SPHL Knoxville Ice Bears

New Additions Pivotal in Ice Bears Victory

Published on December 12, 2010 under SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release


Augusta, GA - Five minutes into the game, down 2-0 the Ice Bears looked destined to extend the losing streak to five games. Instead of taking undisciplined penalties and forcing the play as in the past, the Ice Bears stuck to their game plan, worked on every inch of the ice to pull out a 5 - 3 victory in Augusta.

Bus legs have been an issue on the road for the Ice Bears and tonight was no exception. Giving up a goal: 17 seconds into the game on a goal from Aaron McGill put Knoxville in a hole right out of the gate. The game seemed to be heading toward another IceHawks victory when a harmless shot from defenseman Jason Weeks deflected off of a couple of players and found its way between the legs of Ice Bears' goaltender Andrew Gallant.

Down by two very early in the game the Ice Bears stuck with the game plan Head Coach Mike Craigen had been preaching through a quarter season. Hard checking and responsible play started to swing the momentum of the game in favor of the Ice Bears. It wasn't until the final two minutes of the period before Knoxville found the back of the net.

Ice Bears forward Eric Slais got a shot on net that was kick out by RiverHawks goalie Jordan McLaughlin to a hard charging Josef Kubaliak who fired a blistering shot right under the cross bar for his first goal as an Ice Bears. The shot was so hard it knocked McLaughlin's water bottle ten feet off of the net.

Not wanting to go into the first intermission down, rookie forward Eric Slais beat McLaughlin at 18:51 for his third tally of the season.

Starting the second period, Knoxville continued with their strong play and took the lead when Mark Van Vliet stepped out of the penalty box and immediately picked up the puck breaking into the Augusta zone two on one with Brett Valliquette, who finished off the play by burying the puck for his first professional goal into the twine at 8:20 of the second period.

Despite controlling the play for most of the game, fortune fell on Augusta again when Weeks dumped the puck into the Knoxville zone. Knoxville's David Segal swung and the puck that glanced off his stick and bounced over Gallant's head to draw the RiverHawks even 3 - 3.

The play of Tyler Fletcher is really starting to pay off. While many times his name does not register on the score sheet, he is proving pivotal in creating opportunities for the Ice Bears. Fletcher's speed and aggressive forchecking led to the Ice Bears forth goal of the evening. He barreled down on a RiverHawk defenseman with a devastating hit to pop the puck loose for Slais where he pick it up from behind the net and fed Rob Campbell for his second goal of the season.

Ice Bears feisty forward Frank Furdero, is quickly becoming the player SPHL teams dread playing. His ability to agitate and get players off their game is an added element to his play. His comedic but agitating style occasionally lands him in hot water with the officiating crew.

After ending up in the box after showcasing his talents and errant Augusta possession managed to find the puck on the end of Furdero's stick as he stepped out of the penalty box, leaving the Ice Bear forward breaking in alone on the Augusta netminder. After a few quick moves Furdero scored an unassisted goal to put the Ice Bears up by two for the first time in the game.

The third period saw no scoring and due to the limited scoring opportunities by both teams. Both teams were scoreless on the power play despite numerous opportunities throughout the game.

The Ice Bears are on the road Friday in Fayetteville to battle the bitter rival FireAntz and travel home Saturday to host the Louisiana Ice Gators for Guaranteed Fight Night. Puck drops at 7:30 pm at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. For more information call 865-525-7825 or visit www.knoxvilleicebears.com.

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SPHL Stories from December 12, 2010


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