Saturday Scores: The Icedogs Battle From Behind and Secure Victory

Minnesota W 5 @ Mason City 2 - The Minnesota Wilderness went on the road to take on the Mason City Toros. The Wilderness started the scoring with a goal from Tyler Starich, Wyatt Mineheine with the assist. The Toros would answer with a goal from T.J. Gibson, assisted by Weston Bohlman and Grant Harder. Before the end of the opening period, the Wilderness would score again with a goal from Owen Huneke, Tommy Perkins and Levi Flatley with the assist. In the second period, the Wilderness would score again, this time in a power play, Tyler Starich scoring again with Brant Tiedman and Christian Houser picking up the assist. In the final period, T.J. Gibson would score again for the Toros on a power play of their own, Luke Gustafson and Weston Bohlman picking up the assist. Then, to finish the game, the Wilderness would score with Ethan Jacobson, Wyatt Mineheine with the assist, and Levi Flatley on an empty net. The Wilderness wins 5-2 over the Toros.

Tulsa 1 @ Texas B 8 - The Tulsa Oilers went on the road to take on the Texas Brahmas, who have been dominant. To start the game, the Brahmas scored on a power play Kayden Jones scoring. The Oilers would then score on a power play of their own, Christian Robinson scoring the goal, assisted by Montana Medina. In the second period, the Brahmas would score on a short-handed goal from Joshua Reaska. Followed by another power play goal from Taylor Lewis, Tyler Conrad and Benjamin Humphreys with the assist. Taylor Lewis would then score again, being assisted by James Ingle and Tyler Conrad once again. In the final period, Tyler Conrad would get a goal of his own, with Titan Horton and Malo Phillips with the assist. Taylor Lewis would then score his hat trick, with Charlie Wilson and Aidan Liebold picking up the assist. Titan Horton would then score a goal of his own, with Patrick Garvet and James Ingle with the assist. To finish the game, Jason Fatta would score on another power play for the Brahmas, Alex Morris and Titan Horton with the assist. The Texas Brahmas take care of business over the Oilers 8-1.

Wisconsin 5 @ Peoria 4 - The Wisconsin Woodsmen went on the road to take on the Peoria Mustangs. The Woodsmen would score first with a power play goal from Brandon Slasor, Bryce Bechen and Parker Holloway with the assist. The Mustangs would answer back with a power play goal of their own from Owen Gruden, Jordan Mini and Brendon Miller picking up the assist. Breyon Maroney would then score to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead, Jordan Mini and Anson Zaiser with the assist. In the second period, the Woodsmen would tie it up with a goal from Josh Kauppinen, with Brodie Mich as the assist. The Mustangs would then take the lead back with a goal from Brendon Miller, Anson Zaiser and Nick Fabio with the assist. But the Woodsmen would come and tie it again with a goal from Alexander Elsner, Ozbej Muzan with the assist. In the final period, the Mustangs would take the lead with a second goal from Owen Gruden, RJ Alvarado and Brendon Miller with the assist. The Woodsmen would once again answer to tie the game with a goal from Parker Holloway, Ozbej Muzan with another assist. Then the Woodsmen would win it with a goal from Ty Paulios. 

Minnesota M 2 @ Alexandria 5 - The Minnesota Moose went on the road to challenge the Alexandria Blizzard. To start the game, the Moose would take an early lead with a goal from Carsen Gause, Brady Johnson, and Will Burnevik with the assist. In the second period, the Blizzard would get on the board with a goal from Kaden Roness, Reece Hubmer with the assist. The Blizzard would then score on a power play to take the lead, Grady Stallman with the goal, and Caleb Waller and Dillan Smidt picking up the assist. In the final period, the Moose would tie it back up with a goal from Will Burnevik, Carsen Gause, and Brady Johnson with another assist. The Blizzard would answer to take the lead back with another goal from Grady Stallman, his second, Adam Rauser, and Dillan Smidt with the assist. The Blizzard would score on another power play to extend their lead, Blake Breiland with the goal, Kaden Roness and Quinten Friborg with the assist. To finish the game, the Blizzard would score again, Caleb Waller scoring, and Grady Stallman and Cooper Ness picking up the assist. The Blizzard finished the game with three unanswered points to beat the Moose 5-2.

