Biloxi, MS – Yaroslav Yevdokimov’s Texas hat trick wasn’t enough to lift the (9-25-3) Mississippi Sea Wolves to victory on Friday night, as the (26-8-2) Carolina Thunderbirds completed a 6-4 comeback win at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
Yevdokimov scored three consecutive times in the first period at 3:09, 6:50 and 13:10. In that stretch, Yianni Liarakos and Jake Raleigh each recorded a pair of assists.
Staring at a 3-0 deficit, Jiri Pestuka netted Carolina’s first goal of the night with two minutes remaining in the opening frame.
The fourth strike of the night for Yevdokimov made it 4-1 at 2:39 of the second period. After that, Carolina flipped the game with three straight goals between Tucker Firth, John Buttitta and Pestuka.
The Thunderbirds won the game in the third period when Tucker Firth blasted home a slapshot right off a draw. Pestuka went on to complete a hat trick of his own for the game’s final goal and a 6-4 Carolina win.
Joe Sheppard played his fourth straight game in net for the Sea Wolves and the team led in shots 39-32 at the end of regulation. After entering in relief for starter Boris Babik, Thunderbirds goaltender Mario Cavaliere took the win in net with 29 saves across his 46:50 of playing time.
The Sea Wolves will look to prevent a three-game sweep over the Thunderbirds tomorrow, February 18. Puck drop is set for 7:05pm at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
by Nick Roesch
You must be logged in to post a comment.