FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Two games, two blowouts with double digit combined scoring. The biggest question prior to game three between the Fayetteville FireAntz and Columbus Cottonmouths was whether either team had remembered how to play defense. The answer came Sunday night as Emery Olauson scored 55 seconds into the first overtime to lift the home standing FireAntz to a 4-3 victory and a two games to one lead in the best-of-five SPHL semifinal series. Fayetteville can move on to the President’s Cup finals with a victory in game four Monday night on home ice at the Crown Coliseum. “I don’t think both teams were at their best. It wasn’t as high energy as the first two games, that’s for sure,” Fayetteville coach Tommy Stewart said. “It was a little bit back and forth, a little bit of a sloppy game I think, just teams trying not to make a mistake and it came down to the wire.” Following a wild two games in Columbus and a bus r ide to Fayetteville that had both teams doing tornado drills, the FireAntz were finally home with a chance to win two and take the series. They came out flying, forcing turnovers and pressing on offense. The one thing they didn’t count on was Columbus goalie Chad Rycroft being a wall. Rycroft stopped shot after shot, even denying Rob Sich twice on break-ins and game two hero Rob Colangelo. “We put pressure on him (Rycroft) giving up a couple of breakaways to Rob Sich. Chad shut the door and stood up to all of it,” Columbus coach Jerome Bechard said. “He gave us a chance to stay in the game and win. He did his job.” Rycroft’s work allowed the Cottonmouths to take advantage of a late four-on-three power play. Sam Bowles fed the puck to Mat Ponto at the point and with Lorne Misita providing a screen, Ponto deposited a slap shot past Guy St. Vincent at the 14:15 mark for a 1-0 lead that Columbus took to the intermission. Columbus doubled its lead less than a minute into the second as Orrin Hergott continued his torrid scoring, converting a pass from Ryan McCarthy at the :44 mark. Fayetteville finally dented Rycroft 49 seconds later as Dan Buccella scored on a power play to cut the margin to 2-1. The Cottonmouths pushed the lead back to two goals midway through the stanza when Misita fed Kyle Lundale for a shorthanded tally, beating St. Vincent to p side. The momentum was with Columbus until the final minute of the period. Already playing four-on-four hockey, the Cottonmouths were called for a penalty, giving the FireAntz a four-on-three advantage. They made Columbus pay when Lawne Snyder launched a bomb from the point that beat Rycroft to make it 3-2 going to the third. “We got goaded into a penalty that made it four-on-four and then took another penalty to make it four-on-three with a minute left and obviously their second goal with a minute left to go in the second helped them out,” Bechard said. The third period turned into a showcase for the net minders as Rycroft and St. Vincent took turns making save after save. Finally with 3:30 remaining in regulation, Olauson and Brett Needham combined to set up Buccella for his second of the game, tying the score and setting up a mad dash to the buzzer. Both goalies held their ground, sending the game into overtime. As the extra period started, Fayetteville began trying to push deep in the Columbus end. Finally, Buccella was able to work the puck free and found Olauson alone in front for the game winner. “It was just strictly hard work. They really deserved the goal because they just work hard down low and they threw it on the net and it win,” Stewart said about the Buccella-Olauson-Needham=2 0line that produced the tying and game winning goals. “They’re a great fore-checking line. They fore-check real hard and that’s what they did. They got the puck from their defenseman and he (Buccella) made a pass out front and Ollie buried it.” Now Columbus has its collective back against the wall, knowing it has to win Monday night to force a game five on Wednesday back home. Bechard said that this is not a new situation for his team and he expects his players to respond. “There’s no reason to panic. There’s no reason to change the game plan,” he said. “Our backs have been up against the wall the whole year. We know what pressure is all about. We know what we need to do. We’ve got a resilient group of guys.” In the other locker room, Stewart knows that Columbus will be doing everything it can to stay alive. “Columbus has got a good team. They’re full of veteran guys over there,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll be at their best tomorrow night.” Game notes…Columbus’ Hergott now has five goals to lead the SPHL in playoff goals scored. On the other side, Fayetteville’s Buccella (4-4-8) and Olauson (2-6-8) are tied for the lead in overall points…Cottonmouth forward McCarthy has seven assists throug h three games. He is also carrying a plus-7 rating…In a role reversal from the regular season, Fayetteville’s penalty killing is second best in the post season at an 84.62 percent kill rate, allowing only two goals in 13 times short. Columbus, the best PK team during the season, has allowed 5 goals in 19 times short for a 73.68 percent kill rate which is only third best…Flip the numbers around and the FireAntz’ power play is hot at a 26.32 percent success rate, only bested by Knoxville’s 30 percent (6-20), while Columbus is third best at 15.38 percent…Game four is set for a 7 P.M. start time in Fayetteville Monday night. Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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