St. Louis 4 @ Wausau 2 - The St. Louis Jr. Blues secured a solid road victory, defeating the home-team Wausau Cyclones with a final score of 4-2. The Cyclones started strong, outshooting St. Louis heavily in the first period, but the Jr. Blues managed the only goal to take a 1-0 lead. The scoring picked up in the last two periods, with St. Louis scoring three times, including power-play goals from Mitchell Nappier and Ryan Hogan. Despite Wausau's continuous offensive pressure, racking up 41shots throughout the night, they were unable to convert their chances. The Jr. Blues sealed the victory in the third period with an empty-net goal from Eric Denny. This solid victory confirms the St. Louis Jr. Blues remain winning and are a top contender with a strong 14-7-1-0 record, while the Wausau Cyclones struggle to convert their offensive pressure into wins.

El Paso 4 @ West Texas 2 - The El Paso Rhinos secured a solid road victory against the West Texas Wranglers with a final score of 4-2. The Rhinos took an early lead in the first period with a power-play goal from Carter Lehmann, halfway through the period. The Wranglers finally got on the board in the second period with a goal from Gunnar Vick, and added a second goal in the third, but the Rhinos maintained their offensive output. El Paso sealed the victory with a final goal from Nick Nunez, confirming the two-goal margin. The Rhinos put up a steady offensive effort, ending the night with 32 shots on the Wranglers' netminder. This victory shows the El Paso Rhinos are improving their position with a 13-8-3-0 record, while the West Texas Wranglers continue struggling to convert opportunities into wins despite their good record.

Gillette 1 @ Sheridan 3 - The Sheridan Hawks controlled the pace from start to finish, overwhelming the Gillette Wild with a massive shot advantage and pulling away late for a 3–1 win. Despite a scoreless first period, Sheridan set the tone early by outshooting Gillette 23–8, foreshadowing the pressure that would define the night. The game opened up in the second, when Sheridan finally broke through at 16:14. Elijah Farris finished the chance for his ninth of the season off a setup from Evan Scholl, giving the Hawks the 1–0 lead. Gillette answered just under three minutes later on the power play, as Dylan Peterson buried the tying goal at 13:40 with help from Beau Delich, sending the teams into the intermission knotted 1–1 despite Sheridan’s 20–10 shot advantage. The Hawks’ relentless pressure paid off in the third. On a power play at 6:21, Farris struck again—this time the game-winner—set up by Caden Gleason and Deagan Watson to restore the Sheridan lead. Gillette never found a response, and with 50 seconds left, Ernie Allen sealed the win with an unassisted empty-netter. Sheridan poured on 24 more shots in the final frame for a staggering 67–24 total on the night. Hawks goaltender Otto Reinhart was steady in a full 60-minute effort, while Gillette netminder Andrew Knox, who played nearly the entire game aside from the empty-net sequence, held strong under heavy fire with 66+ minutes of crease time before the late substitution and empty-net situation. Sheridan’s structure and shot volume ultimately carried them to a well-earned home victory.

