Ice Bears Prevail Over Bolts In Shootout
December 21, 2024 - SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release
Tyler Williams scored a goal, added an assist and scored twice in the shootout - including the game-winner- and the Knoxville Ice Bears defeated the Evansville Thunderbolts 4-3 Saturday night at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
The Ice Bears have won three straight. The Thunderbolts have dropped seven of their last nine.
After Williams converted his attempt in the fifth round of the shootout with the Ice Bears down to their last shot, Stephen Mundinger stopped Matt Dorsey in the sixth round. Williams beat Ty Taylor again to complete a three-game weekend sweep for Knoxville over the past three days.
Dawson McKinney also scored in the shootout for Knoxville. Logan vande Meerakker and Vili Vesalainen scored in the shootout for Evansville.
Benjamin Lindberg finished off a breakaway at 9:23 to give Evansville the first goal of the game. After the Thunderbolts took the puck away in their own zone, Nolan McElhaney found Lindberg alone up the middle in the neutral zone. Lindberg skated to the slot and fired the puck low under Mundinger.
The Ice Bears tied the game three minutes later when Williams scored from the slot for his fourth of the year. Derek Osik carried the puck coast-to-coast into the Thunderbolts zone and made his way to the right circle. He turned back and slid it to center where Williams came through the slot and beat Ty Taylor at 12:30.
Brayden Stannard gave Knoxville its first lead of the night when he scored from in front of the crease with 29 seconds left in the first. Mitch Atkins fired a pass from the right-wing corner to the left circle where Stannard swept in and lifted a wrist shot over Taylor to make it 2-1.
Evansville tied the game near the end of a power play with a shot from the right circle by vande Meerakker at 8:08 of the second.
Osik gave Knoxville the lead again with a one-timer blast from the left circle on the man advantage at 11:10. Williams and Dalton Skelly worked the puck on the perimeter and Skelly fed it for Osik to tee off to score his fifth goal of the season.
Anthony Hora scored halfway through the third to force overtime.
Knoxville hosts Fayetteville on Thursday. Evansville heads to Quad City Thursday night.
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