NAHL 2021-2022 Thread

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End of one period in Game#1, Wolverines 1 - Norsemen 1. Game start delayed almost 15 minutes for Zamboni repair, but play was high pace with minimal whistles; clear the refs were not gonna make any ticky-tack calls. Anchorage came out with speed on all shifts, and scored first. But St. Cloud tilted the ice back in the final 12-13 minutes, continued their physical play, and benefitted from a misplayed shot off the Wolverine goalie's blocker to tie the score.

Crowd not huge for this game, but very vocal for both sides. LOTS of pro & college & USHL scouts in attendance - good for the players, as long as they can stay focused on tonight & let their play sell their future.

 

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End of 2 between ANC & SCN, still 1-1. Norsemen continued to dominate the O-play, now leading in SOGs 32-14. Wolverines ended the period on their first PP (a weak one so far), and will start the 3rd with a 5-on-4 for 47 seconds.

 

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Going to OT, still 1-1. SOGs thru 3 periods = St. Cloud 44 & Anchorage 18. Pretty much sums up the flow of this game so far.

Game #2 scheduled for the same rink. Gonna be a LONG night at Fogerty Arena.

 

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Improbable Final Score = ANC Wolverines 2 - SC Norsemen 1. Two-on-1 break-in GWG in overtime goes to Anchorage forward Jackson Reineke.

 

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Game #2 started 45 minutes after scheduled puck drop. But both teams were ready to go. After one period, New Mexico lead New Jersey 1-0. Good speed, heavy hitting, lots of chippy play behind the puck.

 

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After 2, Ice Wolves lead 2-0. More speed in each direction, more heavy hits, and a LOT more chippy. Titans will start the 3rd with 6 more seconds of a PP.

 

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Final score in Game #2 = NM Ice Wolves 3 - NJ Titans 1. Wolves scored an ENG late, then the Jersey Boys scored later to steal the shutout from New Mexico goalie & Northern Michigan commit Beni Halasz.

These two teams have already developed a serious disrespect for each other, and the unexpectedly large crowd of Ice Wolves supporters fueled that fire. Their second game on Saturday night oughta be another barn burner.

 

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Friday night game summaries from the League, to counterbalance my game day fan talk ...
Anchorage and New Mexico ride hot goalies to Day 1 wins

 

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End of the 1st of Game #3, Anchorage 3 - St. Cloud 1. The Wolverines scored first on an early power play, then forechecked aggressively on the Norsemen to slow their transitions. ANC increased their lead to 2-0 with under 4 minutes left on a seeing-eye shot outside the circle near the boards, but that one was negated on the next shift by the Nors. Then with 15.9 seconds left in the period, the Wolverines regained their two-goal lead on a pretty tip-in.

SOGs through 29 minutes = ANC 11 & StC 15. Wolverines were playing more aggressively in the their offensive zone & center ice, which was slowing down the Norsemen effectively.

 

[JMCx4]

End of 2 periods, 3-2 Anchorage still leads. The Norsemen scored their second goal just as their PP had expired. Then they were awarded a 4-minute advantage late in the period for a high stick with injury by the Wolverines, but lost that advantage on the ensuing play by taking a minor of their own. The teams will start the 3rd 4-on-4, then St. Cloud will have the advantage again if nobody scores.

 

[JMCx4]

The Wolverines weathered the Norsemen storm in the first half of the 3rd, then extended their lead to win pulling away. Final Score = Anchorage 6 - St. Cloud 2. The first-year Wolverines are first-in to the Championship game on Tuesday night.

 

[JMCx4]

Game #4, end of one, tied at zeroes for New Mexico & New Jersey. Not many whistles, lots of north-south action for both teams, appropriate physicality on the whole. SOGs even at 10s. Very good game so far.

 

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End of two periods, NM 1 - NJ 1. Ice Wolves took two overlapping minors early in the period, and the Titans finally took the lead with the 2-skater advantage. But New Mexico kept up their speed & passing, and scored on their own man advantage with just over 6 minutes left. Play getting increasing physical & chippy, with a 5-on-5 unpleasantness session after the buzzer. Expecting a spirited 3rd period, with the championship game appearance within reach for both teams.

 

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End of regulation, New Mexico & New Jersey tied @ deuces. NJ forward & Mercyhurst commit Tommy Bannister scored his 2nd of the game (and of the playoffs) to regain the Titans' lead 2-1/2 minutes in. Once gain, the I'Wolves stuck with the hunt & Minnesota native forward Grant Ellings scored by streaking down the boards and picking the opposite top corner to tie things up in the eleventh minute. Frantic play thereafter, until the 3rd buzzer sounded.

 

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Wild & woolly OT, until the Titans ended it @ the 16:10 mark with the GWG scored by NJ forward & LIU commit Levente Keresztes.

The deciding Game #3 to determine the second Finals participant will start @ 6:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday. Your intrepid reporter & his trusty sidekick wll be there.

 

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Saturday night results summaries ...

