Alexandria 2 @ Granite City 3 (OT) – Riley Berg netted the sudden-death overtime winner with just 35 seconds remaining on the clock to propel the Granite City Lumberjacks past the Alexandria Blizzard at Miller Buick GMC Rink. Tyler Meyer broke the ice late in the opening frame for the Blizzard, but Jackson Engberg responded for Granite City before the intermission to pull the contest level. Alexandria regained the upper hand early in the second period courtesy of a marker from Wyatt Mineheine. The Lumberjacks spent most of the night generating heavy pressure in the offensive zone, outshooting Alexandria 57-28 overall, and their perseverance paid off in the third period. Capitalizing on a hooking minor, Manny Pearce tucked home a power-play goal with under two minutes remaining in regulation to force extra time. Berg ended the nail-biter in the dying moments of overtime, while goaltender Zach Price stopped 26 shots to earn the victory. Bode Ekblad turned in a heroic 54-save performance in net for the Blizzard.
Wilmar Warhawks 2 @ Granite City Lumberjacks 5- Alex Zelakowski recorded a hat trick to help Granite City earn a 5-2 home victory over Wilmar. Midway through the first period, Vince Murn opened the scoring for the Lumberjacks, and just two minutes later, Zelakowski found the back of the net to give Granite City a 2-0 lead heading into the second period. Wilmar answered early in the second, as Maddox Domagala scored his second goal of the season unassisted. Wyatt Garvey then tied the game at 6:16. The deadlock would not last long, as Zelakowski scored his second goal of the game just over a minute later to put Granite City back in front 3-2 heading into the second intermission. The game remained a one-goal contest late into the third period until Ethan Fitch added an insurance goal to extend the Lumberjacks’ lead to 4-2. Zelakowski then completed his hat trick, scoring his third goal of the game to seal the 5-2 victory for Granite City. Wilmar goaltender Noah German faced 47 shots, while Granite City’s Griffen Bunnell made 12 saves to secure the win.