WESTERN DIVISION

#2 VALENCIA FLYERS @ #1 LONG BEACH BOMBERS

Best-of-three series/all games at The Rinks – Lakewood

 

GAME 1                Friday, March 31               Long Beach 2, Valencia 1 (2 OT)

GAME 2                Saturday, April 1               Long Beach 4, Valencia 1

 

Long Beach Bombers win series, 2 games to 0; advance to Thorne Cup as Western Division representative

Valencia Flyers advance to Thorne Cup as wildcard entry

 

The Long Beach Bombers, the top team in the WSHL regular season, claimed the Western Division playoff championship with a two-game sweep of Valencia, defeating the Flyers in the division final for the second consecutive season.

 

Filip Jengard scored at 2:06 of the second overtime to give the Bombers a 2-1 win in Game One.

 

Joakim Blombren was in net for the Flyers and almost stole the game, making 52 saves – including 16 in the first (20-minute) overtime period.

 

Domenic Bosetti stopped 30 of 31 shots for Long Beach.

 

The first period of Game Two went by without a goal, but the Bombers scored three times in the second period on their way to a series-clinching 4-1 win.

 

Long Beach scored first, but Valencia’s Bryan Gowin responded quickly, tying the game at 1-1 just 1:37 after Kiril Markevich broke the ice and put the Bombers in front.

 

Anders Romegard and Nils Holterberg gave Long Beach a two-goal lead with power play goals at 12:00 and 13:49.

 

Ludwig Rosen added an empty-net goal in the final minute and Bosetti stopped 27 of 28 shots on the night to backstop the Bombers to another win.

 

NORTHWEST DIVISION

#3 BUTTE COBRAS @ #1 IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS

Best-of-three series/all games at Manchester Ice and Events Center – McCall, ID

 

GAME 1                Friday, March 31               Idaho 2, Butte 0

GAME 2                Saturday, April 1               Idaho 6, Butte 3

 

Idaho Jr. Steelheads win series, 2 games to 0; advance to Thorne Cup as Northwest Division representative

Butte Cobras eliminated from WSHL post-season

 

The Idaho Jr. Steelheads advanced to the Thorne Cup Final for the seventh consecutive season by claiming their third straight Northwest Division playoff championship in a two-game sweep of the Butte Cobras.

 

Sergei Pysarenko stopped all 18 shots he faced as the Jr. Steelheads won Game One, 2-0, on Friday.

 

Oleg Losev, in the first period, and John Deroche, early in the third, were the only Idaho skaters to beat Butte goaltender Eric Ahlberg.  Ahlberg made 46 saves in the game – including all 17 shots sent his way in the second period.

 

Losev’s ice-breaker, which was also the game-winner, came on an Idaho power play at 15:04 of the opening period.  Pysarenko and Jonathan Davidsson picked up assists on the play.

 

Deroche’s tally came just over a minute into the third period during four-on-four play.

 

In Game Two Saturday, the Cobras scored the only goal of the first period – Artsiom Puntus at 14:37 – but Losev notched a hat trick to spark the Jr. Steelheads to a 6-3 win.

 

Ahlberg turned aside all 16 shots he faced in the opening period to keep Butte ahead at the first intermission, but Idaho lit the lamp three times in the second period to lead, 3-2, after 40 minutes.

 

Rei Kikuchi scored twice in the third period to put the game away for the Jr. Steelheads.

 

Ahlberg finished the game with 28 saves while Pysarenko made 22 stops – 10 of them in the third period as the Cobras battled to keep their season alive.

 

MOUNTAIN DIVISION

#2 COLORADO JR. EAGLES @ #1 OGDEN MUSTANGS

Best-of-three series/all games at The Ice Sheet – Ogden, UT

 

GAME 1                Friday, March 31               Colorado 3, Ogden 1

GAME 2                Saturday, April 1               Ogden 7, Colorado 2

GAME 3                Sunday, April 2                  Colorado 3, Ogden 2 (OT)

 

Colorado Jr. Eagles win series, 2 games to 1; advance to Thorne Cup as Mountain Division representative

Ogden Mustangs advance to Thorne Cup as host team

 

The Colorado Jr. Eagles came back from a 2-0 deficit to win Game Three in overtime and claim their second straight Mountain Division playoff championship over the Ogden Mustangs.  Last season the Jr. Eagles knocked out Ogden in another three-game series with two of them going to OT.

 

The Mustangs were already guaranteed a spot in the six-team Thorne Cup field as the host team, and certainly look like a worthy qualifier despite not winning the division playoff.

 

Matus Spodniak scored the lone goal of the first period, then set up Corey Iapalucci at 3:59 of the second period to make it 2-0 Ogden in Sunday’s Game Three.

 

Matt Jung and Hunter Cooley scored for Colorado to even the score, 2-2, at the second intermission – setting the stage for an intense finish.

 

Ogden out-shot Colorado, 10-4, in a scoreless third period and the game went to overtime.

 

The game was not decided until Cooley’s second goal of the game, 13:02 into sudden-death, assisted by Jung to give the Jr. Eagles the division championship.

 

Colorado head coach Steve Haddon went back to Austin Piquette after he replaced starter Braden Lajoie in Game Two and he made 41 saves on 43 shots – stopping all nine shots he faced in overtime.

 

Vladimir Cibulka, who was great all series, made 34 saves for the Mustangs.

 

In Game One on Friday, Colorado’s Adam Wammes opened the scoring 1:43 after the opening puck drop and Connor Melton doubled the Jr. Eagles’ lead 4:41 later.

 

Corey Iapalucci put the Mustangs on the board, getting Ogden back within a goal at the first intermission.

 

Carter Dahl’s goal at 13:49 of the second period restored Colorado’s two-goal lead and closed out the scoring for Game One.

 

Ogden out-shot Colorado, 10-4, during a scoreless third period.  Braden Lajoie stopped all 10 shots in the frame to finish the game with 33 saves.  Cibulka made 27 saves for the Mustangs – 15 of them in the second period.

 

Seven different Mustangs scored and Cibulka stopped 20 of 22 shots as Ogden forced a third game with a 7-2 win in Game Two Saturday.

 

Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by Cade Wagner and the game was tied, 2-2, early in the second period, but Ogden took the lead back on a goal by Henrik Axelsson, then added four unanswered goals in the third period to run away with it.

 

Lajoie made 32 saves before being lifted in the third period for Piquette who made six saves in mop-up duty.

 

MID-WESTERN DIVISION

#3 WICHITA JR. THUNDER @ #1 EL PASO RHINOS

Best-of-three series/all games at Sierra Providence Events Center

 

GAME 1                Friday, March 31               Wichita 5, El Paso 4 (OT)

GAME 2                Saturday, April 1               Wichita 4, El Paso 2

 

Wichita Jr. Thunder win series, 2 games to 0; advance to Thorne Cup as Mid-Western Division representative

El Paso Rhinos eliminated from WSHL post-season

 

The Wichita Jr. Thunder continued to roll and proved they are for real, defeating the Rhinos in El Paso for their first-ever division championship and booking a trip to Ogden for the Thorne Cup Final.

 

Jack McClelland’s goal 2:17 into sudden-death completed a Wichita comeback victory in Game One.  The Jr. Thunder came back from 3-1 and 4-3 deficits in the third period. 

 

Martin Trudman’s second goal of the game, with 25 seconds left in regulation, sent the game to overtime.

 

Alex Johanson gave El Paso a 3-1 lead at 6:52, but Wichita responded with a pair of goals 90 seconds apart, from Jesper Voss and Trudman.

 

Miroslav Olejnik and deadline acquisition Voss assisted on McClelland’s game-winner.

 

Jesse Vuorinen had a goal and two assists for El Paso.

 

Wichita’s Eik Spath made 27 saves.  Tymen Edlekoort made 21 stops for the Rhinos.

 

Spath made 11 of his 29 saves in the third period of Game Two with Wichita protecting a one-goal lead until Jack McClelland’s second goal of the game, with a minute left, put away a 4-2 win and the series for the Jr. Thunder.

 

McClelland also scored the first goal of the game, 5:06 into the first period, and assisted on a Trudman goal that gave Wichita a 2-0 lead after the first period.

 

Drake Cartwright and Artur Laukaitis got the Rhinos back even, but Simon Sefcik restored Wichita’s lead at 15:15 of the second period with what proved to be the winning goal.

 

Edelkoort made 32 saves in the game, including 17 in the second period as El Paso came back from a two-goal deficit before succumbing to the Jr. Thunder.

 

--- compiled by Harrington Sports Media