THE WEEK THAT WAS: TORONTO, AMARILLO AND COLORADO SECURE WINS

Chicago, Ill - Canadian Crusaders (Toronto, Canada), Amarillo Bombers (Amarillo, Texas) and Colorado Bucks (Denver, Colo.) secured wins this weekend.

Toronto jumped to the top spot of the league standings with a 5-1 record, Amarillo advanced to 3-1 and Colorado advanced to 1-3.

Here is the match week recaps:

Toronto vs. Cleveland | Saturday

Toronto took the 8-7 (S0) against Cleveland, scoring in the last seconds of the match to tie the game. Cleveland led the entire match, starting the first period with a goal from Michael Derezic, but Toronto quickly responded with a goal from Osman Hussein. Cleveland then surged ahead with goals from Parker Csiszar and Ryan Minick, countered by Leaford Allen keeping Toronto within reach. The back-and-forth action continued into the third, with Toronto narrowing the gap before Cleveland extended their lead to 6-4. In the fourth, Derezic completed his hat trick with a penalty kick, but Toronto had a comeback, scoring two goals, including Sebastián López’s last-second equalizer to force overtime.

With the game still tied after overtime, the shootout saw Toronto convert all three of their attempts, while Cleveland managed two. Yevhenii Zaiets, López and Hussein sealed the victory for Toronto, while Aidan Bozak and David Jordan found the net for Cleveland. Despite a strong offensive effort from Cleveland, Toronto completed their comeback to take the win 8-7.

Lansing vs. Amarillo | Saturday

Amarillo beat Lansing with a 22-5 win on Saturday. Lansing scored first, but Amarillo quickly took control, ending the first period up 4-1. Christian Segura led with six goals and three assists, while David Treviso added three goals and an assist.

Amarillo outshot Lansing and kept the pressure on, scoring seven goals in both the second and third periods. Lansing managed a few power-play and shorthanded goals, but Amarillo’s offense was too strong. 

Chicago vs. Colorado | Saturday

Colorado defeated Chicago 8-5 Saturday. Chicago started strong, with Nestor Dominguez scoring in the first period, but Colorado’s Aymaro Vargas and Ventura Dominguez scored to bring the lead to 2-1 Colorado. 

Chicago put three on the board in the second, to put them up 4-2 at the half. Colorado answered in the third, only allowing one goal from Chicago and tying the game at 5-5.

In the fourth, Colorado pulled ahead with three unanswered goals, including a late one from Josue Jimenez to seal the win. Colorado outshot Chicago 26-19. Nestor Dominguez led Chicago with four goals.

Lansing vs. Amarillo | Sunday

Amarillo beat Lansing Sunday evening. The scoring started early, with Cleber Rodriguez scoring two and Emanuel Celaya netting one in the first period before Lansing’s George Abner managed to get his team on the board. However, Amarillo continued their offensive onslaught, finishing the first half with a 9-2 lead. Segura led the charge with a hat trick by the second period, while Celaya and Julio Molina also contributed to the scoring spree. Lansing’s only other goal came on a second-period power play, but they struggled to generate offense against Amarillo’s aggressive attack. The second half saw Amarillo completely take over, outscoring Lansing in the final two quarters.