2026 Starts With a Bang on Friday Night

Photo Credits: Patrick Garriepy, Deb Lowther

Norwich Sea Captains 4 @ Maine Nordiques 3 - The Norwich Sea Captains controlled the flow of play and earned a 4–3 win over the Maine Nordiques behind a decisive shot advantage. Norwich jumped ahead midway through the first when Henry Pinkerman scored, but Maine answered later in the period to make it 1–1. The Nordiques took their only lead late in the second on Everett Horrocks’ goal, despite Norwich outshooting them 29–12 through two periods. The Sea Captains responded in the third with a power-play goal from Trenton Impens, then another at 4:18 to move ahead 3–2. Maine tied it again shortly after, but Jack Stephen scored the game-winner at the buzzer to seal the win. Norwich finished with a commanding 50–30 edge in shots, and Peter Alfano earned the victory with a full 60-minute performance in net.

Long Beach Sharks 2 @ New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings 5 - The New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings pulled away late to secure a 5–2 win over the Long Beach Sharks in a game that stayed tight through two periods before opening up in the third. A scoreless first period featured limited chances on both sides, with New Hampshire holding a slim 6–4 edge in shots. Long Beach struck first in the second on the power play at 3:25, when Spencer Nicoloff scored his sixth of the season on an unassisted effort to give the Sharks a 1–0 lead. New Hampshire responded with two goals later in the period to flip the game, taking a 2–1 advantage into intermission despite being outshot 10–5 in the frame. The Sharks tied it early in the third on another power play, as Nicoloff netted his second of the night and seventh of the season at 10:54, again unassisted, making it 2–2. From there, the Mountain Kings took control, scoring three times in the final stretch to pull away. Gabe Williams capped the win with an unassisted empty-net goal at 1:01, sealing the 5–2 result. New Hampshire goaltender Jacob Sorensen turned in a complete 60-minute performance in net to earn the win, while Long Beach’s Nicklas Walker played nearly the entire game before the late empty-net situation. In a closely contested shot battle, New Hampshire’s timely scoring proved to be the difference in a decisive home victory.

Atlanta Capitals 6 @ Pelham Prowlers 5 - The Atlanta Capitals rallied from an early deficit and earned a 6–5 shootout win over the Pelham Prowlers in a wild back-and-forth game. Pelham stormed out to a 4–2 lead in the first period, capitalizing on special teams and quick strikes, including a shorthanded goal from Matthew Hunter. Atlanta responded in the second, scoring three times in under nine minutes, with Jaylen Fluhr and Tristin Scheufelle leading the comeback to take a 5–5 tie after two periods. Despite Pelham holding a 46–40 edge in shots, neither team found the net in the third or overtime. The game was decided in the shootout, where Atlanta converted once to secure the extra point. Devin Diller backstopped the Capitals through 65 minutes, while Oscar Gribauval went the distance for the Prowlers in a hard-fought loss.

St. Louis 3 @ Rochester 4 - The Rochester Grizzlies clinched a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Jr. Blues at the Rochester Recreation Center. The opening goal came at 18:36 of the first period, with Ole Fevold lighting the lamp for Rochester, assisted by Mason Decker and Andrew Bastian. Just under 18 minutes later, at an exciting 00:01 of the first, Cooper Johnson netted a shorthanded goal to extend the Grizzlies' lead. The second period saw a flurry of activities. St. Louis struck back with Jaxson Karandjeff scoring at 02:10, assisted by Carter Duy. Ryan Hogan then tied the game at 06:12, thanks to assists from Lonnie Land and Mitchell Nappier. However, Rochester regained their lead with a power-play goal by Mason Decker at 17:11, assisted by Dominic Arndt and Felix Wadstromer. Jace Jordan leveled the score for St. Louis once more at 19:16 with a power-play goal, assisted by Teagan Lee and Eric Denny. The third period was a nail-biter until Konnor Goclan scored the game-winner at 10:54, assisted by Nik Secen. Rochester's goalie, Nick Kurtiak, had a notable performance, making 14 saves on 17 shots. St. Louis's Aaron Sibert stopped 25 of 29 shots. Despite the penalties and power-play opportunities, the Grizzlies managed to capitalize on one of their four power plays. This victory keeps Rochester's winning streak alive, delighting the 800 fans in attendance.

