Helena had a three-goal lead after two periods and cruised the rest of the way en route to a 5-2 win over Gillette.
Helena got the win behind a great game by Riley Keays, who had two goals and one assist. Keays scored the first of his two goals at 7:45 into the second period to make the score 3-0 Helena. Bryan Knesel picked up the assist. Keays\’ next tally made the score 4-0 Helena with 6:16 left in the second period. Helena earned a power play opportunity when Preston Fuller was put in the box for hooking. John Greer provided the assist.
Helena pulled out the victory even though it was hit with 36 penalty minutes.
Helena forced Gillette\’s netminders to work hard to keep the puck out of the net, launching 31 shots and forcing 26 saves. Alex Feese made 23 stops and Stephen Wroe made three.
Helena additionally got points from Jay Forbes, who also grabbed one goal and one assist. Helena also had goals scored by Ryan Daugherty and Bradley Estrada, who each put in one. In addition, Helena received assists from Wyatt Stotts, Kyle Hayter, Jarrett Scheibel, Gavin Lubin, and Blake Babineau, who each chipped in one.
Helena was unable to stop Gillette from sending pucks towards the net, and Gillette eventually piled up 39 shots on goal.
Others who scored for Gillette included Cade Boreing and Alex King, who scored one goal each. More assists for Gillette came via Kyle Traux and Jack Oberg, who contributed one each.
Helena\’s Adam Ranck stopped 37 shots out of the 39 that he faced. Helena registered two goals on four power play opportunities. Helena ran into serious disciplinary problems during the contest, and Scheibel was ejected from the game. Gillette incurred eight minutes in penalty time with four minors.