WSHL WRAP-UP; November 9-12, 2017

IDAHO ICECATS @ SEATTLE TOTEMS

IceCats goaltenders perfect, shut out Totems three times

11.09.17 – Idaho 12, Seattle 0

11.10.17 – Idaho 9, Seattle 0

11.11.17 – Idaho 7, Seattle 0

The Idaho IceCats kept their undefeated record intact with a three-game sweep of the Seattle Totems and returned to their familiar spot atop the Northwest Division standings in the process.

Idaho jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first period Friday and cruised to a 12-0 win.

Lance Herning, Dustin Truex and Andreas Otto all scored twice for the IceCats and Jacob Hough stopped 19 shots to notch the shutout.

Matthew Kindred and Russell Harren each scored twice and Tyler Matthews made 39 saves in a 9-0 Idaho win on Friday.

The IceCats out-shot the Totems, 22-5, in the first period.  Seattle held their own on the shot clock over the final two periods, but couldn’t get the puck past Matthews.

Naoki Onondera made 45 saves for the Totems.

Idaho went back to Hough for Sunday’s game and he kicked out 17 shots to post another shutout.  Jacon Hedencrona scored three times for the IceCats and Quinn Martin added a pair.

Seattle actually out-shot Idaho, 11-10, in the first period but Martin’s first of the night was the only goal of the opening period.

Herning collected three assists for the IceCats as they scored three times in the second period and three more in the third for a 7-0 final.

BELLINGHAM BLAZERS @ FRESNO MONSTERS

Monsters sweep inter-division series against Bellingham

11.09.17 – Fresno 10, Bellingham 2

11.10.17 – Fresno 6, Bellingham 4

11.11.17 – Fresno 8, Bellingham 4

In a series that was much closer than the final results indicate, the Fresno Monsters picked up six big points in the Western Division race by sweeping the Bellingham Blazers of the Northwest Division.

Jacob Rudloff (3-3-6) and Cody Key (3-2-5) both notched hat tricks in a 10-2 Fresno win on Thursday.  Daylon Mannon (1-3-4) also had a big night, but he final score was somewhat deceiving.  Brady Miller scored both goals for the Blazers, who tested Monsters goaltender Adam Barvik regularly, firing 39 shots.  Barvik made 37 saves – 17 in the second period.

Jake Holden made 39 saves for Bellingham.

The Blazers played even with the Monsters for two periods on Friday.  Bellingham’s Spencer Vockel scored the only goal of the first period and the game went into the third period tied, 2-2, but Fresno scored three times in a span of 38 seconds to put the Blazers on their heels.  The Monsters won, 6-4.

At the 2:31 mark of the third period, Jake Chartier, collected a puck in the circle to the right of Bellingham goaltender Edward Coffey with three defenders surrounding him, but he spun and centered the puck to Ivan Vilcauskas who’s initial attempt was denied by Coffey.  Vilcauskas converted the rebound with his backhand to give the Monsters a 3-2 lead.

Fresno’s potent Key-Mannon-Rudloff line added to the lead just 14 seconds later.  Cody Key passed the puck from the right corner to Mannon between the circles and he immediately found Jacob Rudloff to the left of Coffey.  Rudloff moved to the front of the net and used his reach to tuck it around Coffey with his forehand to give the Monsters a two-goal lead.  Rudloff also collected a pair of assists in the game.

Just after the next faceoff, Logan Domagala teed it up for Cory Hurtubise at the blue line and he ripped a one-timer that ticked Mannon’s blade on the way through for a 5-2 Fresno lead.  Mannon finished the game with two goals and two assists.

Coffey made 31 saves for the Blazers, stopping 18 of 19 shots in the second period and Max Karlenzig made 16 saves for the Monsters.

Fresno completed the sweep with an 8-4 win on Saturday. 

The first 11:08 of the game went by quietly, but three different Fresno players scored in a span of just 23 seconds to put the Monsters in the driver’s seat.

Rudloff, Key and Cody Printzen scored as Bellingham gave up three goals in rapid succession for the second straight game.

Mannon (2-4-6) scored two goals midway through the second period as the Monsters built a 7-2 lead.  Key (1-5-6) matched his six-point effort and Barvik made 28 saves.

Kolter Pawlick went the distance for the Blazers, making 41 saves, and Thomas Seven scored twice for Bellingham.

