After a four game winless streak (0-3-1) the Knights finally snagged the elusive victory. They Played the Monroe County Eagles, and the defense stepped up and played big, and dominated the other team.
The Knights were excited to play with two players returning from injury. Ryan Mack (lower body) and Logan Davis (entire body).
Both teams had miscues early, but the goaltenders managed to keep it scoreless most of the first period.
“Yeah, we stunk in the beginning,” goaltender Ian Campbell admitted. “Both teams were litterally missing the puck! The ice was a little slow, but it was so bad at one point I just yelled ‘Can someone please move the puck in a forceful manner!'”
Forward Logan Davis had an enormous hit his first shift, which lifted the opponent (not a small guy) off of his feet and sent the same opponent smashing to the ground.
But with a few minutes left in the first, the Knights’ Jake Cleason passed to Zac Cleason who buried the puck in the the net. It was a beautiful goal from a line that needed to start scoringe
“Yeah, I don’t play sports,” said Jake, when asked about what he saw on the play.
Zac, with a suave smile, looked at the camera, winked and said, “Yeah,” when asked the same question.
Coach Nick Van Stralen was pleased with the performance in the first period.
“Really we only had one bad stretch of hockey, and it was during our penalty kill. So, overall I think we played very well in that first period.”
The second period was about halfway done, when Logan Davis got the puck and snuck one past the opposing goalie.
Welcome back, Logan!
Up 2-0 going into the third, Coach Van Stralen reminded the team to finish strong.
“I just told them that they didn’t do as well in the second period, but it was still good. They just needed to keep skating, and work hard to finish the game.”
The third was back and forth breakaway chances that both teams’ defenses hustled and kept it 2-0 for the majority of the third.
With a few minutes remaining in the third period, a fatal face-off took place to the left of the home net. Ian Campbell was pretty certain, Kody Laird, one of the team’s best face-off winners, would win, but instead, he missed, and practically handed it to the winger, who then, accidentally fumbled the puck, and confused the goalie, and barely slipped it just inside the post.
“I don’t think that it was anybody’s fault but mine,” Campbell says, humorously jabbing a finger in Laird’s direction. “CodLaird was just trying to keep me on my toes.”
With the score 2-1, the Knights were most certainly on their toes. Particularly defenseman Ryan Mack.
“I knew I could do it,” he said. “It was just a matter of execution, and visualization, and diggling the socks off of every single player on their team. That’s all. No biggie.”
It’s true he did beat every single player on their team, including the great finish when he flipped the puck past the goalie.
With a solid game in net, and an impressive defensive game, the knights capitalized on their opportunities and secured a victory.
When asked if he feels the team is where they want to be, Coach Reston said.
“LOOOOGAAAAN!!!!”