ADN: Anchorage Wolverines defeat St. Cloud 6-2, punch their ticket to NAHL championship game

ABQ Journal: Ice Wolves lose in OT

 

[JMCx4]

End of one period in Game #5, scoreless between New Mexico & New Jersey. Quality offensive chances tilted to the Ice Wolves, reflected by their 9-4 SOG advantage. Both goalies playing well, both teams playing with a win-or-go-home edge both during play & after whistles. Wolves will have 1:18 of a late minor to kill in Period 2.

 

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End of 2, Ice Wolves leading 2-1. Scoring started with a shorty while NM was killing off the carryover Titans' power play. NJ evened it up with a screenshot in the 7th minute. Then New Mexico regained the lead on a man advantage with about 6 minutes left in the middle frame. SOGs now 20 for The I'Wolves & 15 for the Titans. Game play is getting nastier by the minute, and a contigent of the partisan New Mexico crowd got into a "group discussion" with the New Jersey team as they headed off the ice after the buzzer.

 

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Going to OT ... again. 3-3 at the end of regulation. After the Ice Wolves spent most of the opening minutes in their offensive zone, NJ scored in the 5th minute a turnover by New Mexico in their D-zone. Next, the Titans hit a post & the Wolves scored seconds later to take the lead again with under 8 minutes left. New Jersey pulled their goalie with under 2 minutes left & an NM end faceoff. A couple of quick passes, and the game was tied in the 6-on-5 situation. This one is another game to remember.

 

[JMCx4]

Well, first game in this tournament to require double overtime (at least). Referees tried to speed up the ending by calling multiple penalties in OT #1, but the players would not oblige. SOGs now 44-33 favoring the Ice Wolves, but the quality chances in that 4th period looked to me to favor New Jersey.

 

[JMCx4]

Final Score (finally) = New Jersey Titans 4 - New Mexico Ice Wolves 3. Every game must come to an end, but the reason for the outcome is not always satisfying. NM took a 5 minute major (plus a gamer) for an illegal check from behind at 9:46 of the 2nd extra session, and eventually Titans forward & Mercyhurst commit Ryan Coughlin buried the GWG (his second tally of the game) to send his team to the Tuesday night championship match.

Initial Injury Report: Titans' forward Levente Keresztes was the player checked into the boards. He remained down on the ice for several minutes while the team trainer assessed his condition, then had to be helped to his skates & assisted off the ice by 2 teammates. Hopefully he'll be able to join his team for the championship game.

 

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NAHL Top Stories: Titans outlast Ice Wolves in double OT to advance to Final

Monday is the scheduled day of rest for the Titans & Wolverines (and for those of us who watched them each prevail), before Tuesday night's Championship game. As this pre-tourney article from The Rink Live indicates, the Finals crowd will be heavily in favor of the first-year expansion Anchorage team because of their Minnesota connections. But New Jersey proved in their 3-game semifinals series (and in their East Division playoff series) that they do not go away quietly. So it oughta be a raucous Finals @ Fogerty Ice South Rink.

 

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Some insightful analysis of the Finals matchup, from YouthHockeyHub.com ...

Extra innings

New Jersey must be loading up on ice packs and Gatorade after Sunday night’s double-overtime win, because Monday will be the Titans’ day of rest and recovery.

Not only did the Titans need a third game to edge New Mexico, but they also played an extra 49 minutes thanks to participating in three overtime periods. That's nearly an extra full game on top of the three-game series.

Hot goaltenders meet in the finale

While Anchorage’s Raythan Robbins has been the story so far [stopping 82 of 85 shots in his team's 2-game semifinals sweep of the St. Cloud Norsemen], New Jersey’s Andrew Takacs has provided his share of highlight-worthy moments over the past few days.

At 6-foot-3, the two-time East Division Star of the Week has stopped 112 of 119 shots during his three outings and made 46 saves on 49 chances in Sunday’s double-overtime win over the Ice Wolves. ...

 

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From: The North American Hockey League > Top Stories

New Jersey and Anchorage battle for Robertson Cup on Tuesday

MAY 24, 2022

One game remains in the 2021-22 North American Hockey League season, and it is the biggest of them all… the 2022 Robertson Cup National Championship Game.

Face-off is scheduled for 7pm on Tuesday, May 24th at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, MN. The match-up will be a battle against the East Division Champion New Jersey Titans against the Midwest Division Champions Anchorage Wolverines. ...

Neither team has ever won the Robertson Cup in their team’s history. The Wolverines are trying to become just the fourth team in league history to win the title in their first season of existence. ...


Read more at:

New Jersey and Anchorage battle for Robertson Cup on Tuesday

A first time winner will be crowned on Tuesday night in Blaine as the New Jersey Titans and Anchorage Wolverines square off for the Robertson Cup.

nahl.com

 

[JMCx4]

End of 1 period in the 2022 Robertson Cup Championship Finals game, Anchorage Wolverines 0 - New Jersey Titans 0. SOGs 16-8 in favor of NJ. Titans bringing their physical game & their crisp passing to get clear lane shots, and ANC doesn't seem to know how to counter those advantages. Referees letting the boys play so far, making for a fast & fun game.