VALENCIA FLYERS @ LONG BEACH BOMBERS

Bombers repay Flyers for handing them their first loss

11.09.17 – Long Beach 7, Valencia 1

The Long Beach Bombers paid back the Flyers for handing them their first loss of the season last weekend in Valencia, beating them 7-1 in Long Beach on Thursday night.

The Flyers came out strong, and fired 19 shots on veteran Long Beach goaltender Domenic Bosetti in the first period.  Bosetti stopped all 19 as the Bombers weathered the storm early, then out-shot the Flyers, 31-17, for the rest of the game.

Seven different players scored for the Bombers, including Artem Korolev, who scored just 22 seconds after the opening faceoff, and Parker Moskal, who collected three assists in the game.

Valencia’s Spencer Kozlowski made 36 saves in the game – one more than Bosetti.

Nikita Pintusov scored the Valencia goal early in the third period, but Moskal responded less than three minutes later to give the Bombers a four-goal lead and pretty much put the game away.

VALENCIA FLYERS @ ONTARIO AVALANCHE

Flyers get back on track with narrow win over Avs

11.10.17 – Valencia 4, Ontario 3

The Ontario Avalanche continued to show they can play with the top teams in the Western Division, making a late push but falling a goal short to the Valencia Flyers, 4-3.

Valencia out-shot Ontario, 13-5, in a scoreless first period and Dawson Key scored twice in the second period as the Flyers built a 3-1 lead. 

Ontario’s Reid Bosse scored 2:31 into the third to get the Ontario within a goal and most of the third period went by with the Flyers and goaltender Spencer Kozlowski (20 saves) protecting a one-goal lead. 

Corbin Genge gave Valencia some breathing room, scoring with 3:27 left in the game to give them a two-goal advantage.  It turned out to be the winning goal after Ontario’s William Ma put one past Kozlaowski with 1:16 left on the clock.

With Valencia on a power play, Jakob Kranabetter passed the puck from deep in the right wing corner all the way across the Ontario zone to Jason Hickman who put it back across to Genge at the left post and he banged it home for the much-need insurance goal.

Filip Subrt made 22 saves for the Avalanche.

LONG BEACH BOMBERS @ ONTARIO AVALANCHE

Ontario knocks off division-leading Long Beach

11.11.17 – Ontario 7, Long Beach 4

The Ontario Avalanche handed Long Beach their second loss of the season, scoring four times in the first period and withstanding a third-period rally by the Bombers for a 7-4 win.

Jesse Zacharichuk scored twice in the first period as the Avalanche jumped out to a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes.  He broke the ice 4:27 into the game and added a second with 2:22 left in the frame.  Miroslav Rohlik assisted on both of Urbanec’s goals.

The Bombers out-shot the Avs, 16-6, in the second period but only managed to get one puck past Ontario netminder Connor Duffy.  Tomas Urbanec, who also scored the first Long Beach goal, dented the twine again at 15:28 of the period and it was 4-2 Ontario after two periods.

Artem Korolev scored nine minutes into the third period to get the Bombers within a goal, but Coleman Anderson responded for the Avalanche just 50 seconds later, restoring Ontario’s two-goal advantage.

Everybody knew the next goal would be huge, and it was Zacharichuk coming through with it, completing a hat trick and making it 6-3 Avs with 7:05 to go.

Korolev scored another as the Bombers continued to press, but the Avs added an empty-netter for a 7-4 final.

Duffy made 45 saves for Ontario, stopping 19 of 20 shots in the first period as the Avalanche built their lead.

Domenic Bosetti made 25 saves for Long Beach.

EL PASO RHINOS @ SPRINGFIELD EXPRESS

Rhinos remain unbeaten, look strong in road sweep of Express

11.10.17 – El Paso 11, Springfield 1

11.11.17 – El Paso 5, Springfield 2

11.12.17 – El Paso 1, Springfield 0

The scores got progressively closer as the weekend wore on, but the El Paso Rhinos went into Springfield and took three games from the Express to remain undefeated and in first place in the Mid-Western Division.

El Paso blew open Friday’s game with seven goals in the second period and went on to win, 11-1.  Tim Heffner and Austin Simpson both recorded hat tricks and Chaseton Sare dished out four assists. 

