Saturday Scores: Mason City Topples Willmar in Overtime Thriller

Buzz 5 @ New Hampshire 2 - The Buzz went on the road to take on the New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings. In the opening period, the Buzz would score the only goal. Yaromir Chicherin scored an unassisted goal. In the second period, the Jr. Mountain Kings would tie the game up with a goal from Tommy Titone, Matthew Anderson, and Nick Brophy with the assist. The Buzz would answer back with a goal from Malachi Clark, with Mason Bryant picking up the assist. The Buzz would then extend their lead with a power play goal from Theo Fritz, assisted by Magnus Deamond. In the final period, the Buzz would score their third consecutive goal, Jaylen Nurse scoring, assisted by Brady Ishu. The Buzz would then score on another power play goal, Yaromir Chicherin scoring his second goal of the game, Keegan Elliott picking up the assist. With one second left in the game, the Jr. Mountain Kings would make the game a little closer with a goal from Matthew Anderson, Sedrick Swygert Jr. picking up the assist. The Buzz got a big win over the Jr. Mountain Kings 5-2. 

Bayou State 5 @ Carolina 8 - The Bayou State Rougarou went on the road to take on the Carolina Rage. In the opening period, the Rage would strike first with a goal from Roman Brown, assisted by Thomas Fleming and Parker Greenway. The Rage would then score again with an unassisted goal from Reece Beckwith. The Rougarou would then get on the board with a goal from Landen Crall, Donovan Dunbar, and Denis Portnoy with the assist. Then Denis Portnoy would tie the game for the Rougarou with a short-handed goal, Nathan Daniels picking up the assist. In the second period, Reece Beckwith would score his second goal to take the lead for the Rage, with Rocco Watson and James Parnell with the assist. The Rage would bring their lead back up to two with an unassisted goal from Tobin Tuzinsky. The Rougarou would find an answer with a power play goal from Denis Portnoy, Landen Crall, and Peyton Essex with the assist. Denis Portnoy would then get his hat trick on an unassisted goal to tie the game back up. The Rougarou would then get the lead for the first time in this game with a goal from Ethan Tierman, Landen Crall with the assist. In the final period, the Rage would tie the game up once again with a goal from Seth Fibraio, Tobin Tuzinsky, and James Parnell each getting an assist. The Rage would then take the lead back with a goal from Rocco Watson, Tobin Tuzinsky with another assist, and Reece Beckwith with an assist. The Rage would keep the momentum rolling with a power play goal from James Parnell, Reece Beckwith, and Tobin Tuzinsky, each with another assist. To end the game, Reece Beckwith would get his hat trick, James Parnell would get another assist, and Tobin Tuzinsky would get his 4 th assist of the game. The Rage racked off 4 straight goals to defeat the Rougarou 8-5.

Texas R 0 @ Louisiana 16 - The Texas RoadRunners took on the undefeated Louisiana Drillers. The Drillers completely ran through the RoadRunners, scoring every goal in this contest and shutting them out. In the opening period, Dylan Crossley would score with an assist from Isaac Erickson and Cohen Palmer. Emerson Laroche would score, being assisted by Brody Neish and Dayton Ruppel. Zachary Marsell would then score, assisted by Preston Wight and Dylan Johnson. Brayden Pelcl scores, Dayton Ruppel and Skyler Tompkins getting the assist, Emerson Laroche would then get his second goal of the game, Dayton Ruppel and Kadyn Garcia getting the assist. To end the first period, Zachary Marsell would get his second goal of the game, Carter Tymchak and Matthew Killen with the assist. In the second period, Emerson Laroche would get his hat trick on a short-handed goal, with an assist from Brody Neish and Brayden Pelcl. Skyler Tompkins would also score on a short-handed goal, with Preston Wight and Braden Bates with the assist. Matthew Killen would also score on a short-handed goal, Kadyn Garcia and Dayton Ruppel with an assist. Skyler Tompkins would score another goal with an assist from Draydin Johnson and Preston Wight. To end the second period, Draydin Johnson would score a goal, Brody Neish and Emerson Laroche as the assist. In the final period, the Drillers would keep scoring, Nathan Moore scoring, assisted by Skyler Tompkins and Carter Gnau. Draydin Johnson would score his second goal of the game, with Skyler Tompkins and Nathan Moore getting the assist. Emerson Laroche would score his fourth goal, Brayden Pelcl and Braden Bates picking up the assist. Cohen Palmer would get a goal with an assist from Zachary Marsell and Jack Slotka. To finish the game, Brody Neish would score with an assist from Emerson Laroche and Dylan Johnson. The Drillers win 16-0.

