SPHL Knoxville Ice Bears

Hat-Trick Hero McKinney Give Ice Bears Overtime Win in Huntsville

Published on February 18, 2024 under SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release


Dawson McKinney scored in overtime to complete his first career hat-trick and the Knoxville Ice Bears rallied to defeat the Huntsville Havoc 3-2 Sunday evening at Propst Arena.

The Ice Bears have won five of their last seven games. Huntsville has dropped four straight.

Huntsville appeared to have won the game two minutes into the bonus period when Eric Henderson put back a rebound past Sean Kuhn after the puck leaked out in front of him, but the goal was waived off as referee Dan Fenduis had already stopped play with the whistle.

McKinney kept the puck in at the Huntsville blue line and carried in through the right circle. He powered his way through the dot and lifted a shot over Brian Wilson's glove inside the short-side post for his third goal of the game and tenth of the season. It's also his third overtime-winner this year.

McKinney redirected a shot from Rex Moe in front of the crease to finish off a two-on-one and tie the game at 13:12 of the third period. Moe took the puck in the neutral zone to create the odd-man rush and toe dragged into the left hash before McKinney got his stick on the ensuing shot.

Moe dangled his way into the Huntsville slot and managed to get a shot off for Knoxville's first scoring chance of the game, but Wilson stopped the shot with the trapper. Huntsville collected a loose puck in the trapezoid and moved it in front of the crease, but the ensuing shot hit the post and sat in the blue ice before Kuhn poke-checked it away. The Ice Bears killed off the only power play of the first period and the game remained scoreless at the first intermission.

The Ice Bears scored early in the second when McKinney beat Wilson five-hole from the right circle. McKinney blocked a shot in the perimeter and chased the loose puck up the right wing. He carried through the circle and split Wilson's pads for his eighth of the season at 1:37.

Matt Doran tied the game for Huntsville with a power play goal less than three minutes later. After Seth Ensor was given a two-minute minor for kneeing, Doran fired a shot from the blue line that made its way through a screen and past Kuhn at 4:29.

Cole McKechney nearly gave Knoxville the lead again, but his drag shot from the right circle zipped off the crossbar. Huntsville mounted a flurry of chances in the final minutes of the second, but Kuhn kept the game tied and later turned away Dylan Stewart's breakaway with less than two minutes remaining in the second to keep the score deadlocked at the break.

Buster Larsson gave Huntsville its first lead after Mason Palmer made a play from his knees to keep the puck in the zone. Stewart slipped the puck from the corner to the left circle and Larsson beat Kuhn up high at 10:51.

Kuhn finished with 55 saves in his Ice Bears debut. Wilson made 20 stops for the Havoc. The Ice Bears were outshot 57-23.

Knoxville returns home to face Pensacola on Friday. The Havoc host Roanoke Friday night.

Check out the Knoxville Ice Bears Statistics

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SPHL Stories from February 18, 2024


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