Mason City 5 @ Minnesota (W) 3 - In a thrilling showdown at the Hippodrome, the Mason City Toros emerged victorious over the Minnesota Wilderness with a final score of 5-3. The attendance might have been a cozy 186, but the action on the ice was nothing short of electrifying. The opening goal of the night came at 9:04 of the first period, courtesy of Wyatt Mineheine, assisted by Jace Kampsula and Kai Yurichuk, giving the Wilderness an early lead. The Toros, however, responded with an explosive second period. Kellen Kantaris kicked off the Toros' scoring spree at 8:06, and just under two minutes later, Luke Gustafson put them ahead. Dom Despenas continued the onslaught with a goal at 4:30, and Kantaris struck again at 2:56, showcasing his knack for finding the net. The Wilderness fought back valiantly, with Tommy Perkins scoring early in the second period at 1:34, assisted by Antony Eertmoed and Owen Huneke. In the third period, Job Carpenter capitalized on a power play at 9:14, narrowing the Toros' lead. However, Christian Plaga sealed the deal for the Toros with a goal at 00:02. Standout performances included Anton Widas, who was a fortress in the net for the Toros, making 51 saves from 54 shots. Jay Svaren, the Wilderness goalie, had a tough night, facing 46 shots and saving 41. Despite the loss, Tommy Perkins shone for the Wilderness, earning the second star of the game with a goal and a minor penalty for hooking at 16:17 of the third period. The Toros' disciplined play, alongside their offensive prowess, proved decisive as they extended their winning streak to two games.

Minnesota (M) 4 @ Willmar 5 (OT) - In a tight West Division showdown up in Willmar, the WarHawks edged out the Minnesota Moose in overtime with a final score of 5-4. The opening goal was netted by Minnesota's Luca Salak at 15:59 of the first period, capitalizing on a power play. Just moments later, Elliot Domagala retaliated with a shorthanded goal for Willmar at 15:27, assisted by Mason Wanka and Aidan Callaghan. The action-packed first period continued with Rory Kronick putting Minnesota ahead at 3:52. However, Willmar's Carson Wendorff responded swiftly at 5:04, assisted by Max Jackson and Mikko Brown, leveling the score again. Four minutes later, Domagala struck again, assisted by Mikko Brown and Aidan Callaghan, pushing Willmar into a brief lead. The seesaw battle saw Mark Denoyer of Minnesota equalize at 19:43 of the second period. In the third period, Willmar's Elliot Domagala completed his hat trick with a power-play goal at 12:55, but Minnesota's Carsen Gause kept the Moose in contention with a goal at 18:34. The game-winning goal came from Mason Wanka in overtime at 2:05, assisted by Timothy Vaculik and Mikko Brown, sealing the victory for the WarHawks. The standout performances included Domagala’s hat trick and the solid presence of goalie Jacob Brumm, who made 30 saves. Willmar outshot Minnesota 57-34 and capitalized on their power play opportunities, converting one out of three. This win marks a significant triumph for the WarHawks, showcasing their resilience and tactical prowess.

Wausau 3 @ West Bend 4 (OT) - The West Bend Power hosted the Wausau Cyclones in front of a packed crowd at Kettle Moraine Ice Center, where they picked up a thrilling 4-3 victory in overtime. The Power got an early lead in the contest with back-to-back goals by Armani Fisher and Blake Kohnen in the opening frame. The Cyclones responded in the second period with a power-play goal scored by Elijah von Gunten. Wausau carried this momentum into the final frame of the contest as Jack Maddock and von Gunten each notched a goal in. West Bend was not done yet; in the final minutes of the contest, Quinn O’Connor scored a power-play goal to send the game to overtime. Nathan Antti earned the victory for West Bend with his first goal of the season, assisted by Jace Fitzgerald and Andrew Sparacino. Tanner Bonjernoor had a productive night in net for Wausau with 35 saves, and Sam Ahl defended West Bend with 25 saves in net.

Alexandria 5 @ Granite City 4 (SO) - The Alexandria Blizzard defeated the Granite City Lumberjacks at Miller Buick GMC Rink in an exciting 5-4 shootout victory. Caleb Waller got the Blizzard on the board early in the contest with his goal scored from a pass by Grady Stallman. The Lumberjacks responded with a short-handed goal by Cayden Stasienko, and Thomas Foley notched another goal in for Alexandria to end the frame. After a scoreless second period, Granite City came back with three goals in the final frame: Eli Tiernan notched one in, and Ty Smith scored two. Alexandria tied the contest with goals from Reece Humber and Waller, and the clubs settled the score in shootout. Humber scored his second goal of the evening to earn the shootout victory for the Blizzard. Jayden Serene defended Alexandria in net with 29 saves, and Nathan Mach earned 26 saves for Granite City.

