Top Five Performances From Nov. 8

Friday night in the ECHL was filled with the usual thrills and chills fans have come to expect. Here are five top performances from another fun-filled night.

Jakov Novak: Trois-Rivieres Lions

The most exciting game of the night may have taken place in Wheeling, with the Nailers outscoring the Lions 5-4 in overtime. It was a nip-and-tuck contest, with the two teams combining for a total of four one-goal leads before the matter was settled in OT.

Novak was the hero for Trois-Riveres on this night. His first goal came as a result of some bad luck by the Nailers. Novak sent a pass from behind the net which bounced off a Nailers skater and landed in the net to put the Lions ahead 4-3.

In the overtime frame, Novak capitalized on a 4-on-3 power-play opportunity, firing a shot from the right faceoff dot into the top right corner of the net for a 5-4 final.

Odeen Tufto: Fort Wayne Komets

The Komets picked up a big 5-1 victory over the Toledo Walleye, and Tufto was a major factor in the win. He tallied four points (one goal, three assists) as the Komets stretched their record to 6-1-0 to claim first place in the Central Division.

Tufto scored his lone goal at 17:22 of the first period. A clearing attempt by the Walleye’s Jalen Smereck hit Tufto, who scored 10 feet away from the net to put Fort Wayne ahead 2-1.

Tufto picked up three more points on the night, with his final helper coming 9:26 into the third period after setting up an Alex Aleardi bank shot that bounced off Walleye goalie Jan Bednar’s back for a 4-1 lead.

It was a big win for the Komets, who went 2-10-1 against Toledo last season. The two teams still have seven more meetings between now and the end of the season.

Tufto, who signed with the Komets in August, scored 22 points (3-19-22) in 29 games with the Iowa Heartlanders last season. In 77 total ECHL games, he has scored 60 points (13-47-60) in 77 games with Orlando, Atlanta, and Iowa.

Casey Carreau: Kansas City Mavericks

In a hard-fought 4-3 shootout victory over the Rapid City Rush, Carreau scored twice, once to tie the game in the third period, then added a key final goal in the shootout.

After the Rush took a 3-2 lead, Carreau tallied a clutch shorthanded goal to even the game at 12:42 of the third period. After a scoreless overtime, Carreau scored the pivotal goal in the shootout for a 4-3 victory over the Rush, who are still looking for their first win of the season.

This season is Carreau’s third in Kansas City after recording 17 points in 35 regular season games and one point in five playoff games during the 2023-24 season for the Mavericks. Carreau originally joined Kansas City during the 2022-23 season after finishing his collegiate playing career at Niagara University.

Kyle Crnkovic: Allen Americans

The Americans won their second straight and snapped the Wichita Thunder’s six-game winning streak Friday night with a 4-2 win on the road at Intrust Bank Arena.

After assisting on a Brayden Watts goal that put Allen in front 1-0, Crnkovic stole the puck and fired a wrist shot past Thunder goalie Aaron Dell from the right circle for his third goal of the season at 11:32 of the second to give his team a 2-0 lead.

With just under four minutes left in the third period, Crnkovic struck again to give the Americans a two-goal lead. Wichita failed to clear the puck out of the zone, and he took advantage of a broken play near the net for his second goal of the night for a 3-1 advantage.

The Thunder cut into the lead at 19:36. But Spencer Asuchak created a turnover on the ensuing play and fired into the empty net as Wichita goalie Aaron Dell was skating to the bench for the extra attacker.

The Americans received Crnkovic in October after he was assigned by the Utah Hockey Club from AHL Tucson. He appeared in six AHL games last season with the San Diego Gulls and 60 games in the ECHL Mountain Division with the Tulsa Oilers, where he posted 54 points (20 goals and 34 assists).

Michael Simpson: Orlando Solar Bears

The 21-year-old Simpson is in his first professional season after spending the 2023-24 campaign with the Ontario Hockey League Champion London Knights.

After being loaned to Orlando by the AHL’s Belleville Senators in late October, Simpson dazzled in goal Friday night, shutting out the Kelly Cup champion Florida Everblades on the road 2-0.

Simpson made 25 saves to move his record to 2-1-0 and earn his first professional shutout. So far this season with the Solar Bears, he’s posted a 1.01 goals-against average and .967 save percentage.

As a reward for his performance, Belleville recalled Simpson on Saturday.