Pensacola Edges IceGators in Shootout
January 25, 2013 - SPHL (SPHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
Lafayette, Louisiana--What was expected to be a match between two of the best offenses in the SPHL turned into a goalie battle. After a night of multiple missed opportunities by both teams, the Pensacola IceFlyers squeaked by with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Louisiana IceGators. Tyler Soehner scored the game-winner in the twelfth round of the tiebreaker.
The IceGators and IceFlyers meet again Saturday night in Pensacola. Game time is 7:05 P. M.
"Hockey doesn't get any better than that," said IceGators coach Kevin Kaminski. "I'm very proud of the way the boys played tonight. They played hard and smart, and they played their hearts out. It's just one of those nights where we got great chances but couldn't convert."
"We were a little bit off," he continued. "But you have to give Pensacola credit. They played a good first period, and their goalie played great."
"Great" is an understatement of Ross MacKinnon's performance. The Pensacola goalie stopped 43 of 44 Louisiana shots--a save percentage of .978.
"[MacKinnon] didn't put himself out of position," Kaminski said. "He played big, and you're going to get those nights when you're going to get a hot goalie. We had some unbelievable chances, but he was just on tonight."
IceGator goalie Riley Gill wasn't bad, either. Gill stopped 32 of Pensacola's 33 shots in regulation and overtime, giving him a save percentage of .969 for the game.
Pensacola scored first on a Ryan Salvis shot late in the first period. Louisiana tied the game less than two minutes into the second period thanks to a Cody Zubko goal. Ron Cramer and Soehner scored for Pensacola in the shootout, while Jordan Foreman scored for the IceGators.
Despite the loss, Kaminski is optimistic about his teams future. He also encourages fans to hang on for the ride ahead. "The fans have to be happy with that performance," he said. "Yes, it would have been nice to get the win and see them erupt, but now we have to build off this game and get a better result tomorrow."
SPHL Stories from January 25, 2013
- Pensacola Edges IceGators in Shootout - Louisiana IceGators
- Ice Bears Stumble at Home - Knoxville Ice Bears
- 'Hawks Claim Victory Over Ice Bears, 3-2 - Augusta RiverHawks
- RiverKings Add Two - Mississippi RiverKings
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