WINSTON-SALEM, NC – In front of a crowd of 2,847, the Carolina Thunderbirds pulled off an incredible comeback that saw four unanswered goals from the Thunderbirds. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Thunderbirds however. Being down 3-0 at the start of the second period, all hope seemed to be lost for the Thunderbirds.
The No. 1 Carolina Thunderbirds welcomed the No. 4 Port Huron Prowlers to the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex on Friday night. The Thunderbirds have been the team to beat all season. The Prowlers entered the Annex with something to prove.
The Thunderbirds made the decision to start goaltender Frankie McClendon and give Christian Pavlas a break. Matyas Kasek and Matt Graham scored two of the three goals for the Prowlers in the first period. Heading into the second period, something needed to be different for the Thunderbirds.
Christian Pavlas left the locker room and took his place in crease, relieving McClendon. With a goalie change still early in the game, the Thunderbirds were hoping things would turn around. That wasn’t the case however, as Matt Robertson scored with a mean wrist shot just seven seconds in. With the Prowlers up 3-0, all hope seemed to be lost for the Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds refused to accept defeat, rallying to make a comeback. That comeback started with Michael Bunn, who scored on a two-on-one break away. Viktor Grebennikov scored the second goal for the Thunderbirds, bringing them within one.
As the third began, fans were on the edge of their seats hoping to see their team complete the comeback. Petr Panacek scored on a deflection from Michael Bunn, evening the score 3-3 nearing the conclusion of the third period. Jiri Pestuka was hit in the face from a high stick that was not called by the official. Pestuka went to the locker room with what appeared to be a bad injury and didn’t return for the period.
What happened next was something that could be only be described as a fairy tale ending. Jiri Pestuka returned to the ice for overtime and scored the game winning goal on a backhander. The arena exploded with cheers as the Carolina Thunderbirds completed a dramatic comeback to win at home. The Prowlers look for revenge tomorrow night in Winston-Salem as they play the Thunderbirds once again.
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