NA3HL Fraser Cup Title Between Rochester And North Iowa

It was Semi-Final Sunday at the St Peters Rec-Plex as the NA3HL decided the two teams that would face one another for the Fraser Cup Championship.

When the smoke had cleared, two teams that are just over an hour apart from one another, the West Division Champion North Iowa Bulls and Central Division Champion Rochester Grizzlies, had won and advanced to the title game on Sunday.

The Fraser Cup, which crowns the National Playoff Champion of the NA3HL, is named in the memory of Robert ‘Fraser’ Ritchie, a long-time staff member of the NAHL, NA3HL, and NAPHL. On June 10, 2017, Ritchie passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Although Ritchie ultimately lost his battle with the disease, his influence and daily interactions with all of the owners, coaches, staff, volunteers, and administrators in the NAHL, NA3HL, and NAPHL, will never be forgotten, and are now and forever memorialized with the annual awarding of the Fraser Cup.

Games can be seen live and in HD on HockeyTV

For more information about the Fraser Cup, please visit: http://na3hl.com/fraser-cup/

Semi-Final recaps:

Fraser Cup Semi-Final #1: North Iowa 2 vs. Oklahoma City 1 – The North Iowa Bulls advanced to the Fraser Cup Championship Game thanks to another solid game from goalie Carsen Stokes, who made 26 saves in a 2-1 win. The Bulls went ahead 1-0 early in the 1^st period as a seemingly harmless shot from the corner went off a Blazers player and through the legs of Blazers goalie Olivier Charbonneau for a 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until early in the 3^rd period as the Blazers tied the game thanks to a one-timer in front from Tommy Duren, who picked the corner to tie the game at 1-1. The game-winner came with under eight minutes remaining in regulation as Jack Campion buried his third goal of the Fraser Cup as he converted on a 2-on-1 pass. Charbonneau played well in the loss, making 32 saves. The win advances the Bulls to the Fraser Cup title game, where they will face the Rochester Grizzlies on Monday afternoon.

Fraser Cup Semi-Final #2: Rochester 7 vs. Sheridan 1 – A four-goal outburst in the 1^st period propelled the Rochester Grizzlies to a convincing win over the Sheridan Hawks in the second Fraser Cup Semi-Final on Sunday. Grizzlies forward and Rochester native Joey Malugani was the star of the game, recording a hat-trick in the win. Rochester blitzed the Hawks in the 1^st period, scoring four goals in a span of 9:30, which included two goals from Malugani and others from Justin Wright and Garrett Smith. The Hawks showed signs of life early in the 2^nd period as some sustained pressure in the offensive zone led to a rebound goal from Jacob Cummings to make it 4-1. However, just:20 seconds after the Hawks’s goal, the Grizzlies grabbed the momentum right back as Matthew DeRosa scored his third goal of the event to make it 5-1. Late in the 2^nd period, the Grizzlies made it 6-1 as Malugani converted for his hat-trick to make it 6-1 after two periods. In the 3^rd period, a goal from Peyton Hart secured the 7-1 win to advance the Grizzlies onto their first Fraser Cup Championship game. Grizzlies goalie Shane Soderwall made 17 saves in the win, while Christian Wong-Ramos made 34 saves in the loss. The Grizzlies move onto their first Fraser Cup Championship Game where they will face the North Iowa Bulls.