Long Beach 4 @ Norwich 1 -The Long Beach Sharks went on the road to take the Norwich Sea Captains. In the opening period, the Sea Captains would strike first with a goal from Kolin Krizan, Trenton Impens, and Ryan Janik picking up the assist. The Sharks would answer back before the end of the first period, Brendan Dalton scoring the goal with an assist from Sean Bailey and Gustav Martinsson. The second period would see very little activity with no scoring and just a couple of penalties. In the final period, the Sharks would take their first lead of the game with a goal from Sean Bailey, Brendan Dalton returning the assist Bailey gave him on the first goal, and James Steinberg getting an assist. Sean Bailey would score again with less than a minute left in the game on an empty net, Will Zinnen with the assist. With 21 seconds left the Sharks would rub salt in the wound with a goal from Caden Shafer, Eli McCarthy, and James Ditommaso. The Sharks sink the Sea Captains 4-1.

Wausau 2 @ St. Louis 6 - The St. Louis Jr. Blues came out fast in the opening period, striking just minutes into the game when Eric Denny scored off a setup from Jack Reuss. St. Louis doubled its lead soon after as Chase Kozma finished a play assisted by C. Denny and Jace Jordan. In the final minute of the period, the Jr. Blues added to their momentum when Caden Lindley buried another goal, assisted by Kozma and Jordan, giving St. Louis a commanding 3–0 lead at the first intermission. The Cyclones opened the second period with a push, getting on the board with a goal from Frank Goodman, assisted by Jackson Schroeder and Zachary Pagel. The Jr. Blues responded quickly, with Rece Sanderson setting up Lonnie Land, restoring St. Louis’ three-goal advantage at 4–1. The Jr. Blues continued to roll as Cooper Palazzolo scored to extend the lead. Land then added his second of the night off another feed from Denny, making it 6–1. The Cyclones closed the period with a goal from Schroeder, assisted by Goodman, cutting the deficit to 6–2 heading into the third. Both teams traded chances throughout a competitive final period, but neither found the back of the net as the Jr. Blues held on for a 6–2 victory. Cyclones goaltenders Brody Kunst and Brady Faille combined for 33 saves in the loss, while Jr. Blues netminder Aaron Sibert earned the win with a strong 35-save performance.

Rochester 3 @ Peoria 5 - The teams opened the first period trading chances, with the Grizzlies striking first. Felix Wadstromer netted the opening goal off assists from Brett Ludvigsen and Tevin Stukel. The Peoria Mustangs answered in the final seconds of the frame when Wyatt Duke slipped a shot past the Grizzlies’ goaltender, assisted by Owen Gruden and Jordan Mini, sending the game into the intermission tied 1–1. The second period brought more offense from both sides. Wadstromer tallied his second of the night for the Grizzlies, finishing a play set up by Rylan Schultz and Stukel to regain the lead. Peoria responded late in the period as Mini buried a shot off passes from Anson Zaiser and Gruden, tying the contest again at 2–2 entering the third. The final period delivered the most action of the night. Duke opened the scoring for Peoria with a goal, giving the Mustangs their first lead. The Grizzlies answered shortly after when Mason Decker scored with help from Jesse Varner and Trenton Fore, making it 3–3. Peoria refused to let the momentum shift. Breyon Maroney reclaimed the lead for the Mustangs off a feed from Mini, and moments later, Brendon Miller sealed the victory with another tally, securing a 5–3 win. Grizzlies goaltender Cameron Patrick turned aside 46 shots in the loss, while Mustangs netminder Charlie Maquet made 36 saves to earn the win.

