JACKSONVILLE, FL – Michael Houser stopped all 24 shots faced to guide the Jacksonville Icemen to a 1-0 victory over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Sunday afternoon. The Icemen now pull within five points of first place Greenville in the South Division standings.
The Icemen grabbed a 1-0 lead at 12:13 of the opening period. Veteran forward Jetty D’Amigo executed a perfect pass from behind the net to Chris Grando in front. Grand collected the pass and shoved the puck into the net on the short side post to give Jacksonville a 1-0 lead.
Greenville attempted to push back in the second period, but Icemen netminder Michael Houser was playing at the top of his game and turned aside all seven shots faced in the period.
The score remained at 1-0, and just five minutes into the final frame, the Icmeen received an opportunity to extend their lead with five-minute power play. However, the stingy Greenville penalty kill and a sound effort by goaltender Justin Ingham were able to keep the Icemen off the board.
In the closing minutes of the third, Greenville received a power play of their own, and pulled their goaltender to create a 6-on-4 advantage. However, Houser made several key stops to preserve a 1-0 shutout victory for the Icemen. The shutout weas the 17th of Houser’s career.
Jacksonville continues their homestand on Wednesday against the Trois-Rivieres Lions. The Icemen also host Greenville again on Friday and Saturday. Game time for all games is set for 7:00 p.m.
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