JACKSONVILLE, FL – Everything happens in threes. Tuesday morning marked the third meeting between rivals Savanna and Jacksonville; it was the third straight time the Icemen have gone to overtime, and it took three goals for the Jacksonville Icemen (3-2-2) to defeat the Savannah Ghost Pirates (2-4-1) 3-2 in overtime at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Bennett McArthur, Joey Berkopec, and Jacques Bouquot all scored for the Icemen while goaltender Cameron Rowe made 29 saves in the victory.
The Icemen have now won three straight overtime games, two at home, as they prepare to host the defending Kelly Cup Champion Florida Everblades for a three-game set starting on Friday, November 6 at 7:00 pm.
FIRST PERIOD
Things started quickly for both sides as Icemen forward Drew Kuzma and Savannah forward Max Dorrington dropped the gloves for a fight right after the initial face-off. Soon after, the Icemen went on the attack as Jacksonville defenseman Trevor Griebel held in a Savannah clearing attempt at the blue line before quickly dishing a pass over to captain Bennett McArthur, who one-timed a hard shot into the back of the net to secure his first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead for the Icemen, sending over 10,000 attending schoolchildren into a frenzy. A few minutes later, after a won offensive zone draw, defenseman Joey Berkopec fired a shot that sailed past Ghost Pirate netminder Christian Cicigoi to extend Jacksonville’s lead to 2-0. Savannah surged late in the period, but solid defending from the Icemen and goaltender Cameron Rowe held them at bay.
SECOND PERIOD
In the middle frame, the Ghost Pirates out-shot Jacksonville 13-7 thanks to a few power plays and some aggressive forechecking. The Icemen had chances of their own in the second, but both goaltenders made high-quality saves. In the end, the Icemen found themselves in a similar situation to Saturday night, leading by two goals going into the third period.
THIRD PERIOD AND OVERTIME
Savannah continued to press in the third period and was rewarded with back-to-back goals less than two minutes apart to tie the game at 2.2 For the second night, Jacksonville’s opponent had forced overtime at VyStar. The Ghost Pirates out-shot the Icemen in the third period 8-5. Unlike Saturday, it didn't take overtime to find a winner; instead, the Icemen went to work offensively in the attacking zone, and Colby Ambrosio picked up the puck thanks to a feed from Jadan Condotta. Skating three-on-three, Ambrosio executed a spin-o-rama move to evade a defender. He streaked to the slot, pulling a Ghost Pirate defender with him before slipping a pass to the base of the right-wing circle and a waiting Jacques Bouquot, who one-timed a short-angle shot into the back of the net.
Bouquot’s third goal in two games sent the school-day crowd home happy and secured Jacksonville their third consecutive victory.
Photo: Andrew Fielder - Jacksonville Icemen
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