Pagnutti, Blades Prevail in Shootout
March 29, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Arkansas RiverBlades News Release
Matt Pagnutti scored in the 11th round of the shootout to give the Arkansas RiverBlades a 2-1 victory over the Louisiana IceGators Saturday night at the Alltel Arena, keeping hope alive for third place in the Southwest Division.
Scott Fankhouser made 39 saves in regulation, and stopped 7 of 11 in the shootout to get the win for the Blades.
Buddy Smith opened the scoring at 10:45 of the first period, as the Blades potent power-play struck again Smith poked home a rebound and gave the Blades the early edge. Mike Cirillo and Matt Pagnutti assisted on the play.
The score would stay that way until late in the third period, when Andrew Proskurnicki deflected a shot past Fankhouser to tie the game at 1-1 and send it into overtime.
In the overtime, each team played a tight-checking, aggressive style, and neither team was able to score, resulting in the shootout.
Jason Bermingham, Mike Cirillo, Terry Marchant, Jeremy Bachusz, and Matt Pagnutti all scored in the shootout as the Blades won the shootout 5-4 and the game 2-1.
For the game, Louisiana outshot Arkansas 40-25, and the IceGators were 0-for-3 on the power-play. Arkansas was 1-for-3 on the man advantage.
The RiverBlades conclude the regular season tomorrow night in Baton Rouge. With the Jackson win tonight, the Blades still trail the Bandits by 1 point for third place in the Southwest Division. Jackson hosts Louisiana tomorrow, so the playoff seeding will come down to the final day of the regular season.
The Blades play in Baton Rouge, beginning at 4 p.m. All games can be heard on the CSN Radio Network, FM 101 The River, and on the Internet at www.riverblades.com.
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