Ice Defense Stands Tall in 5-2 Victory
Published on November 11, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Indiana Ice News Release
After surrendering 32 goals during a six-game losing streak, the Indiana Ice clamped down defensively and won their second straight with a 5-2 victory Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Drew Smolcynski had a pair of goals and Mikhail Plotnikov contributed two assists on Indy's first two scores to lead the attack.
Dalton Izyk, who beat the Green Bay Gamblers Friday with a 37-save effort in a 2-1 victory, stopped 26 more shots in net for Indiana.
The Ice built a 3-0 lead through two periods but things got interesting in the final stanza after Chicago's Christian Heil notched a pair of goals 34 seconds apart in the nine minute mark of the third period to cut the Indy lead to 3-2.
Smolcynski built the advantage back to two-goals when he buried a shot on the power play 7:09 before the final horn. Tyler Pham and Austin Ortega assisted on the score which gave the hosts a 4-2 lead.
"It was a rolling puck and I just one-timed it," Smolcynski commented. "Everyone wanted to turn things around and this is a lot more fun."
The fun increased when he scored a short-handed goal with 42 seconds remaining to seal the 5-2 victory.
Canon Pieper got Indiana on the board 4:51 after the opening faceoff. He recorded his second goal of the season from a scrum in front of the Steel net. Visitor goaltender Chris Neil was layed flat out in the crease chasing a rebound of a Plotnikov shot and Pieper beat Neil to the puck. Joe Fiala also earned an assist on the opening score.
"It was great playing against my former teammates in Chicago," commented Pieper. "It is satisfying to beat those guys."
Woody Hudson gave the Ice their first two-goal lead with a huge assist from Alex Talcott. Talcott strong-armed the puck from a pair of Steel players at the half-wall and fed Hudson on his seventh lamplighter of the campaign. Plotnikov assisted on both first period scores.
The only score of the second period came after Austin Ortega stopped the Steel from clearing their defensive zone. Ortega's poke check ended up on the stick of Adam Johnson who returned the puck to Ortega. His shot with 3:07 remaining in the stanza gave the hosts a 3-0 lead.
United States Hockey League Stories from November 11, 2012
- World Jr. A Challenge Champion: U.S. Jr. Select Team Tops Canada West in Title Game - U.S. National Team
- Stork Scores Twice, But Phantoms Fall Short against Gamblers - Youngstown Phantoms
- Ice Defense Stands Tall in 5-2 Victory - Indiana Ice
- U.S. National Under-17 Team Clinches 2012 Four Nations Tournament Title with Win over Switzerland - U.S. National Team
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