FINAL SCORES
FRI: WATERTOWN 3, FAIRBANKS 5
SAT: WATERTOWN 3, ABERDEEN 1
PRAIRIE LAKES ICE ARENA | NAHL EXHIBITION | SEPTEMBER 12 AND 13, 2025 | Lily Schutzenhofer
FRIDAY’S GAME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: The Watertown Shamrocks fell to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 5-3 on Friday night in Prairie Lakes Ice Arena in the third exhibition game of the 2025-26 season.
The Ice Dogs tried to take an early lead in the first, but a goal at 14:01 in the first was waved as a no-goal. At 11:39 of the first period, the Shamrocks scored the first goal of the period. Forward Owen Fask, assisted by Payton Struck, found an opening through a chaotic push to the net. At 5:03, Ice Dogs’ defensemen Nick Madsen, assisted by Alex Hall and Gage Leonard, slipped one to the back of the net to tie the game.
At 13:16 in the second, the Ice Dogs pulled ahead with a goal from defensemen Clarke Nehmens, assisted by Cooper Siegert and Nick Madsen. Late in the second, the Ice Dogs got hot and netted two more goals. At 3:38, defensemen Gabe Ruiz scored, then at 2:36 forward Luca Ricciardi increased the Ice Dogs’ lead to 4-1. At this point, the Shamrocks pulled goalie Derek Wood and replaced him with Mason Gurdige. The Shamrocks were able to cut the Ice Dogs’ lead to two, thanks to a goal from forward Justin Obrochta, assisted by Milan Klein and Junior Podein.
The Ice Dogs switched from Goalie Miles Roberts to Mason McElroy at the start of the third period. With 20 shots in the third, the Shamrocks put up a fight. They were able to get within one, with forward Tanner George, assisted by Edvins Berzins and Joe Rice, scoring at 1:21 of the third. The Shamrocks fell short with two seconds left, allowing the Ice Dogs forward Mack Diggins to score a final empty net goal. The final score was 5-3.
Key Stats:
|
TEAM |
Shots on Goal (SOG) |
Penalty Mins |
High Points |
|
Shamrocks |
40 |
6 |
#18 Fask, #11 Obrochta, #12 George (1 G) |
|
Ice Dogs |
27 |
8 |
#19 Ricciardi (1 G, 1 A) |
SATURDAY’S GAME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: The Watertown Shamrocks defeated the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 3-1 on Saturday night in Prairie Lakes Ice Arena in the final exhibition game of the 2025-26 season.
The first period highlighted both teams’ physicality, but scoring was saved until the end. The Shamrocks struck first on the powerplay, at 1:34, with a goal by forward Edvins Berzins, assisted by Antons Macijevskis and Andrew Smulkstys. Not long after, at :34, the Ice Dogs evened it up with a goal by forward Alex Hall, assisted by Cooper Siegert and Jace Sebert.
Both teams were held scoreless in the second despite eight shots by the Ice Dogs and seven by the Shamrocks. Shamrocks’ goalie Mason Gudridge and Ice Dogs’ Goalie Mason McElroy kept the puck out of their nets.
The Ice Dogs substituted goalie Mason McElroy for Garrett Dudlar at the beginning of the third period. At 11:03, Shamrocks’ player Tanner George and Ice Dogs’ player Nathan Motichka each received a 10-minute misconduct and a five-minute major for fighting. At 10:32, forward Joshua Agnese, assisted by Milan Klein and Vincent Curasi, went bar-down from a perfect pass to put the Shamrocks up 2-1. The final blow to the Ice Dogs was an empty net goal from forward Junior Podein, assisted by Andrew Smulkstys and Tommy Enritto, finalizing the 3-1 victory.
The three stars of the game were: Junior Podein (3), Andrew Smulkstys (2), and Mason Gudridge (1)
Key Stats:
|
TEAM |
Shots on Goal (SOG) |
Penalty Mins |
High Points |
|
Shamrocks |
29 |
33 |
#Smulkstys (2 A) |
|
Ice Dogs |
20 |
36 |
#17 Hall (1 G) |
Next Up: This upcoming weekend, the Watertown Shamrocks will split a pair of games, home and away, with the Aberdeen Wings to kick off the 2025-26 NAHL regular season.
On Friday September 19, the Shamrocks will travel to the Odee Ice Arena to face the Wings for the first game of the regular season. On Saturday September 20, the Shamrocks will play their first home game of the season. This will be the ninth and tenth all-time match-up between these two teams.
On Saturday, the Shamrocks will also be unveiling their Organization of the Year 2024-25 banner.