Allen swats Killer Bees in playoff home opener

ALLEN, Texas – The Americans defeated the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 4-1 in their first round playoff home opener Thursday night.
The game was effectively over within the first five minutes as Allen tickled the twine three times with their first five shots on net, leaving the Bees in a deficit they were unable to overcome.  
 
Allen defenseman Jonathon Zion opened the scoring at the 2:40 mark, pulling a smooth deke on Nick Sucharski before sending a wrister from the top of the slot through the five hole of Bees netminder Juliano Pagliero.
 
Rio Grande ’s Dan Gendur was caught for holding, putting his team a man down 13 seconds later, allowing Allen’s special teams to go to work. Dave Bonk threaded a sharp pass from below the right face off circle to Judd Blackwater, who one-timed it home for his first of two goals on the night, increasing the Americans lead to 2-0. It would be the only power play goal of the night for the Americans despite having nine opportunities.
 
Just 43 seconds later, Blackwater struck again kicking a feed from Colton Yellow Horn off his skate up to his stick and beating Pagliero through traffic to put the Bees further in the hole, 3-0.
 
The Bonk, Blackwater and Yellow Horn line confounded the Bees all night with their speedy fore check and creative offensive game, dominating the flow of the play whenever they were on the ice. The line accounted for exactly half of the Americans’ 32 shots on net in the game and they played off one another with a level of intuitiveness that was almost supernatural. If they continue at this level, they will be a perpetual triple threat on the ice for their opponent in this series.
 
The beleaguered Bees were finally able to put some rubber on net at the 11 minute mark but their first two shots on goal was easily kicked aside by Allen’s Chris Whitley. Throughout the period, the Bees appeared rather timid and unsure of themselves, allowing Allen to steamroll them throughout the stanza. At the end of the first, the American domination of the period was evident on the scoreboard, leading 3-0 and out shooting Rio Grande 13-4.
 
The opening minutes of the second period saw the Americans pick up where they left off, firing three quality scoring chances at the Bees’ net where a revived Pagliero stood tall and made a couple of fantastic saves to keep the Bees in the contest.
 
At 6:17 of the second period, Zion once again put his name on the score sheet, firing a low, quick wrist shot along ice through Pagliero’s pads, putting the Americans up 4-0. The momentum at this point was firmly in the Americans’ favor and Allen, feeling comfortable, started to ease their foot off the accelerator slightly, midway through the middle frame.
 
The Americans were unable to capitalize on a two-man advantage but Nick Sucharski would breathe some life back into his club when Darcy Campbell hit him with a beautiful headman pass as he exited the penalty box late in the period. Sucharski skated in on the breakaway and drilled a shot past Whitley, scoring short handed and cutting the Americans lead to 4-1 at 17:43.
 
That goal woke the Americans back up and the tempo kicked up considerably through the remainder of the second and into the third period, which played to Allen’s strengths. The Bees however, didn’t lay down and die, putting forth their best offensive effort of the night in the waning minutes of the third period, working hard on the power play but frustrated by the Allen penalty kill unit repeatedly sacrificing the body, blocking shot after shot.
 
The series continues Friday evening at the Allen Event Center, where game two is slated for a 7:30 CST start. Allen currently leads the best of five series, 1-0.
 
Contact the writer at maurice.fitzgerald@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at chip.crail@prohockeynews.com