A second period goal by Springfield’s Vegard Faret cost Filip Krasanovsky a shutout, but the Rhinos goaltender stopped 17 of 18 shots in the game.  Kristof Dobos made 35 saves for the Express.

Friday’s game was much more competitive.  The Rhinos brought a 2-0 lead into the third period, but Stephane Doering caught El Paso in an ill-timed line change, picking up the puck in the neutral zone and charging down the left wing, driving wide around a defenseman, and cutting to the front of the net where he beat Krasanovsky with his backhand to get the Express within a goal.

But El Paso responded with three goals in a span of 5:57 to take control of the game.  They won by a final score of 5-2.

Simpson, Sare and Colby Haugen were the goal-scorers for the Rhinos, beating Dobos, who made 35 saves in the game and stopped all 17 shots he faced in the second period to keep Springfield within striking distance.

Justin-Cole Dubecky scored the only goal of Sunday’s game at the 15:21 mark of the first period.  With the Rhinos on the power play, the puck went back to Sare at the point and he fired it on net.  As Leeam Tivers crashed the net and kept the Express defenseman occupied, Dubecky snuck in from the point and poked the rebound in with his backhand.

The two teams went back and forth trading chances throughout a wide-open second period.  El Paso out-shot Springfield, 15-14, in that period, but neither team was able to score.

The Rhinos protected the 1-0 lead all through the third period as well, out-shooting Springfield, 13-11.

Krasanovsky made 25 of his 29 saves over the final two periods to post the shutout.  Springfield’s Chad Purdy was the tough-luck loser, stopping 40 of 41 shots.

WEST SOUND WARRIORS @ TAHOE ICEMEN

Warriors bring three points back from weekend in Tahoe

11.10.17 – Tahoe 8, West Sound 2

11.11.17 – West Sound 5, Tahoe 4 (OT)

11.12.17 – West Sound 4, Tahoe 3

The Tahoe Icemen have established themselves as a new contender in the Northwest Division, but the West Sound Warriors, with just one regulation loss in their last five games, look like they might be ready to make some noise as well.

Tahoe never trailed in Friday’s series opener, taking a 3-0 lead in the first period and going on to win, 8-2.  The Warriors out-shot the Icemen in every period, but Tahoe’s Wade Conlan was on his game, making 50 saves, including 19 on 20 shots in the third period.  Erik Safstram and Harri Kroll were the only Bellingham skaters able to beat him.

Phil Heisse scored a hat trick and added an assist for the Icemen.

Saturday’s game was an entertaining, back-and-forth, affair that went to overtime.  Connor Wherrett scored just 19 seconds into the third period to break a 3-3 tie, but the fun was just starting.

Tahoe’s Tanner Turcott tied it back up, and neither team was able to score in the final 12:14 to win it in regulation, and the game went to sudden-death.

Kroll scored 1:10 into OT to win it for West Sound, entering the Tahoe zone along the right wing, cutting to the middle, and letting a wrist shot go through traffic.

Brian Eisele made 38 saves to record a big win for the Warriors, besting Tahoe’s Thomas Spero, who made 46 saves.

West Sound continued to play better as the weekend progressed, and scored three unanswered goals in the third period to win Sunday’s series finale, 4-3.

It was 3-1 Tahoe going into the final period, but Safstram scored two goals 1:56 apart midway through the period to tie the game.  Mattias Wikstrom assisted on both of Safstram’s big goals.

Kroll came up with another clutch goal with 3:08 left in regulation to give West Sound the 4-3 lead and that held up as the final. 

Robbie Brennan, in just his second appearance in the Warriors’ crease since coming over from Cheyenne, stopped all nine shots he faced in the third period to end the game with 32 saves for West Sound.

Maximilian Haselbacher made 34 saves for the Icemen.

UTAH OUTLIERS @ SOUTHERN OREGON SPARTANS

Outliers clamp down on Spartans, post road sweep

11.10.17 – Utah 4, Southern Oregon 0

11.11.17 – Utah 4, Southern Oregon 0

11.12.17 – Utah 9, Southern Oregon 2

The Utah Outliers played sound defensive road hockey all weekend, allowing just two goals in the third and final game of their sweep of the Southern Oregon Spartans in Medford.

Zach Hoffman figured in all four Utah goals and Dawson Rodin stopped all 17 shots he faced in a 4-0 Outliers win on Friday.

