Fall Finals Day 1: Overtime Thrillers!

18U:

Minnesota Mallards 1 @ Odessa Jackalopes 3 - The Odessa Jackalopes bested the Minnesota Mallards on the opening day of the FALL Finals. Eli Matilla kicked off the scoring for the Jackalopes when he found the back of the net early in the first. Brody Meister of the Mallards tied the score in the second period. The game winner came shortly after Logan Corrigan of Odessa. Mason Strutt sealed the win for Odessa when he scored with less than a minute remaining.

Minot Minatauros 2 @ Amarillo Wranglers 1 - The Minot Minotauros ended the day 1 of the Fall Finals with two back-to-back victories. They faced a back and forth battle against the Amarillo Wranglers. The first period went scoreless. Minot opened the scoring when Owen Ostbye netted a goal in the second period. Amarillo answered on a power play when Cole Pettengill found the back of the net. Brayden Levy would score the game winner in the third period, securing the close win for Minot.

16U:

Oklahoma Warriors 3 @ Kenai River Brown Bears 2 (OT) - Kenai River fell to Oklahoma in an overtime thriller. The two teams went goal-for-goal during the game. Oklahoma struck first at 13:07 when Colton Duckson tallied a goal. Kenai responded quickly as Gabe Young tied the score going into the second period. The middle frame would go scoreless. Connor Kerfield gave Oklahoma the lead once again midway through the third. Kenai would force the game into overtime after they capitalized on a power play. In the end, Matthew Zimmerman would hand Oklahoma the win when he scored with less than a minute remaining in the extra frame.

Minnesota Wilderness 2 @ St. Cloud Norseman 1 (OT) - The Minnesota Wilderness found a victory in the extra frame against the St. Cloud Norseman. James Larson left Minnesota trailing when he scored the first goal of the game for the Norseman. The second period would go scoreless with neither team being able to find the back of the net. Minnesota found a late opportunity on a power play in the third period, forcing the game into overtime. With only 2:23 left in the overtime frame, Vincent Panichi would score the game winner for Minnesota.