Flathead Fusion falls in pool-play opener at state hockey tourney
WHITEFISH — Four power-play goals by four different players helped the Missoula Bruins coast to a 6-0 victory over the Flathead Fusion on Friday afternoon in first-round pool-play action at the Montana Amateur Hockey Association high school A division state tournament at the Stumptown Ice Den.
Missoula, the top seed in the blue pool, scored three goals in the first and second periods.
Austin Leadbetter scored a goal and assisted on two for Missoula.
Eric Ipsen, Bill Lucas, Dalton Roeser, Thad Kendrick and Henry Charman had the other goals.
Flathead, the third seed in the blue pool, played the Helena Bighorns in the evening’s final game, but results were not available by deadline.
There are three teams in each pool.
Action continues today starting at 9:30 a.m. with two final pool-play games followed by the fifth/sixth place game at 4:15 p.m. and crossover games at 6:30 and 8:45 pitting the top two teams from each pool.
The tournament ends Sunday with the third/fourth place game at 10 a.m. and the championship match at 12:15 p.m.
Montana Amateur
Hockey Association
State High School Tournament
A Division
Thursday
At the Stumptown Ice Den, Whitefish
Pool Play
Billings Jr. Bulls 1 4 1 — 6
Butte Copper City Kings 0 1 1 — 2
Shots on Goal
Billings — 63
Butte —13
Scoring Summary
Team - Player - (assist) - Time
Period 1
Billings — Connor Chirrick (power play) (Dawson Smith, Drew Keierleber), 14:23
Period 2
Billings — Duke Cherpeski (Coley Anderson), 3:26
Butte — Andrew Kober (Aidan Francisco), 5:56
Billings — Connor Chirrick (power play) (Keierleber, Cherpeski), 10:04
Billings — Chirrick (power play) (Dawson Smith, Keierleber), 14:16
Billings — Keierleber (power play) (Cherpeski, Dayton Smith), 16:51
Period 3
Butte — Nolan Samples (Gabe Leprowse, Guido Ossello), 9:20
Billings — Coley Anderson (power play) (Dawson Smith, Christian Coleman), 14:13
Goalies
Butte
Shots Saves
Bryce Stewart 63 57
Billings
Cole Curry 13 11
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Missoula Bruins 3 3 0 — 6
Flathead Fusion 0 0 0 — 0
Shots on Goal
Missoula — 28
Flathead — 10
Scoring Summary
Period 1
Missoula — Eric Ipsen (power play) (unassisted), 6:50
Missoula — Bill Lucas (Henry McDougall, Henry Charman), 14:36
Missoula — Dalton Roeser (Austin Leadbetter), 15:39
Period 2
Missoula — Leadbetter (power play) (Ipsen), 4:17
Missoula — Thad Kendrick (power play) (Leadbetter),
5:49
Missoula —Charman (power play) (Kendrick), 7:21
Goalies
Flathead
Shots Saves
Chase Phillips 28 22
Missoula
Sam Miland 10 10
––––––––––––
Great Falls Americans 1 2 2 — 5
Butte Copper City Kings 0 2 0 — 2
Shots on Goal
Great Falls — 21
Butte Copper — 13
Scoring Summary
Period 1
Great Falls — Austin Folds (Jamison McLain, Brendyn Hewitt), 9:10
Period 2
Great Falls — Folds (McLain), 7:01
Great Falls — Gavyn Brubaker (Andrew Davidson), 7:22
Butte — Robin Bagley (Hunter McGinnis), 13:07
Butte — Andrew Kober (Aidan Francisco), 14:53
Period 3
Great Falls — Folds (unassisted), 10:20
Great Falls — McLain (empty net) (unassisted)
Goalies
Butte
Shots Saves
Bryce Stewart 20 16
Great Falls
Cameron Mcintosh 13 11