Express Steal Overtime Victory in Opener
March 31, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Owatonna Express News Release
FARIBAULT - Perhaps it was the opening night jitters. Maybe it was the suspect ice surface. Whatever the case, the Southern Minnesota Express got off to a shaky start in their first playoff series in franchise history but prevailed with a 3-2 victory over the Alexandria Blizzard Friday night at the Faribault Arena. Jamie Ruff scored the game-winning goal at 3:55 of overtime as the Express overcame a third-period meltdown that nearly ended in disaster. Ruff cashed in on a setup from Benoit Quessandier and Jason Wiley, giving Southern Minnesota a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
The Express were shaky from the get-go, but eventually settled into a 1-0 lead after one period on Joe Welch's powerplay goal from Sean Murphy and Joel Gaulrapp. In the second, Southern Minnesota dominated, outshooting the visitors by a count of 15-3 and extending the lead two 2-0 on Murphy's individual effort.
In the third period, the Blizzard found their legs once again, scoring two goals 27 seconds apart to tie the game at 2-2. Southern Minnesota survived numerous defensive miscues, relying on Nick Hopper's solid goaltending and a little bit of luck to reach the end of regulation play tied. In the overtime, Alexandria failed to cash in on two early scoring chances before the Express counterattacked with a high-speed rush that culminated in Ruff's game-winning goal.
The series resumes Saturday at 7:05 p.m. in Faribault. Tickets will be available at the door beginning one hour prior to game time.
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North American Hockey League Stories from March 31, 2006
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