NA3HL gets its Final Six.

The NA3HL number was reduced from 10 to six this past weekend as each division held its own championship series.

The Central and East Divisions got a bit of a jump beginning their Best-of-Three Series midweek and the rest of the pack jumped into the fray on the weekend (March 13-15, 2015).

Here’s a quick division by division look at how things went for Midwest-based teams in the NA3HL leading up to this weekend’s Silver Cup tournament.

East Division 

Friday — Jets 3 at Vengeance 4

The Metro Jets were looking to close out their series having grabbed an overtime win on home ice on Wednesday, but the Vengeance was not going to go down without a fight.

Clearly both teams were looking to make an early statement and it resulted in a wild six goal first period as the host Vengeance opened up a 4-2 lead.

Adem Arifi scored his first of two to get the Vengeance on the board 6:22 into the contest, then added another at the 9:31 mark to get his team back into the lead after Cody Jones tied it for the Jets just seven seconds earlier.

Michael Straub and Tyler Layle both added goals in the final five minutes of the period and that lead stuck all of the way to the final period.

The Vengeance owned a 16-10 edge in shots through the first 20 minutes, but the Jets dominated on the shot clock the rest of the way with a 28-13 margin through the final 40 minutes.

However, Brian Baker turned all but one aside in goal for the Vengeance. Zach Koonce was the only one to solve Baker near the halfway mark of the third, but it wasn’t enough and teams headed back to the Detroit area to settle this duel.

Sunday– Vengeance 1 at Jets 2 

All three games in this close series were decided by a single goal and the finale was no different, Metro pulling out the narrow win despite a major 47-18 edge in shots on goal.

Ryan Bloom scored the lone first period goal to give the Jets a 1-0 lead but Nils Markgren notched the lone Pittsburgh tally 7:11 into the second to even things.

Cody Jones netted the game winner with 27 seconds to play in the second and the Vengeance may have run out of gas at that point as it was the hosts with a lopsided 22-2 edge in shots down the stretch.

Baker turned in another awesome effort in goal, but Jake Stephan also came up big for Metro, handling 17 of 18 and leading his team to the League’s Silver Cup.

Central Division 

Saturday — Whalers 3 at Wolves 4

With game one going to the Whalers in Madison, the West Michigan Wolves looked to do its damage on home ice Saturday at ‘The Rink’ in Battle Creek.

After a scoreless first period, both teams scored twice in the second to take this thing down to the final 20 minutes.

Michael Tratar and Brandon Mezuk had the Wolves’ goals with Thomas Hanson and Nathan Viberg countering for the Whales.

Kyle Keeder put the Wolves in front 37 seconds into the final period and another for Devin Farkas opened up the first two goal lead of the game.

The Whalers removed goaltender Evan Moyse for an extra attacker late in the game and the moved paid off, but with only 12 seconds remaining, it didn’t leave enough time to net an equalizer.

As a result, teams stayed in Battle Creek overnight and settled things the following afternoon.

Sunday — Whalers 1 at Wolves 5

The Whalers were looking to bust the trend as the home team won both of the previous two games, but the Wolves held the momentum and it paid off as they carried a 4-0 lead into the final period with two unanswered markers in both the first and second.

Three of the four goals came on Wolves’ powerplays — Ethan Stafford and Steven Rhodes both hitting the mesh in the first period with the extra attacker and Dakota Ulmer notching a powerplay tally in the second while Devin Farkas scored the lone even strength marker.

Adam Schoenfeld gave the Whalers a spark and plenty of time to rally with his goal 17 seconds into the third, but that was it for the visitors and a second for Farkas with 8:44 to go all but settled this one, eliminating the Whalers and sending the Wolves into the six-team Silver Cup Tournament.

West Division 

Friday — Lumberjacks 3 at Bulls 6

This match was likely predicted before Christmas as the North Iowa Bulls and Granite City Lumberjacks were clearly the class of the field in the West Division and spent most of the season locked in a fierce battle for top spot in the group.

The Bulls won out in that close race and that gave the team home ice advantage and it took full advantage, doubling its rival in the opener at North Iowa Ice Arena.

Teams were almost even in terms of shots, the visiting Lumberjacks with a narrow 40-39 edge in a wild back and forth contest.

The Bulls scored the game’s first two, Brett Gravelle finding the mesh at the 8:13 mark and Jake Johnson doubling the margin just 16 seconds later. Dallas Marvin countered with one for the Lumberjacks with 3:17 to go.

Michael Orke tied it for the Jacks early in the second but the Bulls carried a lead to the third again after Connor Durgan’s tally with 1:39 to play in the period.

The Bulls put this one away with three goals in the first three minutes of the final period — beginning with Joe Burgmeier’s goal 11 seconds in the exploding for two more from Sam Naegale and Ryan Durant 25 seconds apart.

Blake Phenow pulled one back with 7:06 to go for the Lumberjacks but that wasn’t enough to get them back in this one.

Saturday — Bulls 2 at Lumberjacks 3

The Lumberjacks needed to use home ice to advantage and stay alive in its series with the Bulls at the Rhino Deck Arena in Sauk Rapids.

Teams played through a back and forth but scoreless opening period with 27 shots turned aside by the two goaltenders — Chris Amsden of the Bulls and Jesse Garcia of the Jacks.

Tanner Skaja found an opening for the home side in the fifth minute of the second period and Travis Kothenbeutel added another about seven minutes later, but Gravelle kept it close with his second of the series with just under five minutes to play in the period.

Skaja notched a second 6:13 into the third and the Bulls urged Amsden to the bench with 86 seconds to go, looking for a pair. Gravelle got one back but left only 24 seconds for the tying goal and that turned out to not be enough time.

The Lumberjacks captured the win and sent the series back to Mason City for the deciding contest.

Sunday — Lumberjacks 2 at Bulls 4 

The Bulls removed much of the drama from the final contest with a three goal first period, including two in the first 2:34 to grab control on home ice against the Lumberjacks.

Joe Burgmeier, Robert Glick and Brett Gravelle had the opening period goals but Tanner Skaja cut the margin to a pair with his goal for the Lumberjacks 5:32 into the second frame.

Ryan Durant restored the two goal margin in the final minute of the middle period. Travis Kothenbeutel pulled one back for the visitors with 1:43 to go in the game but it was far too little and much too late to matter.

The Lumberjacks did gain some consolation though as they were awarded the sixth and final spot at the Silver Cup tournament so they were to join the Bulls in the Chicago area as well.

Other qualifiers

The other two divisions held their division finals on the same weekend. In the Frontier Division, the Great Falls Americans claimed the title with 5-2 and 6-2 wins against the Helena Bighorns while the South title went to Nashville who swept the Texas Brahmas 2-1 and 4-3.