Knight Monsters Ring in the New Year with Thrilling OT Win
January 3, 2025 - ECHL (ECHL)
Tahoe Knight Monsters News Release
Tahoe Knight Monsters' Jake McGrew on game night
(Tahoe Knight Monsters)
What a way to start the new year.
In their first game of 2025, the Tahoe Knight Monsters executed a comeback victory in overtime, defeating the Maine Mariners 3-2. Brennan Kapcheck scored the game-sealing goal, Simon Pinard tallied his 18th goal of the season, and netminder Jordan Papirny was sensational to secure the win.
With this victory, the Knight Monsters have now won five of their last 6 overtime contests, and the two points help them keep pace with Kansas City at the top of the Mountain Division.
There was furious back-and-forth action in the first period, with Maine carding multiple grade-A scoring chances. But Papirny stayed sharp throughout, making some incredible saves in the process.
But the Mariners struck first on a two-on-one bid by Jimmy Lambert to open the scoring with under two minutes to go in the opening frame.
Just 90 seconds later, the Knight Monsters responded on the power play, as Simon Pinard ripped a wrister past Maine netminder Ryan Bischel to tie up the game. The power play goal was his 8th of the season, tying his total from last year with Savannah and putting him atop the ECHL leaderboard.
Tahoe flipped the script in the second, outshooting Maine 15-8 and dominating the high danger looks. But it was the Mariners that took the lead back on a wicked wrister from Lynden McCallum that made it 2-1.
Enter Jake McGrew, who put together an unstoppable sequence with three chances in a row on the doorstep, burying his third to tie the game at two. It was his ninth goal of the season and game at the exact right time, just four minutes after the Knight Monsters ceded the lead.
Papirny shined the brightest in the third, saving all 13 shots he saw. He would end up finishing the contest with 34 saves on 36 shots for his seventh win of the season.
Neither team scored in the third period, and the buzzer sounded to signal Tahoe's third trip to overtime in the past week.
And it only took Kapcheck 42 seconds to finish the job.
He took a stretch pass from Bear Hughes for a breakaway to the net, and pulled off a fantastic move on Bischel to find the five-hole and win the game for Tahoe.
The Knight Monsters improve their record to 19-8-2-1 and have now won three straight heading into game two against Maine. Puck drop on Saturday is slated for 3 pm. And, after every Knight Monsters home game check out a postgame party at AleWorX Stateline for wood-fired pizza, self-serve beer, and great scenery.
#TessTheWaters
Images from this story
 Tahoe Knight Monsters' Jake McGrew on game night |
ECHL Stories from January 3, 2025
- Ethan Haider Wins Seventh Straight Start, Glads Win 3-2 In The Shootout Over The Stingrays - Atlanta Gladiators
- Oilers Shut Out Rush To Kick Off 2025 With Bang - Tulsa Oilers
- Bison Fall a Goal Short in First Game of 2025 - Bloomington Bison
- Steelheads Fall 4-1 to Grizzlies - Idaho Steelheads
- Oilers Shut Out Rush, 5-0 - Rapid City Rush
- Americans Fall Short in Kansas City - Allen Americans
- Stingrays Fall to Gladiators in a Shootout - South Carolina Stingrays
- Mavericks Start 2025 Undefeated with a 5-2 Victory Over Allen - Kansas City Mavericks
- Admirals' Late Comeback Falls Short In Loss Against Nailers - Norfolk Admirals
- Red-Hot Blades Win Fourth Straight - Florida Everblades
- Worcester Drops Icecats Opener in a Shootout - Worcester Railers HC
- Thunder Opens 2025 With Shutout Win Over Heartlanders - Wichita Thunder
- Emoff's Career Night Powers Swamp Rabbits to First Win of 2025 - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Carriere Dominates With 44 Saves To Shut Out Iowa, 5-0 - Iowa Heartlanders
- Lions Start the New Year with Dominating Win - Trois-Rivieres Lions
- Knight Monsters Ring in the New Year with Thrilling OT Win - Tahoe Knight Monsters
- Gylander Makes 44 Saves in Win Versus Fort Wayne - Toledo Walleye
- Nailers Hold Off Admirals, 5-4 - Wheeling Nailers
- Fuel Sell Out Friday and Defeat K-Wings on Glow Night - Indy Fuel
- K-Wings Downed by Indy Fuel - Kalamazoo Wings
- Lions Explode For 7-2 Win Over Thunder - Adirondack Thunder
- Puck Drop Time Changed for Mavericks Game Tomorrow, January 4 - Kansas City Mavericks
- ECHL Transactions - January 3 - ECHL
- Kansas City Mavericks Sign Goaltender Logan Neaton - Kansas City Mavericks
- K-Wings Acquire Forward Blake Christensen from Knight Monsters - Kalamazoo Wings
- Knight Monsters Begin the New Year with Flurry of Roster Moves - Tahoe Knight Monsters
- Grizzlies Gameday: First Game of 2025 Calendar Year - Utah Grizzlies
- ECHL Announces Suspension - ECHL
- Kansas City's Borchardt Named Warrior Hockey/ECHL Player of the Month - ECHL
- Cade Borchardt Named ECHL Player of the Month of December - Kansas City Mavericks
- Swamp Rabbits Receive John Parker-Jones from Ontario - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Tahoe's Stanick Named Howies Hockey Tape/ECHL Rookie of the Month - ECHL
- Wichita Opens 2025 Tonight at Home vs. Iowa - Wichita Thunder
- Game Day #27 - Lions de Trois-Rivières vs. Adirondack Thunder - Trois-Rivieres Lions
- Rush Game Notes: January 3, 2025 vs. Tulsa Oilers - Rapid City Rush
- Alexis Gravel Returned to Solar Bears from Belleville Senators - Orlando Solar Bears
- William Rousseau Named ECHL Goaltender of the Month - Iowa Heartlanders
- Iowa's Rousseau Named Warrior Hockey/ECHL Goaltender of the Month - ECHL
- Americans Open a Weekend Series in Kansas City - Allen Americans
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.
