade 40 stops in a strong effort that ultimately fell short, leaving West Texas with its 13th loss of the season.

Wisconsin 3 @ Rochester 4 (OT) - These two Central Division rivals met again at Rochester Recreation Center for an exciting matchup that ended with Wisconsin taking the exciting victory in overtime last night, 4-3. Rochester would be all over the Woodsmen at the start of the period, with them not being able to register a shot eight minutes into the period. The Grizzlies would take a penalty, but would kill off the chance before the Woodsmen could capitalize. Late in the first period, Mason Decker of the Grizzlies would capitalize on a power play, giving them the lead going into intermission. The second period would begin with both teams having Powerplays to no success as both goalies stood tall in the net. Chances were going back and forth for both teams, but Ty Paulios of the Woodsmen would score his 10th of the season to tie the game. The period would end 1-1, setting up for an exciting third period of action. The Woodsmen would waste no time scoring just 23 seconds into the period with Paulios adding his 11th of the season and second of the game. The Grizzlies would be quick to answer back at the 14:47 mark with Cooper Johnson scoring his fourth of the season to tie the game back up. At the 4:11 mark of the period, Paulios would score his hat-trick goal to give the Woodsmen a late lead. Wisconsin was not able to hold on as Sawyer Zaruba of the Grizzlies would score with just 2:28, tying the game at three. The buzzer would sound, sending the two teams into overtime. Konnor Coclan would be the hero for the Grizzlies, scoring just halfway into the extra frame, assisted by Baylor Stebbins and Trenton Fore.

Granite City 3 @ Minnesota M 6 - These two West Division rivals met in the Fogerty Ice Arena to end their two-game weekend. Minnesota is coming off a win against the Toros, while Granite City is looking to bounce back after a tough 4-2 loss to the Blizzard. The Moose would waste no time taking control of the game with Cullen Murray scoring his first of the season, assisted by Charlie Marchand and Rory Marchand. Mitchell Gawel would add a second goal for the Moose at the 9:28 mark, giving them the 2-0 lead halfway through the second. Mark Denoyer would score just a minute later to extend the lead to 3-0. Gabe Otis of the Moose would turn away all eight shots in the period. The second period would start with penalties on both sides, but successful penalty kills would keep the score 3-0 in favor of the Moose. Eli Tiernan of the Lumberjacks would score the team’s first goal at the 4:19 mark, assisted by Micah Saxon and Coltin Wassengeso. With the score being 3-1 now, the Lumberjacks looked to build momentum shortly after on a power play. Brady Johnson of the Moose would spoil the power play, scoring a short-handed goal assisted by Will Burnevik and George Daravingas. The second period would end with the Moose leading 4-1, with the Lumberjacks looking to gain momentum in the third. With both teams trading chances at the start of the period, Gawel would add his second of the game for the Moose to give them the 5-1 lead. Just under two minutes later, Prentiss Maier would add his first of the season to bring the score to 5-2. The Lumberjacks were not done there, with Teagan Dodge adding another tally at the 8:06 mark to bring the score within two for the Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks continued to crawl back into the game, but Otis stood tall in the net, turning away 8 of 10 shots in the third. Cullen Murray would add a power-play goal for the Moose with just 2:39 remaining, giving them the lead 6-3. The final buzzer would sound with the Moose earning the victory and improving their record to 15-4. The Lumberjacks face back-to-back losses for the first time this season as they started the season 16-0.

