The Generals hosted the Danbury Hat Tricks and Rochester Jr. Americans to end their regular season, going 2-1 on the week to clinch the final playoff spot in the East Division. The Generals defeated the Hat Tricks 4-3 on Tuesday, April 2, before splitting the weekend series against the Jr. Americans on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6th, winning 4-3 and falling 4-2.
Game one saw Northeast take the early lead thanks to a power play goal by forward Frank D’Ancona only five minutes into the contest. Danbury responded with only 10 seconds remaining in the first to tie the game at 1-1, before taking the lead in the second with back to back goals two and four and a half minutes into the second to make it 3-1. The Generals came roaring back late in the second however, with forward Ben Campeau potting another power play goal for the Gens 14 minutes into the period, before forward Andrew Delladonna redirected in another power play goal 18 minutes in to make it 3-3. Forward Tyler Ramm played hero early in the third, scoring a minute in to give the Generals back the lead for the first time since the first period, 4-3. Neither team could find the twine for the rest of the contest, giving the Gens the win in the final matchup of the season between the two teams.
Goaltender and Air Force Academy commit Toby Hopp got the start in the first game of the week, stopping 23 of the 27 shots he saw. D’Ancona led the team in points with a goal and assist, while 11 different Generals, including D’Ancona, recorded a point in the contest.
Friday saw Rochester return to Attleboro for the final time this season, with the Gens greeting them to start with a power play goal by Jake Gutwirth just short of nine minutes into the game to make it 1-0. Forward and leading scorer Sixten Jennersjo then ripped a goal from the blue line 10 and a half minutes into the first to give the Generals a much needed early lead, with Rochester scoring 14 minutes in to make it 2-1 after the first. The Gens got back to work in the second period, with forward Michael Bartowski redirecting in his first goal of the season just short of five minutes in to make it 3-1, before Delladonna roofed a break away goal to make it 4-1 eight minutes into the second. Rochester responded 12 and a half minutes into the second to make it 4-2 and then again 17 minutes into the third to bring it within one, but Northeast held on to pick up the 4-3 victory to close out game one of the series.
Hopp got the start to start the series, batting away 29 shots of the 32 he faced in final regular season start. Gutwirth and Campeau led the Gens in scoring with two points each, with Jennersjo’s goal and assist also being his 80th and 81st points of the season. He finishes the 2023-24 season in third place in the NAHL in points, just behind Maxwell Martin of the Wisconsin Wendigo, and Dominick Bartecko of the New Jersey Titans.
The final game of the regular season saw Rochester strike early, scoring 16 and a half minutes into the game to make it 1-0 before scoring two more in the second period to make it 3-0 before the Gens were able to respond. Forward and West Point commit Joseph McGraw responded for the generals 11 and a half minutes into the third to start the rally to make it 3-1, before D’Ancona scored his 20th of the season on the powerplay 40 seconds later to make it 3-2 in a flash. Rochester widened the gap with a goal with four minutes remaining, cutting short the Generals comeback as the final score stayed at 4-2 till the final buzzer.
Goaltender and Canisius College commit Peter Wickström-Stumer got the start in the final game of the season, knocking away 34 of the 38 shots he saw in the final regular season game of the year. Jennersjo recorded the lone assist for the Generals on D’Ancona’s goal, giving him 82 points to end the season.
The Generals will travel to Rochester for the East Division playoffs, taking on the Jr. Americans in the best-of-three play-in series. All three games will be played on the road for the Generals, as they sit in the sixth and final seed in the East. Times are still to be determined as of date of publishing, with the three games set to be set from Friday, April 12th to Sunday April, 14th. Check the NAHL website and team social media for more updates in the coming days.