Hoffman scored two goals and assisted on the other two – by Holden McCullough and Gianni Vitali.

Utah out-shot Southern Oregon, 13-4, in a first period that went by without any scoring.

Austin Toussaint finished the game with 36 saves for the Spartans.

The Outliers won by an identical 4-0 score on Saturday with Otto Saxin posting the shutout.  Utah scored three times in the first period and then shut things down in front of Saxin (19 saves) the rest of the way. 

Four different Utah skaters scored in the game, including Kaeden Meuer, who also had an assist.

Krystof Holub made 38 saves for Southern Oregon.

Sunday’s game was close until the Outliers broke the game open with three goals in a span of 1:44 in the third period.  They went on to win, 9-2.

Eight different Utah skaters lit the lamp, including Vitali, who scored twice, and assisted on Dylan Massie’s game-winning goal.

Trenton Wendt stopped 19 of 21 shots in his second appearance between the pipes for Utah this season.  Joel Holmberg beat him twice in the second period for the only two Spartans goals of the weekend.

OKLAHOMA CITY BLAZERS @ CHEYENNE STAMPEDE

Blazers roll to three road wins in Cheyenne

11.10.17 – Oklahoma City 10, Cheyenne 1

11.11.17 – Oklahoma City 15, Cheyenne 0

11.12.17 – Oklahoma City 12, Cheyenne 0

The Oklahoma City Blazers posted a three-game road sweep of the Stampede in Cheyenne to stay six points back of El Paso with three games in hand on the Rhinos.  Neither team has lost yet this season.

The Blazers scored five times in the third period to pull away for a 10-1 win on Friday.  Justin Arnold and Connor Dunn each had two goals and an assist for OKC and Patrick Weins stopped 13 of 14 shots.  Cody Wardner had a goal and three assists.

George Leech scored the Cheyenne goal and Devin Bain made 56 saves for the Stampede.

Oklahoma City posted a 15-0 win on Friday with Arnold (2-2-4), Drake Johnson (2-2-4), Ivan Bondarenko (2-1-3) and Vitalii Mikhailov (2-0-2) leading an extremely balanced Blazers attack.  12 different OKC skaters had multiple points in the game, but none had more than four points.

Weins was between the pipes for the Blazers again, posting the shutout.

Sundays game was close for the first two periods.  The Blazers scored twice in the first period and only managed one in the second for a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes.  But OKC erupted for nine goals in the third period to account for a 12-0 final score.

Mikhailov and Patrick Tondl scored hat trick for OKC and Weins stopped all 14 shots he faced.

Connor Dunn and Victor Ekk each had a goal and three assists while Dionne Demke dished out four helpers.

Daniel Miller stopped 51 of 54 shots through the first two periods in his Stampede debut.

PHOENIX KNIGHTS @ SAN DIEGO SABERS

Knights, Sabers renew rivalry, play competitive Western Division series

11.10.17 – Phoenix 4, San Diego 3

11.11.17 – Phoenix 3, San Diego 1

11.12.17 – Phoenix 5, San Diego 4 (OT)

The Phoenix Knights and San Diego Sabers finished off a stretch of six games against each other with one of the closest, most competitive, series of the weekend.  The Knights now have six wins on the season – with all of them coming over the last two weekends against San Diego – but all three games were close and the Sabers gained a point with Sunday’s game getting to overtime.

San Diego was protecting a 3-1 lead late in the third period Friday, but the Knights scored three times in the final 2:12 to snatch a 4-3 victory from the jaws of defeat.

Anthony Masanotti lugged the puck through the neutral zone and down the left wing, took the puck into a crowd in the corner, then poked the puck to Michael Caravella behind the net.  Caravella returned it to Masanotti with a touch pass as he moved to the front of the net and he tucked it past San Diego goaltender Zach Hale to get the Knights within a goal.

Phoenix scored again to tie the score just 20 seconds later.  The Sabers had just called timeout to collect themselves and the faceoff was in the San Diego zone. 

Caravella won the draw back to Chase Gillaspie at the point and his slap shot missed the net, but bounced off the end boards and out the other side where Andrius Bermejo knocked it in to tie the game, 3-3, with 1:52 left.

