BILOXI, MS – For two periods, the number one team in the SPHL looked as though the first round of the playoffs was going to be a cakewalk. Unfortunately for the Mississippi Surge, hockey is a three-period sport. And the Knoxville Ice Bears needed all 60 minutes wear down goalie Bill Zaniboni and take the first game in the best-of-five series.
Knoxville’s Tyler Fletcher and David Segal had two goals each and goalie Bryan Hince stopped
Knoxville goalie Bryan Hince made 59 saves in the Ice Bears game one win over Mississippi (PHN photo by Stephanie Simpers)
The Ice Bears knew they were playing the underdog role heading into the series but didn’t show it early on. They recorded the first four shots of the game including a pair by Jeff Weeks within nine seconds of each other but Zaniboni kept the game scoreless.
Mississippi’s Jeff Grant was first to score after backhanding the puck past Hince at 8:34 in the first after a barrage of shots found the net minder scrambling in front of his net. Knoxville created very few scoring chances after that as the Surge dominated play. Hince was perfect after Grant’s tally, allowing the visitors to and head into the locker room for first intermission down by just one.
Heading into the playoffs, Mississippi had won 28 of 29 games when scoring first, but this isn’t the regular season, and, in the eyes of many including Knoxville rookie head coach Mike Craigen, all statistics zero out when it comes to the playoffs. Using that as motivation, Knoxville took to the ice for the second period knowing they needed to get more rubber in front of Zaniboni if they had any chance to take the lead. Hince’s acrobatic saves continued in opening minutes. When Mississippi’s Sean Wagner was sent to the penalty box for holding, Knoxville’s Jon Higgins was able to capitalize on the man-advantage by scoring off a pass from Eris Slais to tie the game at 1-1 at the 6:11 mark.
Always confident, especially when playing at home, the Surge responded to Higgins’ tally with more intense pressure. At the 16:51 mark, Mississippi’s Rusty Master deflected the puck past Hince to score on the power play to take back the lead. Less than a minute later, Adam Bartholomy connected on a pass from Ryan McCarthy to light the lamp and make it 3-1. Two more Knoxville penalties only hurt their chances of taking the lead from a team that was able to convert on one out of every five power plays during the regular season.
For two periods Mississippi dominated the shots on goal and was able to draw penalties against the Knoxville team. But if anyone knows how to steal a game in the third period, it would be the Ice Bears, who have outscored their opponents 69-50 in the last 20 minutes of play.
The third period started with four-on-four action until Knoxville’s Martin Kubaliak drew an interference penalty, giving Mississippi a four-on-three opportunity before going back to four-on-four action and finally even strength play. The tides turned for Knoxville when Fletcher tipped in a pass from Frank Furdero on a power play at the 6:14 to cut Mississippi’s lead to 3-2. Less than 40 seconds later, a shot off the stick of Segal rolled past Zaniboni to tie the game at three.
The sequence was stunning to say the least but it didn’t deter the Surge. Not giving up without a fight, Mississippi’s Matt Zultek took advantage of an Ice Bears defensive lapse and blasted one past Hince at 8:16 to give the Surge back their lead at 4-3.
It would have been a perfect time for Knoxville to pack it in but the visitors had much more left in the tank. Call it luck or perseverance or just sheer determination (and relief), but Jim Jensen connected for his first goal of the year when his 55-ft slap shot from the point got past Zaniboni to tie the game for the third time with just 5:32 left in regulation.
Shortly thereafter, Mississippi fans collectively held their breath as sniper Rob Sich was awarded a penalty shot. Usually lethal in a situation like this, Sich was unable to convert the opportunity against a defiant Zaniboni.
Even though Sich failed on the free chance, the Ice Bears had momentum squarely on their side. Never one to lose intensity,
Knoxville forward Tyler Fletcher had two goals and an assist to lead the Ice Bears (PHN Photo by Stephanie Simpers)
Down for the first time in the contest with the clock ticking away, the Surge turned up the heat looking for the tying score. Mississippi pulled Zaniboni for the extra attacker, but Segal scored his second goal of the game into the empty net with 35 seconds left, cementing the win and giving the Ice bears the lead in the series.
Game Notes: The 63 shots that Mississippi fired on Hince were two shot of the league record for a regulation time playoff game. Ironically, the record of 65 is held by Knoxville, which established the mark in 2006 against the Pee Dee Cyclones…Zaniboni recorded 21 saves in taking the loss, which was his first this season…The Surge’s vaunted power play was just 1-for-8 in the contest while the Ice Bears went 3-for-6 with the man advantage…Fletcher led the point parade in the game with three points on two goals and an assist…Mississippi’s Jason Beeman recorded an astounding ten shots on net while Fletcher led the Ice Bears with six…After Saturday’s game two in Biloxi, the series shifts to Knoxville next Friday for game three and Saturday for game four if necessary.
Kristina Shands is a media consultant with the Knoxville Ice Bears and contributing writer for the blog, Chicks Who Give a Puck.
Contact the author at kristina.shands@prohockeynews.com
