IceGators Beat Havoc in Goalie Duel
February 20, 2016 - SPHL (SPHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
LAFAYETTE, La.--Another night, another defensive battle between the Huntsville Havoc and the Louisiana IceGators.
The goalies took center stage Saturday night in the Cajundome, shutting down the opposing offenses consistently throughout the game.
However, Havoc goalie Kevin Genoe blinked first.
Dan Cornell scored after rebounding his own shot with 14:24 remaining in the game to give the IceGators a 1-0 victory. Dylan Hood and the newly-acquired Eric Witzel assisted on the play.
IceGator goalie was spectacular for again, stopping all 29 Huntsville shots. In the two games against Huntsville this weekend, Courchaine stopped 56 of the Havoc's 57 shots.
The IceGators return to the Frozen Swamp on Sunday for a matinée game against the Mississippi RiverKings. Game time is set for 3:05 p.m.
"That was a great defensive battle," IceGators head coach Drew Omicioli said. "We did a great job of keeping (Huntsville) outside, and because of that, they had only a few Grade-A opportunities. We forced them to take a lot of outside shots. Huntsville still did a very good job down low. Our forwards were cycling, but (the Havoc) kept their composure and limited our shots.
"We played an average first period, but after that, we allowed only 11 shots the rest of the way. (Courchaine) gave a phenomenal performance. He made the saves he needed to make tonight. Our six defensemen were spectacular again tonight. They've been so consistent for us, especially over the last six games. They've had to play a lot, but they are going to be instrumental in us pulling off the weekend sweep. Offensively, we had a lot of Grade A opportunities, but Genoe made some great saves that kept us off the board."
Two of those major chances came in the first period. Dylan Hood twice had an opportunity to score off busted Huntsville plays, but his attempts to be flashy gave Genoe enough time to recover and stop his shots.
Hood took advantage of a third busted play in the third period, feeding the puck to Cornell, who ripped a shot from the point, only to have it stopped by Genoe. Cornell hustled behind the net to recover the puck, and then came back in front of the net to shoot and score from point blank range.
"I have to give credit to Danny for picking up his own rebound and scoring a game-winner to give us this game. This game was so important for us because it puts us closer to moving up in the standings."
Omicioli says now that his team is healthy and now that he's getting players back from ECHL call-ups, his squad is ready to make a run for the playoffs.
"When we are healthy and have all of our guys back, I feel like we're one of the most difficult teams to play in the league," Omicioli said. "If we win (Sunday), we'll be only two points out of third place. We need the win and the points against Mississippi. We've proven that we're a force to be reckoned with, but we can't stop here. We have to continue to press on and move forward, and everyone in the locker room expects to be two points away from third after the game."
SPHL Stories from February 20, 2016
- Mayhem Gun Down Ice Flyers Again - Macon Mayhem
- IceGators Beat Havoc in Goalie Duel - Louisiana IceGators
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