JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Jacksonville Icemen earn a point in the standings following a 3-2 overtime loss to the South Carolina Stingrays in front of an record crowd of 14, 076 at Vystar Arena Thursday afternoon.
The Icemen scored first in the contest when a fortuitous bounce skipped from the boards to the low slot directly to Icemen forward Matheson Iacopelli. Iacopelli immediately directed the puck past Stingrays goaltender Gibson.
After a Josh Wilkins goal that evened the score at one, South Carolina claimed the lead on a shot from Connor Moore which is tipped and re-directed in front by Tyson Empey for the go-ahead tally.
The Icemen tied the game with just 17 seconds remaining in the period when Brendan Harris chased the puck behind the net and fed it in front to a wide-open Anthony Petruzzelli who buried over the shoulder of Mitchell Gibson for the tally.
The two teams held each other in check for the third period, and a late Icemen penalty in the closing seconds of regulation would put Jacksonville shorthanded into overtime. On the ensuing power play, Patrick Harper would flex a shot that would clip off a body in front, change direction and clip past Icemen goaltender Joe Murdaca for the power play marker at 1:39 of the extra session.
The Icemen surrender their first power play goal of the season, but remain unbeaten in regulation (3-0-1-0).
The Icemen hit the road for a pair of divisional games at Atlanta ad Greenville this Friday and Saturday respectively.
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greensboro Gargoyles
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
New Mexico Goatheads
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trenton Ironhawks
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers