Day Two Recap: FALL League Finals

Day two of the FALL League Finals is in the books from Blaine. Competitive matchups, standout performances, and key wins set the stage as teams continue their chase for a title. Click here for full results and highlights.

18U:

Austin Bruins

The Austin Bruins handed the previously undefeated Kenai River Brown Bears their first loss of the season, skating to a strong 4-2 victory. Austin opened the scoring in the first with Nathan Heilman burying his second goal in as many games, but the real action came in the second frame. The Bruins struck early to extend the lead, Kenai answered to make it 2-1, and Austin responded with two more, including a shorthanded tally, to take control heading into the third. The Brown Bears added one late, but it wasn’t enough as Austin’s depth led the way with scoring spread throughout the lineup and no player recording multiple points.

Chippewa Steel 

The Steel delivered a commanding performance on Saturday, shutting out the Oklahoma Warriors 3-0. All three goals came at even strength, with Samuel Troska leading the way by scoring the opening and insurance tallies. Special teams were rarely tested, only two penalties were called, and Chippewa’s defense stayed sharp, killing off both Warrior power-play chances. In net, Hayden Van Gilder was rock-solid, stopping all 28 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the season and improve to 5-2-0-1 on the year.

16U:

Oklahoma Warriors 

The Warriors and Wisconsin Windigo battled wire-to-wire, with overtime needed to decide a special-teams-driven matchup. Wisconsin struck first in the opening period as Evan Behn netted his first of the season shorthanded. Oklahoma flipped the script in the second, scoring twice, including a shorthanded tally of their own from Elijah Schwab, to enter the third with a 2-1 advantage. The Windigo pushed back late, tying the game at even strength with under 10 minutes to go and forcing OT. In the extra frame, a delay-of-game call against Wisconsin proved costly, and Roman Knight buried the power-play winner to lift the Warriors to victory.
 

Minot Minotauros

Minot pulled off the biggest upset of the day, edging the Minnesota Mallards in a thrilling 2–1 shootout victory. The Mudbugs opened the scoring in the first period as Brody Lee buried his second goal of the season midway through the frame. The Mallards answered in the second, capitalizing on the power play to even things up. After a scoreless third and an overtime period that solved nothing, the game headed to a shootout, where Trennan Ortner played hero, netting the lone goal. Henry Lockwood shined in net, stopping 22 shots in regulation and turning aside all four Mallards attempts in the shootout.