By Mike Bonts
STATELINE, NV – The Jacksonville Icemen spoiled the first ECHL game at the Tahoe Blue Event Center for the Tahoe Knight Monsters with a 4-3 overtime victory Thursday night.
Brendan Harris scored his second goal of the night in the overtime session. Zach Jordan got the assist. The Icemen found themselves in overtime for the second straight game.
Goaltender Matt Vernon picked up the win with 36 saves. Jesper Vikman took the loss while stopping 20 shots.
The Knight Monsters recorded their first power play goal in the final two and a half minutes of the third to tie the game 3-3. With Garrett Van Wyhe in the box for hooking, Simon Pinard knotted the score, sending the game into overtime.
Before Pinard’s goal Tahoe was 0 for 6 with a man advantage. Brennan Kapcheck and Sloan Stanick were credited with assists.
Four minutes earlier, Kapcheck’s goal at 13:41, set up by Jett Jones and Chris Dodero, made it 3-2.
Jacksonville took a two-goal advantage into the final stanza.
Harris gave the Icemen their first lead of the night 7:43 into the second period. Logan Cockerill and Robert Calisti assisted on the goal
Jordan increased the lead at the 10:31mark of period with Jacksonville’s second power play goal of the game aided by captain Christopher Brown and Calisti.
Calisti leads all Icemen defensemen with three assists this season.
The first period ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Knight Monsters opened the scoring. Artur Cholach made the ECHL history books scoring the expansion franchise’s first goal. Jake McGrew picked up the assist.
With Cal Kiefiuk sitting out for hooking, Cockerill tied the contest with his third goal of the season. Brown and Jordan picked up the helpers.
Tahoe out shot Jacksonville 14-6 in the first period.
The two clubs meet again on Friday night.
GAME NOTES: Tahoe outshot Jacksonville 39-24, Brandon Mashinter celebrated his first victory as Jacksonville head coach, Icemen defenseman Connor Russell came off the injured list to see his first action of the season, Jacksonville was 2 for 3 on the power play, attendance was 4,203.
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