Friday Five: Two Clubs Punch Playoff Tickets, Bates Gets Overtime Hatty
Two teams clinch Kelly Cup Playoff spots, while a skater scores an overtime winner to earn a hat trick.
Let’s dive in with our Friday Five top performances in the ECHL.
Lions And Stingrays Clinch Playoff Spots
OK, so technically this would be the Friday Six, but who’s counting, right?
The Trois-rivieres Lions and South Carolina Stingrays join the Florida Everblades on the train that’s headed to the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
The Lions punched their ticket with a 5-3 road win over the Reading Royals.
Trois-Rivieres took an early lead with Nicolas Guay's 11th goal of the season, a power-play marker at 3:44.
The Royals responded just under 10 minutes later when Matt Brown beat Trois-Rivières goaltender Hunter Jones with a top-corner shot.
After surrendering 14 shots in the first period, the Lions solidified their defensive efforts in the second frame and allowed only five shots on Jones. At the other end of the ice, Trois-Rivieres got two quick goals from Tommy Cormier at 13:42 and then Jacob Paquette at 17:07 to give Trois-Rivières a two-goal lead after 40 minutes of play.
At the beginning of the final frame, the Royals knotted the score at 3-3 when Gatineau, Quebec native Yvan Mongo – making his return to the Reading lineup – scored his first two goals of the season at 3:43 and 4:04.
Logan Nijhoff gave Trois-Rivières a 4-3 lead at 15:21 and then Isaac Dufort sealed the victory with an empty net goal with just four seconds remaining.
Meanwhile, South Carolina assured themselves of a post-season spot with a 6-3 victory over the Atlanta Gladiators. Romain Rodzinski (2), Austin Magera, Justin Nachbaur, Ryan Hofer, and Charlie Combs scored for the Stingrays, while goaltender Garin Bjorklund finished the game with 26 saves. The victory was South Carolina's sixth consecutive win.
The Stingrays have punched their ticket to the playoffs for the 29th time in 32 seasons in the ECHL. They will be looking for their fourth Kelly Cup in team history.
South Carolina is currently in first place in the entire ECHL with 87 points.
Bates Gets Hat Trick And Game-Winner
It was a night of double pleasure for Peter Bates.
The Wichita Thunder forward not only netted his third career hatty, but accounted for all of Wichita’s scoring including the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win over Utah.
Bates broke the ice with two minutes to go in the opening frame. He skated down the slot and fired a wrist shot past Jake Barczewski to make it 1-0.
After the Grizzlies tied the game in the second period, Bates re-gained the Wichita lead with a power-play tally at 6:14 of the third. Michal Stinil made a great pass across the slot to Bates, and he fired a one-timer past Barczewski for his second of the night.
Keaton Mastrodonato tied the game once again for Utah at 14:57. The game stayed 2-2 after 60 minutes.
In the overtime session, Bates took a pass from Nico Somerville at the top of the right circle, curled around a pick and skated in all alone on Barczewski. He went backhand, forehand and beat the Grizzlies goaltender just inside the right post for his 21st of the season.
Bates recorded his first hat trick since Dec. 3, 2023, against the Allen Americans. He also reached 20 goals for the third-straight season and netted his second overtime winner of the year.
Pedersen’s Hatty Lifts Swamp Rabbits Over KC
Brent Pedersen netted his first hat trick of the season to give the Greenville Swamp Rabbits a 4-1 home victory over the Kansas City Mavericks.
The win gives the Swamp Rabbits a seven-game home point streak (4-0-2-1) dating back to Jan. 25th against the Reading Royals.
Pedersen picked up the first two goals of his hatty in the opening period, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. At 5:59 of the first, Pedersen hacked the puck in a chaotic net-front scramble, squeaking it past Mavericks netminder Alex Aslanidis to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead.
Under four minutes later, Pedersen struck again on the Swamp Rabbits first power play of the game, deflecting an Austin Saint shot on the move past Aslanidis to double the lead with 10:03 to play in the frame.
With Greenville holding a 3-1 lead, Pedersen’s third and final tally came right before the buzzer with 0.7 seconds remaining, ending the game in a 4-1 win.
Gauthier Finally Gets His Due
Wheeling Nailers goalie Taylor Gauthier had to feel snakebitten. In his previous four starts, he allowed no more than one goal but had nothing to show for it.
That changed Friday, when Gauthier stopped 33 of 34 shots for a 3-1 victory over the Fort Wayne Komets. Even better, he received some support from an offense that had scored one goal or fewer in seven of its last 13 games.
David Jankowski snapped a 1-1 tie at the 3:47 mark of the third period and Kyle Jackson added insurance for a big win on home ice.
Berard Tallies Two In K-Wings’ Triumph Over Fuel
Ben Berard notched two goals as the Kalamazoo Wings went into Fishers, Ind. and stole a 6-2 victory over the Indy Fuel. It was the fifth time this season Kalamazoo has reached the six-goal mark.
