Verners Egle's two goals lead the Capitols over the Flying Aces.
October 21, 2017 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Madison Capitols News Release
MIDDLETON, WI - Left wing Verners Egle scored twice to carry the Madison Capitols over the Central Illinois Flying Aces, 5-2, in a penalty filled affair at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton, on Friday evening.
Madison (2-2-0-0) is tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with four points. Central Illinois (3-1-0-0) is tied for second place in the Eastern Conference with six points.
"It was good to see the boys win," explained Capitols Assistant Coach Blake Hietala. "They played the right way for the majority of the game. The only thing that Central Illinois had was the stuff we gave them. For a good chunk of the game, we played the right way and made good decisions."
Started by an offensive zone face-off win by left wing Mick Messner, the puck was thrown across the ice before landing on the stick of Egle in the slot. Egle's first shot was stopped, but he followed the puck to the right side of the net to put home his own rebound. At 16:53 of the middle period, the Capitols had retaken the lead and brought the score to 3-2.
With 10:06 remaining in the first period, center Michael Mancinelli found the back of the net for his first career USHL goal. Mancinelli was able to find some open ice in the slot, and off a nice feed from captain Messner, fired the puck short side past goaltender Zach Stejskal to open the scoring. Mayer picked up the secondary assist on the goal as the Capitols jumped out to an early 1-0 lead.
After a slash put the Aces down a man, they were the ones who ended up benefiting. A pinching Capitols defenseman allowed an Aces 3-on-2 from the red line in. At 13:56 of the opening frame, a hard drive to the net by left wing Jamie Armstrong opened up a lane for defenseman Sebastian Dirven to slide his first goal of the season past Capitols goaltender Dryden McKay.
On the power play, Capitols defenseman Branden Suter was able to find space in the neutral zone to dangle his way into a scoring opportunity. Suter snapped one past Stejskal 3:21 into the second period, finishing off his beautiful rush and putting the Capitols up 2-1.
After several grade 'A' chances for the Capitols, it was the Flying Aces who were able to put another one up on the scoreboard. At 15:22 of the second period, a bouncing puck found its way onto left wing Drew Elser's stick, as he was able to rip one past a sprawled out McKay to tie the game.
At 5:09 of the final frame, the Capitols added to their lead to make it 4-3. Mayer worked the puck to Messner down low. Messner was able to find left wing Alec Broetzman with a no look pass from under the net. Broetzman received the puck right in the slot and made no mistake as he beat Stejskal blocker side.
At 19:05 of the third period, Egle finished off the Aces with an empty-net goal, his second tally of the night.
Special teams played a massive role in the game. Not solely for the goals scored, but for the opportunities not converted. Specifically, the Flying Aces were 0-for-8 on the power play, while the Capitols were 2-for-7.
McKay (2-2-0) earned his second win this season by stopping 16-of-18 shots. Stejskal (2-1-0) took his first loss of the season while stopping 19 saves on 23 shots.
Notables: The Capitols won the first of four games against the Central Illinois Flying Aces...Left wing Mick Messner finally got on the scoresheet with his first point of the season with his second period assist...Defenseman Branden Suter tallied his first goal of the season...Goaltender Dryden Mckay recorded his second straight victory by allowing only two goals in both games.
The Capitols will drop the puck with the Chicago Steel at 7:05 p.m. for the first road game of the season at Fox Valley Ice Arena on Saturday, October 21. You can watch the game live on www.HockeyTV.com. The Capitols next home game is against the Sioux Falls Stampede at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, October 27. For information on season tickets and flex packages, call the Capitols at (608) 257-2277 or visit them online at www.madcapshockey.com .
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