Willmar 2 @ Alexandria 5 - The visiting WarHawks would travel to Runestone Community Center to take on the Blizzard in a West Division showdown. The Blizzard would waste no time taking the lead in the game, with Reece Hubmer adding his third of the season just 30 seconds into the game. Both teams would go on to trade power plays with no success for either team. Logan Woods would tie the game for the WarHawks with 6:29 remaining in the period, assisted by Mikko Brown. The period would end 1-1 with both teams looking to add another goal. Hubmer scored his second goal of the game just under a minute into the second period. The second period would be filled with penalties, but neither team would earn success until Grady Stallman of the Blizzard would score even strength at the 10:28 mark. The Blizzard would be rewarded a five-minute power play from a checking from behind penalty. Hubmer would score his third goal of the game, giving him the hat trick and his team the 4-1 lead going into the third period. Max Jackson of the WarHawks would score on the power play, cutting the lead to 4-2 for the Blizzard and giving momentum to Wilmar. Bode Ekblad of the Blizzard would end up turning away 18 of 19 shots in the 3rd, making incredible saves to keep his team’s lead. Caleb Waller would add his 12th of the season and the insurance marker to bring the game to 5-2, giving the Blizzard the decisive win in the West Division. Alexandria improves their record to 9-8-1-1 with the WarHawks dropping to 7-10-0-0.

St. Louis 3 @ West Bend 8 - These two Central Division teams squared off at the Kettle Moraine Ice Center for an exciting matchup, with the Power taking home the 6-2 win last night. The Power would waste no time taking the early lead with Quinn O’Connor scoring just 18 seconds into the game. Jackson Hoem would add another goal for the Power at the 10:38 mark to give them the early 2-0 lead just halfway into the start of the game. Off a Jr. Blues penalty, Danny Jurcich would score on the power play, giving them a 3-0 lead and a commanding start to the game. The Jr. Blues would score their own power-play goal just three minutes later, with Eric Denny scoring his first goal, assisted by Mitchell Nappier and Lonnie Land. The Power would not be done this period, with Shaun Paulson scoring at the 2:51 mark, giving them a 4-1 lead going into the second. Starting off the period on the right foot, Brody Josselyn of the Power would add his 7th of the season. Just a minute later, August Feldker scored for the Jr. Blues to bring the game to 5-2. Although the Jr. Blues scored, the Power continued to gain momentum and generate chances. Michael Maillette would add two tallies just a minute apart, with one on the power play bringing the game to 7-2. The second period would remain the same score, with both teams getting chances with no success. Starting the third, it was filled with penalties from both sides, but no power-play success was generated. Jack Reuss of the Jr. Blues would score his fourth of the season, bringing the game to 7-3, giving them life. The Power were quick to take back control of the game with Armani Fisher adding his fourth of the season just 27 seconds after the Jr. Blues' goal. The final buzzer would sound with the Power earning the win 8-3, improving their season record to 18-2-0-1 to lead the Central Division. By 10 points.

Texas B 4 @ El Paso 3 (OT) - After El Paso handed the Brahmas their first regulation loss of the season, these South Division rivals were squaring off for another exciting matchup. Both teams would be quick to start the action, with both teams trading chances back and forth, and each goalie would turn away all chances. Brayden Macko would turn away seven shots for the Rhinos, and Gavin Erickson would turn away 11 shots for the Brahmas. The first period would end 0-0 with both teams searching for the opening goal. At the 13:38 mark of the second period, Jayani Benson would break open the scoring for the Brahmas, giving them a 1-0 lead. John Scharff was quick to add another tally for the Brahmas just five minutes after his teammate opened the scoring. El Paso was quick to answer; however, just under a minute later, Donovan Bradford scored his 12th of the season. Bradford would add another tally as the final buzzer sounded with a beautiful tip from a pass by Huero Rivera. After a lengthy discussion with the referees, it was determined that one second was remaining in the period with the game tied 2-2. The Brahmas would regain the lead just three minutes into the final frame with a goal from Alex Morris. With the Brahmas having the 3-2 lead, the Rhinos were doing everything possible to tie the game up for their home crowd. At the 9:41 mark, Carter Lehmann of the Rhinos would tie the game 3-3. Both teams would continue to generate chances, but to no success, with both goalies playing amazing games. The game would remain tied, sending the two teams into overtime for exciting and fast-paced action. Just 30 seconds into the extra frame, John Scharf of the Brahmas would be rewarded with a breakaway off a misguided face-off win for the Rhinos. Scharf would beat the goaltender five-hole, giving the Brahmas a decisive 4-3 win, remaining in second place in the South Division.

