It was a perfect day in Brampton, Ontario, on Wednesday as the Jacksonville Icemen (1-4-1-0) picked up their first-ever franchise win and shut out the Brampton Beast (2-7-1-1), 5-0.
Just one day after being acquired by the Icemen, defenseman Jan Kostalek was quick to make a good first impression. At 14:54 in the first period, the 22-year-old scored his first-ever ECHL goal to give the Icemen a 1-0 lead. He was assisted by Alexandre Goulet and Emerson Clark, extending Goulet's point streak to six games and Clark's point streak to four games. Icemen goalie Jamie Phillips was strong in the first frame, denying all 14 shots from the Beast.
Late in a very even second period, Icemen captain Garet Hunt received a great pass from Cameron Critchlow as he was exiting the box, leading to a one-on-one breakaway. Hunt capitalized on the play to give the Icemen a 2-0 lead with 2:40 remaining in the period. For the second time on the road trip, the Icemen would head into the room after the second period with a one-goal lead.
This time, there would be no stopping the Icemen as the team continued to add to their lead. Just 2:08 into the third period, Bobby MacIntyre notched his fourth goal of the season to give the Icemen a three-goal lead. Over 11 minutes later, Alexandre Goulet stole the puck in the neutral zone, made a slick move past a defenseman and took the puck to the net. After an amazing save followed by a mad scramble in the crease, Emerson Clark cleaned up the rebound to give the Icemen a 4-0 lead. This would give Clark his second multi-point game on the season and Goulet his third through six games. Cameron Critchlow would put the game away with just under five minutes remaining, scoring an empty net goal on the penalty kill to make the score 5-0.
Jamie Phillips had his best game of the season, stopping all 34 shots by the Beast and posting the first-ever shutout in team history. Despite his goal streak ending at two games, defenseman Christopher Dienes had another solid game, leading the team with a +4. Finally, Jacksonville's penalty killing was spectacular, killing all six penalties and scoring the second shorthanded goal of the season.
The Icemen look to make it two straight victories on Friday, Nov. 10 against the Manchester Monarchs. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. in New Hampshire.
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