Masanotti had a chance to end it in regulation when a San Diego shot was blocked just inside the blue line and resulted in a breakaway, but Hale stoned Masanotti with 37 seconds left, keeping the game tied.

Off the subsequent faceoff, Kole Hedquist fanned on a shot from between the circles, but the puck dribbled to Joseph Platt who was able to sweep it on net with his forehand, beating Hale low along the ice and giving the Knights a 4-3 win in regulation.

Hale finished the game with 39 saves, stopping 22 of 23 shots through the first two periods, and making 17 more in the third period.  Rhett Bruckner (24 saves) picked up the win for Phoenix.

Caravella had a goal and two assists for the Knights and Hayden Dance scored twice for San Diego.

Saturday’s game was tied, 1-1, midway through the second period as Bruckner and San Diego’s Benjamin Greenlee matched each other in a tight-checking game.

Masanotti and Justin Gusso scored to give the Knights a 3-1 lead after two periods. 

With the Sabers on the power play midway through the period, a blocked shot kicked out into the neutral zone and Masanotti took the puck from the last man back.  He streaked in alone on Greenlee, went forehand-backhand, and tucked the puck between his pads for what would prove to be the winning goal.

With just over three minutes left in the period, Jeffrey Solomon skated the puck up ice and into the San Diego zone down the right wing.  He centered the puck to Ashton Richardt who was tied up by a Sabers defender, but the puck made it through to Gusso, who roofed a backhander past Greenlee to give the Knights a two-goal lead.

The Sabers out-shot Phoenix, 9-6, in the third period but Bruckner and the Knights protected their two-goal lead through a scoreless third period.

Bruckner continued his strong play, turning aside 28 of 29 shots, and Greenlee finished with 26 saves for San Diego.

San Diego had a four-goal lead on Sunday, but the Knights came back yet again.  They tied it late in regulation, then won it in overtime on a goal by Masanotti.

Brad Larson, Hayden Dance and Cole Parker scored in the first period as the Sabers jumped out to a 3-0 lead with Hale stopping all 12 shots he faced in the period.  Larson gave the Sabers a 4-0 lead before Hale allowed Platt to put Phoenix on the board with 3:24 left in the second period.

Gusso scored 1:27 into the third period to give the Knights some spark.  Then, with 13:14 left in the period, and the Knights on the power play, Nolan Twerdoclib handled the puck behind the San Diego net, then set it up for Christian Reh as he pinched in from the right point.  Reh one-timed it home to get the Knights within a goal and Phoenix was fired up.

The Sabers took another penalty to put Phoenix right back on the man advantage and Masanotti tied it up with a power play goal just 1:01 later.  A shot from the point was stopped, but the rebound sat in a crowd in front of the net.  Masanotti found it in the scramble and shoveled it home.

Masanotti then won it 3:15 into sudden-death.  He collected a stretch pass from deep in the Phoenix end, moved past two San Diego defenders as he cut across the middle of the ice just inside the San Diego blue line, then swept down to the left circle where he beat Hale with a low wrister.

Hale stopped 23 of 24 shots through the first two periods and Bruckner was between the pipes again for Phoenix, making 14 saves in the game.

COLORADO JR. EAGLES @ SUPERIOR ROUGHRIDERS

Colorado wins in Superior, grabs share of division lead

11.11.17 – Colorado 4, Superior 2

The Colorado Jr. Eagles and Superior Roughriders met in Superior for the lone game of the weekend for both clubs.  The Jr. Eagles moved into a tie with the Ogden Mustangs for the Mountain Division lead by posting a 4-2 win.

Colorado led, 2-0, at the first intermission thanks to goals by Sean McMahon and Cory Richardson.  Thore Weyrauch put Superior on the board just 18 seconds into the second period and that gave the RoughRiders some jump.

David Mitchell re-stored Colorado’s two-goal lead, but Avery Albert answered to get the ‘Riders within a goal again.

Vincent Mastrandrea gave the Jr. Eagles some breathing room 3:28 into the third period and Colorado held the fort the rest of the way thanks to Braden Lajoie.  The veteran netminder handled all 10 shots he faced in the third period to finish the game with 20 saves.

Marshal Murphy made 31 saves for Superior, stopping 15 of 16 shots in the second period to keep the RoughRiders in the game.

--- compiled by Scott Harrington/Harrington Sports Media