Comeback Attempt Falls Short in Ice Bears Game One Loss
April 16, 2025 - SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release
Knoxville Ice Bears right wing Jason Brancheau
(Knoxville Ice Bears)
The Knoxville Ice Bears mounted a late comeback attempt, but fell just shy of tying the game late in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Birmingham Bulls in game one of the President's Cup semifinals at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
Game two is Friday night in Pelham.
Kolten Olynek scored off his own rebound at 12:41 to give Birmingham a 1-0 lead. Troy MacTavish skated in with the puck to the crease and it was poked free to the slot. Stephen Mundinger stopped Olynek's first attempt before Olynek poked the rebound past Mundinger's glove side.
Andrew Bellant made it 2-0 for the Bulls when he stole the puck at the blue line and buried the breakaway chance inside the short side post with 37 seconds left in the first period.
Filimon Ledzinkou extended Birmingham's lead halfway through the second when his cross-ice pass bounced off Kyle Soper in the slot and slid between Mundinger's pads to give the Bulls a three-goal edge at the intermission.
Tyler Williams scored from the high slot to get Knoxville on the board just 53 seconds into the third period. Jimmy Soper and Ryan Kuzmich won the puck on the forecheck and Kuzmich found Williams between the circle. Williams ripped a wrist shot over Austin Lotz for his second goal of the playoffs.
Jimmy Soper brought Knoxville to within a goal with less than five minutes remaining with a snap shot from the right circle. Carson Vance broke the puck out of the zone with a centering pass to Soper, who carried to the circle before beating Lotz from the perimeter for his fourth goal of the postseason.
Bellant scored his second on an odd-man rush with Knoxville trying to press at the other end with two minutes remaining to conclude the scoring detail. Mundinger finished with 26 saves. Lotz made 37 stops for Birmingham.
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 Knoxville Ice Bears right wing Jason Brancheau |
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