Columbus, GA – In the second match-up in this three-game weekend series, the Columbus River Dragons took on the Motor City Rockers at home in front of 3,096 local fans.
In just the first twenty minutes of gameplay, both teams played solid hockey and avoided committing any infractions, allowing a total of six goals to be scored between them.
The River Dragons struck first, using fast puck movement and good positioning to overtake the Motor City defense. At 1:45, Austin Daae found the back of the net to kick of what would turn into a high-scoring game.
Alexander Jmaeff tacked on another for the Dragons at 5:30, scoring on Sequoia Swan’s rebound.
Justin MacDonald, in a rush to keep his league-record scoring streak going, scored at 7:07 on an assist by Hunter Bersani to put the Dragons up over Motor City, 3-0.
At the 8:28 mark, Scott Coash answered the Dragons’ call and put the Rockers on the board, making it 3-1.
At 12:09, Nicholas Magill-Diaz closed the gap even further for Motor City on a scrambled Dragons’ defense to keep the Rockers in the game.
MacDonald hit back at 15:30, creating another two-point lead for the Dragons, ending the first period.
The second period heated up as both squads showing signs of their distaste for each other, leading to minutes spent in the box.
Alex Storjahann and Josh Pietrantonio spread the gap over the Rockers to 5-1 with back-to-back goals scored at 5:42 and 5:53, respectively.
The arena began to heat up with several skirmishes, although none lead to penalties called until 15:14 played in the second frame when Nathan Balkwill was called for cross-checking. Soon after the game returned to even-strength, Alexander Jmaeff (River Dragons) and Nicholas Magill-Diaz (Rockers) were called for holding against each other.
Lane King kept the Rockers alive, scoring on a well-laid pass by TJ Sneath at 19:20 to close out the second period, 6-3.
The third frame kicked off in a frenzy. In just 53 seconds, Kirk Underwood drilled one into the back of the net to put the River Dragons up, 7-3.
Nick Gullo hammered back-to-back goals on Hunter Virostek’s net at 7:20 and 7:47, to put the Rockers back in the game, 7-5.
The final score of the game was a one-handed sweep by Josh Pietrantonio at 14:38, giving the River Dragons the regulation win over the Rockers, 8-5.
With only 8 seconds remaining in the game, Sequoia Swan and Declan Conway engaged in fisticuffs. Both were slapped with 2 minutes for roughing, as well as a 10-minute major for continuing an altercation.
Both teams left the ice after exchanging harsh words, indicating that the final game of this weekend series is going to be all-out war.
Hunter Virostek finished the night with a .837 SV%, saving 27 of 32 shots on goal.
Ricardo Gonzalez earned a .783 SV%, making 29 out of 37 total saves.
Justin MacDonald extended his league-record scoring streak to 36 games, tallying 34 goals and 50 assists for a total of 84 points.
The Motor City Rockers remain in Columbus to take on the River Dragons in the third of three games this weekend at the Civic Center.
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