Alexandria 2 @ Minnesota W 3 (OT) - The Alexandria Blizzard jumped out to a fast start, scoring the lone goal of the first period when Zach Benson put the puck away off assists from Hayden Weir and Quinten Friborg, giving Alexandria a 1–0 lead after one. The Blizzard carried that momentum into the second period, doubling their advantage midway through the frame. Caleb Waller extended the lead to 2–0, finishing a setup from Blake Breiland and Grady Stallman. But the Minnesota Wilderness refused to go quietly, taking over play for much of the third period. Stratton Maas got Minnesota on the board early in the frame, scoring off assists from Tyler Starich and Christian Houser. Minutes later, Starich added a goal of his own, assisted by Wyatt Mineheine and Michal Soukup, tying the game 2–2 and sending the matchup to overtime. In the closing seconds of overtime, the Wilderness secured the comeback win when Tommy Perkins buried the game-winner, with Mineheine and Starich picking up the assists. Blizzard goaltender Jayden Serene stood tall with 49 saves in the loss, while Wilderness netminder Jay Svaren made 41 stops to earn the victory.

Pelham 4 @ Atlanta 0 - The Pelham Prowlers took control early and never looked back, opening the scoring in the first period when Jacob Harrison found the back of the net off an assist from Marlon Derksen, giving Pelham a 1–0 lead after one. The Prowlers kept the pressure on in the second period, and Derksen doubled the lead with an unassisted goal to make it 2–0. Pelham continued its dominance in the final frame. Matthew Hunter struck early in the third to extend the lead, then added another minutes later off a feed from Derksen, securing a 4–0 victory for the Prowlers. Capitals goaltender Maxwell Pelton stood tall with 33 saves in the loss, while Prowlers netminder Oscar Gribauval earned the shutout with a strong 44 save performance.

New Mexico 5 @ Texas B 3 - The New Mexico Ice Wolves escaped with a win Saturday night against the Texas Brahmas by a score of 5-3. In what was a dominant and decisive win for New Mexico tonight, it was Texas who got off to the hot start. Peyton Deperno scored first for the Brahmas, putting home the shorthanded goal off the assist from Joshua Reaska. Xavier Othon followed it up for the Brahmas to put them up 2-0, with an assist from Shayne Hesse, to grab control early in this one. In the second, New Mexico struck back with a shorthanded score from Tanner Ross to close the gap to one. Later in the period, Alex Ihling would find the equalizer for New Mexico to make it 2-2, off the assist from Hunzeker Piersimoni and Christopher Mason. Early in the third, Alex Ihling would find his second of the game to put New Mexico in front, off the passes from Piersimoni and Davis Flint. Piersimoni would extend the lead later in the period with a score of his own, making it a 4-2 lead halfway through the period, the assists from Ross and Jackson Antonelli. The Brahmas would strike back to close the gap back to one off the goal from Kayden Jones, Aidan Liebold and Caden Michael with the assists on the score. Yet, Jacob Wenner would find the back of the net on the empty net goal to put the finishing touches on this one, securing the win for New Mexico. In net, Texas’s Luke Romney stopped 25 shots in the loss, putting up a valiant effort against Nathan McFall and his 19-save victory for New Mexico to steal the road win. For New Mexico, they split the series this weekend and grabbed a much-needed 14th win on the year. In Texas, they lost just their third game of the year, looking to bounce back next weekend.

