Manchester Storm kept their slim hopes of advancing to the next stage of the Challenge Cup alive with a 3-2 overtime win over Guildford Flames on Friday night.
“We got off to a good start, the first period was pretty good, and then I thought we were a little loose in the second,” said Storm assistant coach Dallas Ehrhardt, who dressed in his first game of the season on Friday. “We’re staying in games which is huge, and coming back to find a way.”
While Guildford had already been eliminated from the competition, Storm needed victory to remain in contention for a place in the next round.
It was another fast start from Manchester, continuing their trend of early goals. Gary Haden opened the scoring just 29 seconds into the game, sending the home crowd into celebration.
The Flames grew into the game and found an equaliser after a spell of 4-on-4 hockey that helped them grow into the game. Mathieu Gosselin produced a superb toe-drag wrist shot that beat Drew DeRidder cleanly to tie things up at 1-1 before the end of the first period.
The middle frame saw little in the way of scoring chances, with both sides reverting to a cautious dump-and-chase style. A scramble in front of the Guildford net early in the period saw Justin Fazio cover the puck on the goal line amid heavy pressure, one of the few notable moments in an otherwise tight 20 minutes.
Early in the third, Gosselin struck again, scoring shorthanded just 54 seconds into the period to put the Flames ahead. Storm responded six minutes later through Haden’s second of the night to level things at 2-2.
Fazio made a spectacular glove save late on to deny Manchester a regulation winner, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra frame, Dennis Busby collected a loose puck and fired high over Fazio to clinch the 3-2 victory for the Storm.
“The ending made getting back into the game a lot nicer!” continued Ehrhardt. “I have a great defense out there that has my back so that always helps coming back. It was great to get out there but i’m hoping we get our guys back soon to come back into the line-up.”
Photo: Mark Ferris
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