A look at several standout performers from a five-game slate in the ECHL on Sunday.
Five games took place on Sunday to close out weekend action in the ECHL. Here are three standout performances from the day.
Matt Davis: Wichita Thunder
On Friday, Yaniv Perets of the Reading Royals stopped 52 of 53 shots in a 4-1 road victory over the Wheeling Nailers.
On Sunday, Wichita Thunder netminder Matt Davis bested that performance in a 2-1 win over the Fort Wayne Komets.
Davis made 54 saves in 55 shots faced, while Ryan Finnegan scored both Wichita goals to earn the win.
Finnegan scored his first of the contest early in the second period, redirecting the puck out of midair past Nathaniel Day. The officials huddled up and looked at the video review for a possible high stick. The goal stood and Wichita went up 1-0.
Finnegan scored his second of the frame with eight seconds left on the clock, absorbing a big hit on the entry but staying with the play. He fired a seam pass to Kyle Crnkovic near the left faceoff dot. Crnkovic's shot found its way near the blue paint and Finnegan put home a backhand to make it 2-0.
In the third, Alex Aleardi cut the lead in half for the Komets at the 10:43 mark. Fort Wayne outshot the Thunder, 19-4, in the final frame, but Davis passed every test, making some key saves and the Thunder held on for the win.
Wichita allowed 55 shots, which is a season-high for shots against in a game this year. The Thunder were held to 20 shots for the second time in the last three days, which ties a season-low in shots on net in a game. Davis snapped a personal six-game losing skid.
Iowa Heartlanders
The Heartlanders scored six unanswered goals to overcome a 3-0 deficit and surge past the Cincinnati Cyclones, 6-3, Sunday at Xtream Arena.
Jack O’Brien scored the first two goals of the comeback in the second, then Iowa tallied four in a row in the third. The Heartlanders scored on their last two shots of the game and on six of their last 17 shots.
Yuki Miura tied the game five minutes into the third, 3-3, with a dangle and pirouetting back-handed finish. Adam Capannelli scored the game winner at 9:09 of the third period to provide Iowa a 4-3 lead on a rebound at the net front.
Mike Koster extended the lead, 5-3, sneaking a shot in from the high slot for his second of the season. Jonny Sorenson sent a shot from center ice for an empty net goal with 32 seconds remaining in the game, putting a bow on the 6-3 victory.
William Rousseau stole the show after coming into the game with the Heartlanders down by three; he made 30 straight saves and a penalty-shot save to keep Iowa alive and allow the offense to flourish.
Simon Pinard: South Carolina Stingrays
After being tied in the third period, the South Carolina Stingrays got a game-winning goal from Simon Pinard midway through the frame to push South Carolina past the Atlanta Gladiators, 3-2, at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga.
After Atlanta opened the scoring just under four minutes into the contest, the Rays tied the score less than four minutes later. Romain Rodzinski, playing in his 100th ECHL game, let a shot go from the blue line that produced a rebound for Ludwig Persson to tap home his first goal as a Stingray.
Kaden Bohlsen roofed his fifth goal this season to send South Carolina ahead, 2-1. At 3:41 of the final frame, Ryan Nolan scored for Atlanta, tying the game at two.
Then, Kyler Kupka found a step behind the Atlanta defense for a breakaway. His shot went off the crossbar, but a trailing Simon Pinard cleaned up the rebound with 10:36 left in regulation, giving the Stingrays the lead again, 3-2.
Neither team could score in the final 10 minutes, and the Stingrays picked up their tenth win of the season.