FireAntz Start Season on Road

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – When the Fayetteville FireAntz started their two-a-day workouts for the 2008-09 Southern Professional Hockey League season at the Crown Coliseum, they had 23 players in camp adding three more later.  
The final roster shaped up with two goalies, 10 forwards, and six defensemen — 18 players total.   Coach Tommy Stewart had to make some tough decisions, which he handled personally by sitting down with each player that didn’t make the team.   Some players were secure from the farewell conversations with the coach.   Among those were forwards Jarrett Robertson and Marc Norrington, 2006 SPHL MVP Rob Sich, defensemen

Craig Geerlinks, and goalie Chad Collins, whose performance was a major factor in Fayetteville’s run to the President’s Cup in 2007.
In their first pre-season game, they traveled to Richmond to play against the Renegades. Despite scoring four goals, the FireAntz 5-4 fell to their hostss by a 5-4 final.   Dan Vandermeer scored twice in less than a five minute span covering the end of the second period and the start of the third to overcome a 3-1 deficit.   At that time Richmond had already trimmed their team to its final roster while Fayetteville cut eight players after that game.
Fayetteville began its regular season on the road Friday, October 24 by traveling to Knoxville to take on the defending champion Ice Bears.   The game was delayed 46 minutes because the FireAntz were delayed because of a car wreck on I-40.
Fayetteville opened the scoring in the first period on a goal by Carl Bresser, assisted by Jonas Carlenius. Knoxville tied the score late in the period with a power play goal by Jon Foster, who took a feed from Kevin Swider in the low circle and beat goalie Chad Collins with 2:04 remaining in the period.   
The highlight of the second stanza came when Ice Bears’ goalie Andrew Gallant stopped the FireAntz’ Rob Colangelo on a penalty shot, keeping the score deadlocked at 1-1.  
The Ice Bears scored early in the third on a goal by Mark VanVliet, putting them ahead of the FireAntz.   Trailing 2-1 with five minutes left, the FireAntz tied the score when Brad Johnston and Carl Bresser combined to set up Mike Ruberto who tapped in a cross-ice pass. Then Sich scooped a loose puck, sped behind Knoxville‘s net and tucked the puck between Gallant’s skate and the post for the game-winner with 1:05 remaining.
Following the win in Knoxville, the FireAntz got on their bus and headed back to Richmond.   This Saturday, however, the outcome would be much different than that of the pre-season game.
Jarrett Robertson opened the scoring in the first period for the FireAntz. Richmond answered back with two goals from Vandermeer and one from John Halvorson for the Renegades. Vandermeer’s second goal gave the hosts a 3-1 lead after the first minute of the second period.
Fayetteville would rally back with five straight goals.   Justin Keller scored three in a row, earning a natural hat trick, including the third-period tie-breaker, with assists from Corey Hessler and Craig Geerlinks. Colangelo and Jeff Genovy added power-play goals in the last period to put the game away as Fayetteville won going away by a 6-3 score.
Fayetteville goaltender Chad Collins stopped 34 shots, 10 more than Richmond’s goalie, Pierre-Olivier Girouard. Collins stopped all 11 shots in the final period and did not allow a goal over the final 39 minutes, 34 seconds. Fayetteville was called for six penalties, while Richmond had nine.
The 2-0 FireAntz will have their home opener on Halloween night, Friday October 31, against the Huntsville Havoc at the Crown Coliseum.
Contact the author at sue.cunningham@prohockeynews.com.
Contact the photographer at lisa.murphywood@prohockeynews.com