Ice Bears Raise Banner, Open Season With Win Over Bolts
October 21, 2022 - SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release
Knoxville Ice Bears' BRADY FLEURENT in action
(Knoxville Ice Bears)
Brady Fleurent scored twice in the third period and the Knoxville Ice Bears rallied to beat the Evansville Thunderbolts 4-2 in Friday's season opener at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
Justin MacDonald and Cole McKechney also scored for Knoxville and Kristian Stead made 23 saves as the Ice Bears gave new Head Coach Brent Clarke a win in his SPHL debut.
With Knoxville trailing 2-0 late in the second period, MacDonald scored from a one-timer at the right circle with 12 seconds remaining to cut the deficit in half. Dino Balsamo fed the puck to MacDonald in transition to setup a power play goal for Knoxville's captain.
McKechney tied the game at 7:42 of the third with a wrist shot from the left circle. McKechney zipped the puck through the legs of an Evansville defenseman, over the left shoulder of Hank Johnson and inside the far side post for his first goal as an Ice Bear.
Fleurent put Knoxville ahead to stay when he finished off a two-on-one at 8:44. After Stead made a stop from a close-range shot in the slot, Brett Ouderkirk broke the puck out of the zone and took it down the left side on an odd-man rush. He slid the puck past Tanner Butler over to Fleurent, who put it past an outstretched Johnson to give Knoxville its first lead of the night.
Fleurent scored again at 17:09 with a backhand over Johnson's right pad. Nick Pryce checked the puck free in the left corner and lifted a backhanded saucer pass to Fleurent in front, who finished the play to provide an insurance marker for Knoxville.
Fredrik Wink and Aaron Huffnagle scored for Evansville. Johnson made 26 saves.
The two teams will head back to Evansville Saturday for the back end of a home-and-home series.
Images from this story
 Knoxville Ice Bears' BRADY FLEURENT in action |
SPHL Stories from October 21, 2022
- Thunderbolts Edged 4-2 in Season Opener at Knoxville - Evansville Thunderbolts
- Dawgs Bite Marksmen 4-2 on Opening Night - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Latinovich Earns Shutout in First Start - Huntsville Havoc
- Ice Bears Raise Banner, Open Season With Win Over Bolts - Knoxville Ice Bears
- Dawgs Bite Marksmen 4-2 on Opening Night - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Rivermen Announce Roster, Captains for 2022-23 - Peoria Rivermen
- Mistakes Prove Costly in Ice Flyers' Season-Opening Loss - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Nutkevitch Earns Hat-Trick in Season Opener - Huntsville Havoc
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Knoxville Ice Bears Stories
- Ice Bears Announce 13-Player Protected List
- Incredible Run Ends for Knoxville in President's Cup Finals
- Ice Bears Drop Heartbreaker in Game One of Finals
- Ice Bears Advance to Finals with 4-2 Win over Bulls
- Not Done Yet: Ice Bears Force Game Three with 5-1 Win
