Saterdalen Shines as Wranglers Cap off Season with 5-4 OT Win

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NAHL Amarillo Wranglers

Saterdalen Shines as Wranglers Cap off Season with 5-4 OT Win

April 8, 2025 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Amarillo Wranglers News Release


Amarillo, TX - The Amarillo Wranglers defeated the Colorado Grit 5-4 in overtime on Sunday at the Budweiser Bull Pen. Cole Saterdalen scored the overtime winner, as the Wranglers finish the season having won their last three games and with points in eight of their last nine.

The Wranglers hosted the Grit for the third and final game of the weekend, and in the regular season finale on Sunday. Colorado, having already clinched a playoff spot on Friday, was looking to gain some momentum heading into their play-in series at Corpus Christi next week, while the Wranglers looked to end the season with a win on home ice having already been eliminated from postseason contention.

The Wranglers took a moment to honor their seniors pregame, acknowledging Morley Phillips, Alexander Aleslov, Will Welburn, Anthony White, Matt Schoephoerster, Noah Wood, and Marc LaFrance, who all played in their final game of junior hockey on Sunday. Matt Schoephoerster got the start for the Wranglers, having stopped 28/31 in his last outing - a 4-3 shootout loss in Odessa last Friday. Colorado started netminder Nolan Francis, who the Wranglers had not seen before. Francis stopped 5/9 before being pulled in his last start in a 7-0 loss to the Lone Star Brahmas on 2/28.

Before all the fans had found their seats the Wranglers had already taken a 1-0 lead, as just 31 seconds into the game Jacob Miller rifled in his 8th goal of the season by Francis. Miller's goal was assisted by Morley Phillips and Will Welburn, as Miller went five-hole on Francis after the Colorado goaltender made a save on the initial shot. On the goal, Miller (2g, 2a) and Phillips (1g, 3a), both extended their point scoring streaks to four games, and Welburn (3a) extended his assist streak to three games. Colorado responded to tie the game 4:22 later, as Nolan Smith put in his 4th of the season from Nicholas Noble and Landon West to make it a 1-1 game. With 8:00 left in the period, the Wranglers retook the lead on Heikki Peipinen's 1st NAHL goal. Daniel Rassega did the dirty work, feeding the puck to Peipinen from the right corner to the high slot, where the Finnish defenseman scored his 1st of the year. 3:30 later, Rassega scored a goal of his own from beneath the right circle, stashing the puck far side on Francis to give Amarillo a 3-0 lead. Rassega's 6th goal of the season was assisted by Padraic Whited and Carson Wendorff, who with the secondary assist, earned his first NAHL point. It turned out to be a milestone night for players on both sides, as the Grit's Gunnar Gleasman scored his first NAHL goal with 55.7 left in the period to cap off a period that featured five goals combined and ended in a 3-2 Wranglers lead. Gleasman's stuff in goal was assisted by Charles Turner and Luke Helgeson. Amarillo outshot Colorado 14-10 though one period of play.

The second period, unlike the first, featured no scoring. The Wranglers were able to kill off a penalty as they outshot the Grit 11-7 in the middle frame. After a shaky start, Nolan Francis dialed in and kept it a 3-2 game when the Wranglers were pressuring.

Scoring resumed in the third period, as a delayed penalty on Amarillo allowed Colorado to pull Francis for an extra attacker - a sequence on which the Grit scored to tie the game. William Johnson fired in his 14th goal of the season from Evan Smutney and Landon West 7:45 into the period to tie the game at 3-3. Exactly ten minutes later with just 2:15 left on the clock, Cole Saterdalen wacked in a puck from the slot to give Amarillo the lead back at 4-3. Saterdalen's 11th goal of the year was assisted by Ty Izadi and Daniel Rassega. Colorado did not back down, pulling the netminder in the final two minutes in an attempt to tie the game. It paid off, as George Poirier was able to jam the puck past Schoephoerster to make it a 4-4 tie with just 5.6 seconds left in regulation. Poirier's team leading 24th goal of the season sent the game to overtime.

Amarillo won the opening faceoff in overtime and never lost possession. Cole Saterdalen scored the overtime winning goal on a shot from the right circle 20 seconds into overtime from O'Donohue and Peipinen to end the season with a 5-4 win over the Colorado Grit. Saterdalen finished the weekend with 4 goals and 3 assists in 3 games. Schoephoerster stopped 28/32 as the Wranglers went 0/1 on the power play and 2/3 on the penalty kill.

The Wranglers season concludes with the team having won its last three games, earning points in eight of its last nine, and finishing with a record of 24-29-2-4. Thank you to all the fans who attended or watched games this season, the Amarillo Wranglers are grateful for your support and look forward to seeing you again next season!

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