Columbus, GA – The Blue Ridge Bobcats finished their sweep against the Columbus River Dragons on Saturday night, 5-4.
The opening twenty minutes was a slugfest. The River Dragons traded blows with the Bobcats on three occasions, ultimately leading to 15 minutes served by Columbus and 20 minutes served by Blue Ridge.
The River Dragons also had a power play opportunity following a Bench Minor call for Too Many Men against Nikita Kozyrev of Blue Ridge, but Columbus was unable to capitalize.
Within the first period, Nikita Kozyrev and Dustin Jesseau put up three points for the Blue Ridge Bobcats.
With twenty minutes come and gone, Blue Ridge led the River Dragons, 3-0.
The second frame was met with an onslaught of hard hits and a Blue Ridge dominance before the River Dragons flipped a switch and came alive.
Following goals by Daniel Martin and Carson Gallagher for Blue Ridge, River Dragons head coach Jerome Bechard gave the nod to bring in goaltender Trevor Babin, relieving Tyler Roy at 6:03.
Halfway through the frame, Tyler Barrow and Alex Storjohann delivered a one-two punch on Bobcats’ goaltender, Anthony Shrum, scoring at 10:52 and 11:06.
As the clock ticked down, Columbus pounded away on the Bobcats, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
After 40 minutes, the River Dragons trailed the Bobcats, 5-2.
In the final stretch of regulation, the River Dragons pushed with everything they had, but fell short.
Following a 2-minute minor against Bobcats’ Daniel Martin, Cody Wickline scored a PPG at 7:22.
With an extra attacker on the ice to provide the River Dragons a 6-on-5 advantage, Ryan Galvin put Columbus within one goal of tying the game with 75 seconds remaining.
Trevor Babin, coming back on the ice within the final minute, made a Superman save to keep the River Dragons alive. Columbus slammed away on the puck in front of the Bobcats’ net, but ran out of time, falling short of tying the game.
After replacing Tyler Roy in the net, Trevor Babin made 16 saves, allowing zero goals.
The Columbus River Dragons, now on a 5-game losing streak, will face the Athens Rock Lobsters on Sunday night on the road.
The Blue Ridge Bobcats return to Wytheville to face the Twin City Thunderbirds next week, meeting on Friday night at home.
Photos by Toni Rae Hill
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