JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Jacksonville Icemen continued their winning ways at home as they crushed the Reading Royals, 6-1, on Friday night. The Icemen have won their last three games at Veterans Memorial Arena with two games left on their current homestand.
Following a disappointing 6-2 loss to the Florida Everblades on Wednesday night, the Icemen were eager to find the back of the net on Friday. Just after the halfway mark in the first, Jimmy Lodge started an explosive first frame with a snipe from the left circle on the power play. It would only take 12 seconds for Jacksonville to strike again, as Christopher Dienes sent a cross-ice feed to Cody Fowlie for the second goal of the game. A mere 71 seconds after Fowlie’s goal, Bobby MacIntyre stole the puck in the defensive zone and skated down the ice before ripping a wrist shot past Branden Komm. Following MacIntyre’s goal, Komm was pulled for backup Mark Dekanich.
Jacksonville was not done yet, as Fowlie curled at the left circle and found Dajon Mingo streaking in on the net for the tap-in goal. Right before the period ended, Elgin Pearce took advantage of a bad clear by Dekanich and scored in close for the fifth Icemen goal. The Icemen scored five goals in the first period for the second time in team history.
In the second period, Lodge extended the Icemen’s lead to six with a spectacular goal. As Tanner Eberle’s penalty expired, Lodge skated end-to-end, made a quality toe-drag move on a sliding defender, and beat Dekanich five-hole. Jacksonville entered the third period with a six-goal advantage.
The Royals would get on the board early in the third as Ryan Penny circled the net and beat Austin Lotz far side. Lotz would shut down any chance of a miraculous third-period comeback and the Icemen cruised to one of their biggest wins in the 2017-18 season, presented by Community First Credit.
With Friday’s big win, Jacksonville is just six points behind Atlanta for a playoff berth. The Icemen next play when they meet the Florida Everblades on Friday, March 9th at 7:30 p.m.
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