Special Teams Leads IceGators to Victory over Thunder
November 24, 2013 - SPHL (SPHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
Lafayette, La.--The cornerstone of the Louisiana IceGators' play so far this season has been their special teams.
That was evident Saturday night, as the IceGators scored three power play goals en route to a 5-2 victory over the Bloomington Thunder. Louisiana's top-ranked penalty kill was perfect against the Thunder, stopping all three of Bloomington's power play opportunities.
The IceGators return to action Wednesday when they travel to face the Pensacola IceFlyers. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
"I thought it was a very solid 60 minutes of IceGator hockey," said IceGators head coach Kevin Kaminski. "I thought we did a lot of good things. We were physical. We got the puck deep and established the forecheck. Our cycle was good. Our track pressure was excellent. The guys stuck to our foundation and found a way to get the win."
The IceGators fell into a hole four minutes into the first period when Patrick Schafer scored to put Bloomington up 1-0.
Louisiana recovered, scoring two power play goals later in the first period. Tyler Lyon scored at the 8:09 mark of the period, while Shawn McNeil gave the IceGators the lead at the 9:14 mark.
Adam Stuart tacked on another goal early in the second period, giving the IceGators a 3-1 lead with 12:18 left in the frame.
The Thunder finally responded with 9:31 remaining in the second period, when Travis Granbois scored to cut Louisiana's lead to two goals.
However, Louisiana put the game out of reach in the third period. Chris Wilson scored one minute into the final frame, while Brett Peppler added an empty-netter with 1:35 left in the game.
Kaminski said he urged his team to keep their composure when they surrendered the early lead.
"I told them that we were fine and to start winning every shift," Kaminski said. "We then got a great power play goal by Lyon. He had good anticipation and great execution.
"(Friday), we lost the second period. I told them in the locker room during the first intermission that we have to win the second period tonight. And we did."
Kaminski recognizes the importance of next weekend's series with Pensacola, noting that it will determine the leader in the SPHL's standings.
"This is a big two-game series for us," Kaminski said. "It doesn't get any better than this. You have two teams tied for first place going at it, so you can expect both of them to leave everything on the ice. We just have to keep pushing forward, be a little better than we were today, and keep finding ways to win."
SPHL Stories from November 24, 2013
- Rivermen Trade for Physical Defenseman - Peoria Rivermen
- Rivermen Fall to Ice Flyers, 3-2 in Overtime - Peoria Rivermen
- RiverKings Score Early; Knock off Havoc - Mississippi RiverKings
- Ice Flyers Win 3-2 Again, Sweep Peoria - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Havoc lose to RiverKings - Huntsville Havoc
- Special Teams Leads IceGators to Victory over Thunder - Louisiana IceGators
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