Yellowstone 0 @ Great Falls 5 - The Yellowstone Quake looked to split the road series against the Great Falls Americans on Saturday at the Great Falls Ice Plex. Great Falls opened the scoring less than a minute into the game. Reid Lezubsky carried the puck up the sideboards and dropped it to Keegan Hanson, who fired a point shot that zipped into the net. The Americans doubled their lead midway through the period when Cooper Clouse forced a turnover at the hashmarks and found Wyatt Hanna cutting into the slot. Hanna ripped a shot into the net, sending Great Falls into the first intermission up 2–0. The Americans kept the pressure high in the second period. Jaxen Savage collected the puck near the far blue line, drove behind the net and wrapped around to the front before firing a shot into the top corner to make it 3–0. Great Falls did not let up in the third, adding two more goals. AJ Prioli struck first on a setup from Clouse and Ethan Miller. Jarrett Averett capped the scoring shortly after, finishing a cross-ice feed from Savage out of the corner to secure a 5–0 win for the Americans.

Gillette 3 @ Helena 2 - The Helena Bighorns aimed to secure their second win of the weekend as they hosted the Gillette Wild. Helena opened the scoring midway through the first period when a point shot found the back of the net off a pass from Braden Davis. Gillette answered late in the period after Michael McKernan’s shot from the point deflected wide to Peyton Marty, who fed Dylan Peterson on the far side for a tap-in, sending the teams into intermission tied 1–1. The Wild carried their momentum into the second, scoring less than 30 seconds in. From behind the net, Beau Delich found Riley Schmidt wide open in front for an easy finish, giving Gillette its first lead of the series. Helena tied the game again when Chase Berg converted on a setup from Kade Pareja, but Schmidt responded for the Wild, scoring unassisted on a coast-to-coast rush. Gillette held a 3–2 lead after two. The third period featured plenty of action but no goals, as the Wild held on for the 3–2 victory. John Nanos stopped nine shots for the Bighorns, while Andrew Knox made 56 saves to secure the win for the Wild.

Butte 1 @ Sheridan 4 - The Sheridan Hawks looked to secure their second home win of the weekend against the Butte Irish at the M&M’s Center. Sheridan struck first and claimed the only goal of the opening period when Vincent Leaf picked up a turnover in the neutral zone, cut through the middle, and beat the defender before sliding a backhand shot past the goaltender. Butte answered late in the second period. Jack Whitelaw collected the puck behind the net and moved it to Loghan Weber, who found Easton Langemo on the far side for a finish that tied the game 1–1 heading into the third. The Hawks regained control quickly. Less than a minute into the period, Lucas Paliwodizinski won a faceoff and carried the puck in for an unassisted goal to put Sheridan back on top. The lead grew when Jeff Slivon sent a cross-ice pass to Jameson Clark in the faceoff circle, where he ripped a shot into the net to make it 3–1. Slivon added one final goal in the closing minutes, sealing a 4–1 win for the Hawks. Blake Drost stopped 53 shots for the Butte Irish, while Olivier Caballero made 25 saves to secure the victory for Sheridan.

Badlands 3 @ Bozeman 6 - The Bozeman Icedogs struck first when Reid Wilkinson scored off a setup from Jace Griffin and Sam Trufant. Avery Martin extended the lead soon after with help from Andrew Kaunas and Griffin. The Badlands Sabres responded with a goal from Dayton Niedert, assisted by Oliver Giles, cutting the deficit to 2–1 after one. The second period brought a surge of offense. Niedert opened the scoring with an unassisted goal to tie the game 2–2. The Icedogs answered with a three-goal run. Kaunas started the burst with a goal assisted by Griffin and Wilkinson. Griffin followed with one of his own, with Baron Masopust and Wilkinson picking up assists. Masopust then added to the tally, scoring off a feed from Matthew Stamp to give Bozeman a 5–2 advantage. The Sabres trimmed the gap late in the period when Matthew Cordis scored, assisted by Gaven Marx and Jackson Pinney. Wilkinson sealed the win in the third period with his second goal of the night, an empty-netter that secured a 6–3 victory for the Icedogs.