Tulsa 1 @ El Paso 12 - Last night the El Paso Rhinos hosted the Tulsa Oilers at El Paso County Event Center, where they earned a decisive 12-1 victory. The Rhinos quickly got the scoring started in the first two minutes of the match as Mikhail Levaniuk found the back of the net. Carter Tuplin and Parker Brinner quickly followed suit and notched in a goal each to extend El Paso’s lead, and Drew Reiger and Maxwell Wright ended the frame with two unassisted goals to bring the Rhinos up 5-0. Brinner came back in the second period with another goal at 14:21, and Carter Lehmann tallied in a short-handed goal to end the frame. The Oilers got on the board in the final frame of the contest, with Alexander Elsner finding the back of the net on an unassisted shot. The Rhinos responded with not one, but five more goals to end the contest, bringing the club to a demanding 11 point lead. 

Gillette 4 @ Badlands 3 - The Gillette Wild went on the road to take on the Badlands Sabres. Within the first 30 seconds of the game the Wild already had the lead with a goal from Riley Schmidt, Dylan Peterson and Michael McKernan getting the assist. Just 4 minutes later the Wild would extend their lead with a goal from Donovan Balek, Dylan Herold and Michael McKernan picking up his second assist. In the second period, Dylan Peterson would score on a power play goal for the Wild, Michael McKernan getting his third assist of the game, Riley Schmidt picking up an assist. The Sabres would finally get on the board with a goal from Oliver Giles, Rhylan Olson with the assist. The Sabres would then bring the game within 1 score with a goal from Gaven Marx, Kyyan Jahner and Cole Schneider getting the assist. The Wild would then answer back with a short handed goal from Donovan Balek, his second goal of the game, Dylan Herold and Matthew Bennett with the assist. The Sabres would then bring it back within 1 point with a goal from Sawyer Vann, Wyatt Pink and Matthew Cordis picking up the assist. The rest of the game, the Wild’s defense would hold strong to pick up the win over the Sabres 4-3.

Yellowstone 1 @ Helena 13 - The Yellowstone Quake went on the road to take on the Helena Bighorns. In the opening period the Bighorns would take an early lead with a goal from Lincoln Kearney, being assisted by Kade Pareja and Branson Appelman. The Bighorns would later score again with a goal from Ty Schell, Maddux Hale and Camerson Kimmerly with the assists. Just 30 seconds later Jeffrey Hershberger would knock one in for the Bighorns, Mason Blair picking up the assist. Less than 10 seconds later the Bighorns would extend their lead to 4 before the end of the opening period, Chase Berg scoring with an assist from Austin Uecker and Joe Viox. In the second period the Quake would finally get on the board with a goal from Nicholas Carver, London Jett with the assist. The Bighorns would then answer back with a short handed goal from Maddux Hale, Austin Uecker and Chase Berg picking up the assist. Braden Davis would then put the puck in the back of the net for the Bighorns, Kade Pareja and Joe Viox with the assist. Ty Schell would then score again before the end of the second period to give the Bighorns a 7-1 lead, Cal Kellenberg and Maddux Hale with the assist. To start the final period, Braden Davis would get his second goal of the game, Blake Chapman with the assist. Caden Feinstein would then score for the Bighorns, Kade Pareja with another assist. Cal Kellenberg would then get a goal of his own, Cameron Kimmerly and Casey Barriteau getting the assist. Camerson Kimmerly would score on a power play goal, assisted by Maddux Hale and Cal Kellenberg. Braden Davis would then finish his hat trick with a goal and being assisted by Kade Pareja and Lincoln Kearney. To finally finish the game Austin Uecker would score on an unassisted goal. The Bighorns get a huge win 13-1 over the Quake.

Sheridan 7 @ Bozeman 2 - The Sheridan Hawks went on the road to take on the Bozeman Icedogs. To start the game the Hawks would score on a power play with a goal from Vincent Leaf, Dante Hunziker and Elijah White with the assists. Vincent Leaf would score another goal before the end of the first period, Lucas Paliwodzinski and Dante Hunziker with another assist. In the second period the Icedogs would get on the board with a goal from Baron Masopust, Devin Bruns and Avery Martin with the assists. Vincent Leaf would then finish his hat trick with

another power play goal for the Hawks, Elijah White and Jameson Clark with the assist. Jameson Clark would then get a goal of his own on a power play, Elijah White with his third assist of the game. Before the end of the second period Max Krueger would score for the Hawks, Dante Hunziker with his third assist of the game, Deagan Watson picking up an assist. In the final period the Icedogs would finally answer back with a goal from Devin Bruns, Barrett Becker and Lex Steckelberg with the assist. Dante Hunziker would then get a goal of his own for the Hawks, Max Krueger and Elijah White with the assist. Vincent Leaf would then score again on a power play goal, his fourth goal of the game, Deagan Watson and Jameson Clark each with another assist. The Hawks picked up the win on the road over the Icedogs 7-2.