LAFAYETTE, LA – Whether it is the top stars or the third line grinders, winning playoff hockey games takes a complete team effort. Everyone is expected to make a contribution.
Riding the play of its third line and stellar goaltending from Ian Vigier, the Columbus Cottonmouths downed the Louisiana IceGators 4-2 in game one of their best-of-three opening round SPHL playoff series Tuesday night in Lafayette. The second-seeded Cottonmouths can close the series out with a win Thursday on home ice.
With the Cajundome unavailable later in the week, the series opened at the home of the seventh-seeded IceGators just three days after the end of the regular season. Early on, Louisiana tested Vigier, who earlier in the day had been named to the All-SPHL first team, but the veteran netminder was equal to the task. He had to be especially sharp during an IceGators power play when Tyler Lyon had back-to-back shots from in close. Louisiana goalie Jeff Rose was equally tough in the early stages, making some solid saves to keep it scoreless.
The Cottonmouths finally broke the ice at the 9:16 mark of the opening period thanks to the hard work of Peter MacDougall, Sam Bowles and Mitch Wall. MacDougall put a testing shot on Rose that the IceGators goalie stopped but failed to control the rebound. Bowles jumped on the puck and fired a second shot that Rose knocked down. When the puck fell into the crease, Bowles was the first to get to it and poked it home out of the scramble.
The IceGators, playing in the post-season for the first time since joining the SPHL, kept digging and were able to tie the game late in the period. Off of an offensive zone face-off, Brayden Metz, who was named to the league’s All-Rookie team on Monday, fed Shawn McNeil who beat Vigier with 3:38 to go before the intermission.
With the momentum on the side of the IceGators following the late goal, Columbus needed a response and got it early in the second. Three minutes in, Wall set up MacDougall who beat Rose for his first goal of the playoffs. Just 37 seconds later, Derek Pallardy broke into the Louisiana zone and fed linemate Orrin Hergott who found the back of the net to put the visitors up by two, stunning the IceGators and their fans.
Louisiana coach Kevin Kaminski rallied his troops and they responded by upping the tempo. The IceGators had the advantage in play and in shots over the final ten minutes of the middle stanza but Vigier continually frustrated them. Rose tightened up on his end of the ice, stopping every Cottonmouths shot after the Hergott tally to keep his team within two heading to the final period.
Looking to get back into the game, Louisiana continued to carry the play in the front half of the third period, out-shooting Columbus five to two. The pressure paid off when just after failing on a power play opportunity, second team all-SPHL forward Jay Hill fed Sean Murray who put the puck past Vigier to cut the margin to one. Just under two minutes later, the Cottonmouths responded when all-rookie forward Greg Beller scored to reestablish the two goal lead. From there, Columbus’ defense clamped down on the IceGators to seal the win.
Game Notes: Louisiana out-shot Columbus 30-23 in the game…The game produced just four penalties with each team getting whistled twice. Both teams failed on their two power play chances…Columbus rookie defenseman Andrew Krelove, who was also named to the all-rookie team on Monday, notched two assists in his first playoff game.
Contact the author at lee.marion@prohockeynews.com
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