FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The Marksmen welcomed the Birmingham Bulls to the Crown Coliseum Saturday night for their first meeting of the 2018-2019 season. The Marksmen were hosting their Ugly Sweater/Teddy Bear Toss Night, when the Marksmen scored Teddy Bears get thrown on the ice. The Marksmen entered tonight’s game with a massive amount of momentum after beating the Rivermen back-to-back last weekend. The Bulls came into this meeting with a grudge after being beaten 4-2 by the Rail Yard Dawgs Thursday night.
As the puck dropped the Marksmen and Bulls began what was an intense first period of play. Evan Schultz was sent to the penalty box for a hooking penalty. Schultz’s penalty put the Marksmen on the power play for the first time in the game. Alfred Johansson delivered big for his new team tonight, finding the back of the net for his first goal of the season. As Johansson and his teammates celebrated, Teddy Bears covered the ice. The Marksmen and Bulls were evenly matched in terms of shots-on-goal, with the Marksmen leading the shots 7 to 6.
As the Marksmen and Bulls took to center ice, both teams were looking for that extra inch to give them the advantage. The Bulls wasted no time attacking the net, doing it fast and often. The Bulls persistence paid off as Loren Ulett forced his way passed Dillon Kelley, allowing the Bulls to tie things up at 1-1. Ulett’s goal ignited a spark the Bulls needed to pull the momentum in their favor. What proceeded was three more unanswered goals by the Bulls, giving the Bulls a 4-1 lead. After four unanswered goals, the Marksmen Head Coach Jesse Kallechy made the decision to pull starting Goaltender Dillon Kelley. As Kelley skated to the bench, Alex Murray found himself in the crease for the Marksmen.
“It was just one of those nights” Kallechy said about his decision to pull rookie netminder Dillon Kelley. “Obviously he wasn’t as sharp as he wanted to be, we weren’t playing great in front of him. We weren’t winning a lot of battles, so at that point you’re trying anything to get your team going. We hoped maybe by putting (Alex) Murray in, it’s sparks the bench but it didn’t work out that way.”
With the Marksmen in desperation mode, they needed something to lift them up and provide hope for their team. Tim Kielich saw his team struggling and much like he has done all season, Kielich scored a late goal to try and bring life into the Marksmen. Jacob Barber scored his second of the game nearing the conclusion of the second period.
With the Bulls scoring five goals in the second period, the Marksmen needed to find a way to stop the bleeding. On a Joe Osaka penalty, Jacob Barber scored his third goal of the night. With Barber’s hat-trick, that added salt to the wound of the Marksmen. The Marksmen managed to stop the bleeding for the remainder of the evening.
Photos by James Jackson
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