Yellowstone 1 @ Badland 5 - The Badlands Sabres controlled the game wire to wire, striking early, maintaining structure through a tight middle frame, and pulling away in the third to secure a 5–1 victory over the Yellowstone Quake. Badlands set the tone immediately, owning the opening period with a 16–11 shot edge and a pair of goals that established a lead they would never relinquish. The Sabres opened the scoring at 9:58 of the first on the power play, as Kyyan Jahner buried his eighth of the season off feeds from Gaven Marx and Dayton Niedert. Just minutes later, at 2:21, Carter Kilen netted what would stand as the game-winner, finishing a setup from Rhylan Olson to make it 2–0 after 20 minutes. Neither side found the back of the net in the second, but Badlands maintained control with a 9–4 shot advantage and steady defensive structure. Yellowstone managed to stay within striking distance entering the third, but the Sabres quickly shut down any comeback hopes. Yellowstone briefly climbed back into the contest at 10:25 of the third, when Garrett Youngquist scored his first of the season, set up by Jacob Weber, cutting the deficit to 2–1. But Badlands answered decisively. On the power play at 6:19, Oliver Giles restored the two-goal cushion off feeds from Patrick Gosselin and Maddox Harn. Just over a minute later, Gosselin added another, assisted by Peyton Kostad and Kilen, and with 44 seconds left, Olson capped the night with a late strike set up by Randall Roblyer. The Sabres controlled the shot totals 40–24 and never allowed Yellowstone to generate sustained momentum. Gavin Peery anchored the win in net, playing the final 51:34 after an early first-period swap and seeing the game through without surrendering an even-strength goal. On the other side, Corbin Smetzler faced steady pressure throughout his full 60-minute effort. Badlands’ strong special teams, early jump, and dominant third period proved too much for Yellowstone to overcome in a well-earned home victory.

Helena 2 @ Bozeman 3 - The Bozeman Icedogs edged out the Helena Bighorns in a tight, defensive contest, using a late third-period strike to claim a 3–2 victory in a game where neither team ever held more than a one-goal lead. Both teams came out firing in the opening frame, combining for four goals in a high-tempo first period before the scoring shut down until Bozeman’s late winner. Helena and Bozeman traded blows early, with the Bighorns generating 9 shots to Bozeman’s 11 in a fast, back-and-forth first period. Each side struck twice in the opening 20 minutes, setting up a deadlock that would persist for nearly 40 minutes of game time. Goaltenders Russell Newman for Bozeman and Matthew Neeser for Helena settled in quickly after the early flurry, turning the game into a tight positional battle. The game remained dead even deep into the final frame until the Icedogs finally broke through, netting the decisive goal to take a 3–2 lead. Helena pulled Neeser for the extra attacker in the final minutes, but Bozeman’s structure held, sealing the win in regulation. Bozeman finished with a narrow 24–26 shot deficit but made the most of their opportunities, while Newman delivered a full 60-minute winning effort. Neeser stopped the clock at 57:32 before being pulled, finishing with a strong outing despite the loss. The Icedogs’ combination of timely scoring and lockdown defense over the final 40 minutes proved the difference in a tightly contested divisional matchup.

Great Falls 4 @ Butte 3 - The Butte Irish started fast, defended with structure, and rode a strong goaltending performance to a 3–1 win over the Bozeman Icedogs. Butte capitalized early, controlled the middle of the game defensively, and survived a heavy Bozeman push late to secure the road victory. Butte struck first—and decisively—at 13:41 of the opening period, when Loghan Weber buried an unassisted tally that would stand as the game-winner. Shots were even at 10–10 through 20 minutes, but Butte made the most of its opportunities while staying disciplined and limiting Bozeman’s second looks. Butte generated another 10 shots and kept the Icedogs to the outside, setting the stage for a tight third period with the Irish still up 1–0. The offenses opened up in the third as Bozeman surged with a 20-shot barrage, but Butte weathered it. The Irish added crucial insurance in the final frame, scoring once more before Bozeman finally broke through late. But it wasn’t enough—the Irish closed the game with a final empty-net strike to seal the 3–1 win. Butte finished with 23 shots compared to Bozeman’s 40, but Zander Harp was the difference-maker, turning aside every shot until the final minutes and completing a full 60-minute winning effort. On the other side, Jack Ryan played 58:09 before being pulled for an extra attacker in the closing shift. Between efficient early offense, stingy defense, and standout goaltending, Butte earned a strong, complete victory over a hard-pressing Bozeman squad.