Mason City 5 @ Willmar 4 (OT) - The Mason City Toros battled past the Willmar WarHawks in a back-and-forth thriller Saturday night, earning a 6–5 overtime victory on the road. Though Mason City came out on top, it was Willmar who struck first in what quickly became an offensive showcase. Willmar opened the scoring when Jason Williams buried his ninth of the season, finishing a setup from Austin Gibson and Blaze Bauer to put the WarHawks ahead 1–0. Mason City answered moments later, as Elliot Domagala tied the game with his fifth of the year off feeds from Aidan Callaghan and Mason Wanka. But the Toros regained the lead before the end of the frame on a power-play strike from Stone Resch, who hammered home his ninth, assisted by Kellen Kantaris and Weston Bohlman, giving Mason City a 2–1 advantage after one. In the second, Willmar pushed back. Carson Wendorff found the equalizer midway through the period, converting his eighth of the season off passes from Aidan Callaghan and Mikko Brown. Mason City had an answer, though, as Carter Bollinger netted his first of the campaign to restore the Toros’ lead. Willmar refused to let the game tilt too far, with Toby Holtz tying it once again, his second of the year, off assists from Mason Wanka and Gabe Adams. But the period’s final punch belonged to Mason City, with Blaze Bauer finishing a beautifully connected play from Weston Bohlman and Kellen Kantaris to make it 4–3 Toros heading into the third. Early in the final frame, the WarHawks evened things once more on the power play. Logan Woods fired home his seventh, assisted by Aidan Callaghan and Mason Wanka, knotting the game at 4–4. The tug-of-war continued as both sides traded chances, but Willmar seized a late opportunity and moved in front on Woods’ second of the period—this time on another strong setup from Callaghan and Wanka, giving the WarHawks a 5–4 lead. But Mason City wasn’t done. The Toros rallied late in regulation to force overtime, and once there, they wasted no time securing the win. Just 57 seconds into the extra frame, Carter Bollinger delivered his second of the night, tapping in the overtime winner off Blaze Bauer and Luke Gustafson, sealing a dramatic 6–5 victory for Mason City. With the win, the Toros capped off a gritty comeback effort, while Willmar walked away with a hard-earned point after a night packed with offense on both sides.

Tulsa 3 @ Austin 10 - The Austin Ice Bats delivered one of their most explosive outings of the season Saturday night, rolling to a dominant 10–3 win over the Tulsa Oilers. Austin controlled the pace from the start and used a massive third period to put the game out of reach. Austin opened the night with an early strike from Ashton Morin, who buried his first of the season off a setup from Ethan Salter to make it 1–0. Tulsa responded shortly after on the power play, with Charles Scott converting on a feed from Kai Hitz and Luke Yahola to tie the game 1–1. The Ice Bats countered strongly, first with Sol Levy finding the back of the net off assists from Aiden DeLuna and Cole Carter, then extending the lead when Andrew Lee finished a play created by Owen Rattray and Liam Cardona, sending Austin into the first intermission ahead 3–1. In the second period, Austin continued applying pressure. Midway through the frame, Matthieu LeBlanc struck for his 15th of the season with help from Garrett Morris and Mason Manderfield, stretching the Ice Bats’ lead to 4–1. Tulsa did not score in the period, and the Oilers entered the third facing an uphill battle. The third period turned into an offensive avalanche for Austin. Early on, Jake Bamback buried his 29th of the year to widen the gap. Immediately after, Arys Perardi added another Ice Bats tally off Bamback and Ethan Salter, making it 6–1. Austin then strung together a devastating run of power-play goals. Mason Manderfield cashed in on the man advantage off passes from Liam Cardona and Aiden DeLuna, followed shortly by Perardi, who added his second of the period on another power-play strike assisted by Bamback. Moments later, Matthieu LeBlanc joined the surge with a second power-play goal of his own, set up by Garrett Morris and Liam Cardona, pushing the score to 10–1. Tulsa finally stopped the run later in the period when Luke Yahola snapped one home on a feed from Charles Scott to make it 10–2. The Oilers added one more late on the power play, with Andrew Arthur finishing a setup from John Scown and Montana Medina, cutting the deficit to 10–3. But Austin closed the night, capping their explosive performance and sealing a commanding 10–3 win. Austin’s offensive depth, special-teams dominance, and relentless pressure overwhelmed Tulsa from start to finish, producing a statement victory for the Ice Bats.