Berard scored the opening goal at the 4:40 mark of the first frame. Blake Christensen set up Phil Beaulieu for the initial shot, and Berard cleaned up his own rebound on the right side of the crease to put Kalamazoo on top early.
After the K-Wings increased the lead to 3-0, Berard netted his second of the night as an Indy penalty expired at the 9:38 mark of the second period. Christensen fed Lee Lapid down low on the left side, who sent a feed across the goalmouth to Berard at the bottom of the right circle for a one-time finish and his 15th goal of the season.
-
Weekend Watch: Three More Teams Could Clinch Playoff Spots, NTDP Is On A Roll
Three more USHL teams could clinch playoff spots, while NTDP has a five-game winning streak.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Black Hawks Clinch Playoff Berth With Convincing Win Over Steel
The Waterloo Black Hawks became the third USHL Western Conference team to punch their ticket to the 2025 Clark Cup Playoffs, cruising past the Chicago Steel 5-1 at Fox Valley Ice Arena Friday night.Yahoo Sports - 9h -
Thunder clinch playoff spot by passing Celtics test
The Thunder clinched a playoff berth against a defending-champion Celtics team that has achieved what Oklahoma City hopes to accomplish.ESPN - 2d -
Swift Current Broncos Secure Final Playoff Spot In The Eastern Conference
The Swift Current Broncos are headed to the 2025 WHL Playoffs. Swift Current claimed the final spot in the Eastern Conference on Friday thanks to Red Deer's overtime loss to the Prince Albert ...Yahoo Sports - 15h -
NHL playoff watch: Dissecting the Eastern wild-card race
The Sens are in good shape, but five teams within two points are vying for the second spot. Plus, full playoff projections, draft lottery standings, more.ESPN - 11h -
Stamkos finishes 14th career hat trick in OT to give Predators 3-2 win over Blackhawks
Steven Stamkos scored at 2:39 of overtime to complete his 14th career hat trick and the Nashville Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2ABC News - 6d -
NHL playoff projections: Canucks or Flames for the final Western Conference wild card?
The two Pacific Division clubs vying for one spot face off Wednesday night in Alberta. Plus, updated playoff projections, draft lottery outlook, more.ESPN - 3d -
Bennett's Hot Streak Continues As Rush Outduel Heartlanders In Overtime
Blake Bennett is becoming quite familiar with scoring hat tricks and game-winning goals.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Class B girls state basketball roundup: Parkston edges Deubrook Area in overtime
Mar. 14—HURON, S.D. — In the second overtime game of the Class B girls state basketball tournament, the Parkston girls basketball team edged Deubrook Area 56-52 in Huron on Friday. The two teams ...Yahoo Sports - 1d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Hess lifts Liberty to a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee to claim Conference USA title, NCAA berth
Emma Hess drilled a deep 3-pointer with more than a minute left to give Liberty a six-point lead and added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to secure a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee ...Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Hess lifts Liberty to a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee to claim Conference USA title, NCAA berth
Emma Hess drilled a deep 3-pointer with more than a minute left to give Liberty a six-point lead and added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to secure a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee ...Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Fantastic finishes in Big Ten semifinals deliver March Madness feel heading into championship game
Tre Donaldson made the drive of his life on Saturday, going the length of the floor for a buzzer-beating layup to send No. 22 Michigan into the Big Ten Tournament title game. Michigan State guard ...Yahoo Sports - 13m -
Fantastic finishes in Big Ten semifinals deliver March Madness feel heading into championship game
Tre Donaldson made the drive of his life on Saturday, going the length of the floor for a buzzer-beating layup to send No. 22 Michigan into the Big Ten Tournament title game. Michigan State guard ...Yahoo Sports - 13m -
Tired of 'getting punked,' Michigan basketball flexes muscle as it stuns Maryland at buzzer
"We're thinking about one thing right now, that's beat Wisconsin," said Rubin Jones. "We're playing for a championship, that's what we came here for."Yahoo Sports - 15m
More in Sports
-
What do the first two rounds of a perfect draft look like?
Tristan H. Cockcroft and Eric Karabell reveal their ideal outcomes.ESPN - 6m -
Hess lifts Liberty to a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee to claim Conference USA title, NCAA berth
Emma Hess drilled a deep 3-pointer with more than a minute left to give Liberty a six-point lead and added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to secure a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee ...Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Hess lifts Liberty to a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee to claim Conference USA title, NCAA berth
Emma Hess drilled a deep 3-pointer with more than a minute left to give Liberty a six-point lead and added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to secure a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee ...Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Where to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: LaLiga live online, lineups, prediction and odds
LaLiga leaders travel to Madrid for top of table showdownCBS Sports - 13m -
Fantastic finishes in Big Ten semifinals deliver March Madness feel heading into championship game
Tre Donaldson made the drive of his life on Saturday, going the length of the floor for a buzzer-beating layup to send No. 22 Michigan into the Big Ten Tournament title game. Michigan State guard ...Yahoo Sports - 13m