HARTFORD, Conn. – Spencer Machacek’s goal at 7:55 of the third period lifted the St. John’s IceCaps to a 3-2 victory over the Connecticut Whale Sunday at the XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Hartford.
Machacek, the IceCaps leading scorer during the 2011-12 season, also assisted on the game-tying goal earlier in the contest. With three points in the club’s first two games, it appears the 24-year-old forward has picked up where he left off last season.
Zach Redmond and Maxime Macenauer also scored for St. John’s in the victory. Alexander Burmistrov and Hunter Tremblay each picked up a pair of assists for the IceCaps, with Machacek and Ivan Telegin adding one helper apiece.
Kyle Jean and Kris Newbury scored for Connecticut on Sunday, while J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider, Sean Collins and Logan Pyett added assists for the Whale.
Mark Dekanich stopped 35 shots to earn the win in net for the IceCaps. Scott Stajcer made 22 saves in a losing effort for Connecticut. Both teams went two-for-five on the power play.
Connecticut opened the scoring in Sunday’s contest with a power play goal from Newbury at 12:04 of the first period. The IceCaps tied the game when Macenauer backhanded a pass from Tremblay past Stajcer at 17:35 of the opening frame.
Jean’s goal, a power play marker, put the Whale up 2-1 at 5:14 of the second period. The IceCaps again drew even when Redmond took a pass from Machacek and beat Stajcer with a wrist shot from the slot with just four seconds remaining in the middle period. Redmond’s goal was also scored on the power play.
Machacek put St. John’s ahead at 7:55 of the third period when he fired a loose puck past Stajcer and into the Connecticut net.
The game’s three stars were Machacek, Tremblay and Jean respectively.
St. John’s takes to the ice again on Friday, Oct. 19 when they host the Adirondack Phantoms at Mile Once Centre. The game will be the IceCaps 2012-13 home opener and a capacity crowd is expected.
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