Friday Five: Goalie Clinics, Overtime Thrillers And A First Hatty

Two teams put on a goalie exhibition, while a player earns his first pro hat trick. Let’s dive into this week’s ECHL Friday Five.

Near-Perfect Netminding
Offensive barn-burners are fun to watch, no doubt. But a goaltender’s duel can be fun, too.

That’s what took place in Glens Falls between the Wheeling Nailers and Adirondack Thunder.

Jeremy Brodeur, fresh from a stint with the AHL’s Utica Comets, bested the Nailers’ Taylor Gauthier in what could easily be described as a goalie clinic. A total of 62 shots between the two teams were fired at the nets during regulation, with no goals scored.

It took until 1:32 of overtime before the first and only goal finally lit the lamp. It came on a Nailers turnover in the offensive zone. On a 2-on-1 break, Andre Ghantous sent a pass to Greg Smith, who promptly roofed a shot from the right side of the slot.

Just like that, it was over. Brodeur stopped 33 of 34 shots he faced, while Gauthier saved 28 of 29 to suffer a hard-fought loss.

It’s one of those outings you almost wish both teams could walk away a winner. Alas, somebody has to lose.

A First For Bloom

Another player arrived from the AHL to make an immediate impact on his team.

Josh Bloom returned to the Kalamazoo Wings from Abbotsford and scored the first hat trick of his pro career Friday in a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Gladiators at the Wings Event Center.

Bloom got the scoring started at the 15:24 mark of the opening period. After Zach Berzolla forced a turnover, Bloom pounced on the puck in the neutral zone, skated past the Gladiator defense and put in a five-hole finish on a breakaway.

After Atlanta tied the game 2-2 at 4:44 of the third, Bloom went to work again just 37 seconds after the Glads’ second goal. He forced a turnover in the offensive zone, raced to the left circle and snapped in a top-right wrister for what would prove to be the game-winner.

Bloom wasn’t done, however. After a Zach Okabe power-play goal at 18:28 increased the K-Wings’ lead to 4-2, Bloom took advantage of the Glads pulling their goaltender and found the empty net with just over a minute remaining.

Another OT Thriller In Maine

Heart-pounding finishes were the order of the night Friday, and another occurred in Portland, Maine.

The Mariners had to come from behind to overcome the Reading Royals 2-1 in overtime at the Cross Insurance Arena.

No goals were scored by either team through 40 minutes, almost rivaling the goalie duel of the Adirondack-Wheeling game. It took until two minutes left in the third for the Royals to strike first. Making his pro debut, Mitch Deelstra scored after recovering a loose puck for a 1-0 lead.

That didn’t leave much time for Maine, but Wyllum Deveaux knotted the score 41 seconds later on a 6-on-5. He slid home an Ayden McDonald feed to send the game into overtime.

Just shy of the halfway mark of the extra period, Christian Sarlo moved to the net from the left circle and pulled a shot around Reading goalie Vinnie Purpura for a game-winning backhander and a stunning Mariners comeback.

Steelheads’ Power Play Does the Job

It’s no secret that special teams often make the difference, either in a good or bad way.

For the Idaho Steelheads, the power play was their friend Friday night. Three third-period goals with the man advantage propelled them to a 6-2 road win over the Kansas City Mavericks.

Idaho, who took the first game of the series, got two goals apiece from Connor Punnett and Patrick Moynihan and goaltender Ben Kraws once again got the best of the Mavericks’ Jack LaFontaine.

Clinging to a 3-2 lead heading into the third period after trailing 2-1, the Steelheads’ power-play unit went to work.

Moynihan scored the first of his back-to-back goals 3:05 into the final frame after receiving a pass from Demetrios Koumontzis in the right circle on a 3-on-2 rush. Moynihan blasted a one-timer upstairs for a 4-2 Idaho lead.

His second came at 12:35, also with the man advantage. Jason Horvath fed Ty Pelton-Byce from the center point. Moynihan then received the puck at the far circle, where he fired a wrister upstairs.

The final power-play tally of the period came with 2:06 left. This time, it was Pelton-Byce who took a feed from Moynihan for his 22nd goal of the season to complete the 6-2 win.

It was a big one for the Steelheads, as they are tied for the final playoff spot with 16 regular-season games left.

Singleton Strikes For Two

Tate Singleton potted two goals including the overtime winner, while Bryce Brodzinski chipped in with three points to lead the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a 5-4 overtime win over the Savannah Ghost Pirates.

It was a back-and-forth affair throughout. After Savannah grabbed an early lead, Brodzinski tallied back-to-back goals to tie the score 2-2.

At 4:45 of the third period with the Ghost Pirates clinging to a 4-3 lead, Brodzinski received a Singleton pass up through the neutral zone. Singleton raced to the net and fired a shot behind Cormier with a backdoor tap-in to tie the game at 4-4.

For the second time head-to-head this season, the teams had to settle things in overtime. With 5:35 left in the bonus frame, Singleton rifled home his second of the game top corner with John Parker-Jones providing a screen, giving the Swamp Rabbits the win and the second point, 5-4.

The victory ended a seven-game road losing streak for Greenville dating back to February 7th.