Wisconsin 1 @ West Bend 11 - The West Bend Power secured a powerful and decisive 11-1 victory over the Wisconsin Woodsmen on Saturday night. The Power outshot the Woodsmen 51-26 in a dominant performance. The Power wasted no time, scoring three goals in the opening period. Cole Craft found the net very early in the frame, assisted by Elias Holan and Hunter O'Neal. Later in the period, Danny Jurcich doubled the lead with a power play goal, assisted by Blake Kohnen and Quinn O'Connor. The Power completed their three-goal period very late in the frame when Armani Fisher scored, off the passes from Elijah Covey and Jace Fitzgerald, giving the Power a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission. The Power continued to press in the middle frame, adding a goal to extend their lead. Adam Sexton scored early in the period, assisted by Andrew Sparacino and Hunter O'Neal, making the score 4-0. The Power exploded for seven goals in the final frame, while the Woodsmen scored their lone tally. The scoring barrage started early in the period when Armani Fisher found his second of the night, assisted by Evan Burchardt and Jace Fitzgerald. This was quickly followed up by Jackson Hoem, who scored the sixth goal for West Bend, assisted by Andrew Sparacino and Quinn O'Connor. In the middle of the frame, Elijah Covey notched a goal, with the assists going to Jace Fitzgerald and Blake Kohnen. The scoring rush continued as Quinn O'Connor found the back of the net, off the assists from Owen Miller and Tristan Hearley. Just over 20 seconds later, O'Connor scored his second goal, assisted by Evan Burchardt and Jackson Hoem. Late in the period, the Power converted on the man-advantage with a power play goal from Tristan Hearley. He was assisted by Elijah Covey and Jackson Hoem to make it 10-0. The Woodsmen managed to score their only goal of the game late in the frame. Josh Kauppinen scored the goal, assisted by Maxim Lazo and Tyler Osborne. However, the Power had the final answer. Armani Fisher completed his hat trick with a goal very late in the period, assisted by Evan Burchardt and Wyatt Emmett, making the final score 11-1. Ben Knutson earned the victory in net for the Power, stopping 25 of the 26 shots he faced. For the Woodsmen, they dropped to a record of 8-15-2-1 on the year, while the Power improved to 20-2-1-1.

Minnesota M 6 @ Granite City 5 - The Minnesota Moose escaped with a narrow 6-5 victory Saturday night against the Granite City Lumberjacks in a back-and-forth affair. The scoring started early in the period with Jackson Engburg finding the net for the Lumberjacks, off the assists from Garrett Plaude and Micah Saxon. Granite City added on with a power-play goal from Teagan Dodge, who was assisted by Coltin Wassengeso and Michael Schmidt. The Moose struck back late in the frame when Carsen Gause scored, assisted by Will Burnevik and Brady Johnson. Minnesota found the equalizer later in the period, as Mitchell Gawel scored with the assists from Wyatt Hoepfl and Rory Kronick. The first period ended tied at 2-2. The Moose surged ahead early in the second period, with Jordan Giacomini scoring off the assists from Preston Gamer and George Ericson. The Lumberjacks quickly closed the gap, as Micah Saxon found the back of the net, assisted by Michael Schmidt. The back-and-forth continued in the middle of the frame, with Carsen Gause scoring his second of the game for the Moose, assisted by Brady Johnson and Will Burnevik. The Lumberjacks once again responded, as Prentiss Maier tied the game, assisted by Cayden Stasienko and Sam Paczan. The Moose reclaimed the lead late in the period with Will Burnevik scoring, assisted by Carsen Gause and Brady Johnson, to put the Moose up 5-4 heading into the third. The Lumberjacks tied the game once more early in the final frame when Carter Oothoudt scored, assisted by Emmett Reiter and Coltin Wassengeso. With the game tied 5-5 late in the period, Hunter Rappel scored the game-winner for the Moose, assisted by Wyatt Hoepfl and Mitchell Gawel, securing the narrow 6-5 road victory. The Moose improve their record to 19-5-0-0, while the Lumberjacks fall to 18-4-0-1.

