Week 7 Recap: OS Offices Erupts, Late Heroics Decide Two Games, and Another Furious Comeback Falls Just Short

Seven weeks in, and NORAD Hockey delivered one of its most entertaining nights yet — an eight-goal third period, a last-minute winner, and a furious rally that fell just short of forcing overtime. Here's the full Week 7 breakdown.

OS Offices 7, OUTCAN Outlaws 4

The Outlaws struck first, but OS Offices answered before the period ended and never trailed again. A quiet 3-1 lead through two periods turned into an avalanche in the third, when OS Offices ripped off five goals in the frame — two from Nicholas Cimino and two more from Mitchell Liebl — to balloon the lead to 7-1 before OUTCAN salvaged some pride with three late goals of their own.

Mitchell Liebl was the story of the night, finishing with two goals and two assists, while Nicholas Cimino added a two-goal night of his own. Taylor Rogalsky and Cesar Shinall each picked up two points in the loss for OUTCAN, who saw a five-goal deficit balloon before a furious, if ultimately academic, response.

Velodrome 4, J&J Automotive 3

Five goals in the first period alone set the tone for this one, with the lead changing hands twice before Velodrome's BJ LaChat put the visitors up 3-2 with just over a minute left in the frame. J&J Automotive tied it back up in the second through Chris Daly, and the game stayed level until the final minute.

With 42 seconds left on the clock, LaChat struck again — his second of the night — to give Velodrome the 4-3 win. Hayden Smith didn't find the scoresheet himself but set up three of Velodrome's four goals, and Ronnie Pinnell chipped in a goal and an assist in a game that came down to the final minute.

World Orphans 6, Platinum 4

World Orphans jumped out to a commanding 4-1 lead through the first period, getting a pair of goals from Aaron Thoman and contributions from Ryan Case and Chad Ferguson. Platinum chipped away, with Tyler Zhao and Jesse Chambless trimming the deficit, but BJ LaChat's second-period goal proved to be the eventual game-winner as World Orphans held on for the 6-4 result.

Platinum pushed hard in the third, with Austin Storm's goal cutting the gap to one, but Casey Victor answered right back for World Orphans to restore the two-goal cushion and close out the win. Aaron Thoman finished with two goals to lead all scorers.

Nelson & Company 5, Triple J 3

TJ Liebl turned a tight game into a rout almost single-handedly. Nelson & Company led just 2-0 after two periods, and Triple J's Keegan Mantaro scored twice in the third to tie the game at 3-3 with the home crowd sensing a comeback. Liebl had other ideas — he answered less than a minute later to retake the lead, then added another with just 1:37 remaining to seal the 5-3 win.

Liebl's four-goal night, including two in the final two-and-a-half minutes, was the difference. Mantaro's two-goal push kept Triple J in it deep into the third, but Nelson & Company's response was simply too much to overcome.

Parker Winnelson 4, ACE 4 (Tie)

Parker Winnelson built what looked like a comfortable lead, going up 4-1 on a Wylie Burnett goal with less than five minutes to go in regulation. Then ACE's Owen Kalbfleisch took over. He scored twice in the final seven minutes — the first at 7:03, the second at 2:01 — to pull ACE within one, and Nathan Watts completed the improbable rally with an unassisted goal at 1:09 to force the 4-4 tie.

Owen Kalbfleisch finished with two goals and an assist in the comeback, while Ryan Kiehl and Nicholas Lang each factored into three of Parker Winnelson's four goals. A three-goal lead with under five minutes to play is usually safe — this time, it wasn't.

The Big Picture

Week 7 had a bit of everything: a blowout that started quiet and finished loud, two games decided in the final minute, and a comeback that came agonizingly close to completing the improbable. Seven weeks in, this league still hasn't handed anyone an easy night.

Week 8 is on deck. See you at the rink.