West Texas 2 @ El Paso 3 (OT) - After a loss the previous night to the Rhinos, the West Texas Wranglers looked for revenge. The Wranglers started the scoring with a goal by Zachary Polkes, assisted by Cutter Daniel and William Andegren. The Wranglers took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. In the second, Mikhail Levaniuk answered back for the Rhinos, assisted by Nick Nunez and Huero Rivera. Six minutes later, the Rhinos took the lead 2-1, on a power-play goal by Britton Oldham, assisted by Donovan Bradford and Maxwell Wright. In the third, William Andegren scored the equalizer shorthanded halfway through the period to tie it up at two. 60 minutes wouldn’t be enough as these teams went to overtime. With 1:48 left in overtime, Carter Lehmann proved to be the hero, scoring the game-winning goal, assisted by Aldiyar Irik and Akira Shimamoto. Despite being credited with a loss, Wranglers netminder, Garret Lant, saved 49 of 52 shots he faced for a 0.942 save percentage. The Rhinos take the win and sweep the weekend.

Gillette 6 @ Yellowstone 2 - The Gillette Wild look for the sweep against the Quake, while the Quake look to split the weekend. The Wild struck first on a goal by Dylan Herold, assisted by Donovan Balek. The Wild would strike again with 26 seconds left in the first on a goal by Joshua Sauro, assisted by CJ Lang. In the second, the Quake would answer back on an unassisted goal by Jacob Weber. However, the Wild would add three more goals in the final seven minutes of the middle frame for a 5-1 lead. In the third, the Quake would cut into the deficit with Shayne Smith finding the net halfway through the period, 5-2. The Wild would secure the win on a goal by Caleb Johannes, assisted by Michael McKernan and Andrew Knox. The Wild take this one 6-2 and sweep the Quake.

Butte 1 @ Helena 8 - The Helena Bighorns hosted the Butte Irish in a high-scoring game Saturday night. The Bighorns dominated in the first period, scoring six goals by Cal Kellenberg (twice), Caden Feinstein, Braden Davis, Mason Blair, and Fischer Nicolet. In the second, the scoring slowed down, but the Bighorns added two more tallies with Austin Eucker finding the back of the net and Davis picking up his second of the night, 8-0. The Irish would crush any dreams of a Bighorns shutout with three minutes left in regulation, Easton Langemo scoring the lone goal for the Irish. The Bighorns take this one 8-1.

Badlands 1 @ Sheridan 4 - The Sabres looked for revenge against the Hawks after a 7-3 loss on Friday night. The first period was a quiet one with no scoring occurring. In the second, the Hawks broke through two minutes in on a goal by Jeff Slivon, assisted by Deagan Watson and Jameson Clark. Four minutes later, Elijah White scored another goal, assisted by Dante Hunziker, for a 2-0 lead midway through the second. The Hawks would tally another by Max Krueger, assisted by Caden Gleason and Charles Stow, for a 3-0 lead into the third. In the third, the Sabres would answer back with their lone goal of the night with 58 seconds left in the game, scored by Matthew Cordis, assisted by Carter Kilen and Kyyan Jahner. Hunziker would seal the win for the Hawks with an empty-netter with 25 seconds left in the game. The Hawks take this one 4-1.