For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
The Ice Bears got off to a hot start offensively with three first period goals and Logan Flodell backstopped Knoxville the rest of the way as the Ice Bears defeated the Macon Mayhem 4-2 at the Macon Coliseum Saturday night.
Knoxville got the scoring started early when Tim Kent rifled a shot from the right circle over Josh Boyko for a power play goal at 1:39 of the first. Carson Vance facilitated the man advantage at the blue line and fed a pass to Kent, who squared up and hit the back bar for his 14th of the season.
Khaden Henry tied the game for Macon by tapping in a cross-crease pass from Michael Herrera at 5:36.
The Ice Bears responded with Tyler Williams notching his 13th of the year at 8:25. Knoxville’s forecheck kept the puck in the zone and Williams recovered a blocked shot in the right corner. After working possession back to the perimeter, Robin Liljekvist slid a pass up the left wing to Mitch Atkins, who centered it back to Williams in the slot. Williams split Boyko’s pads to give Knoxville a 2-1 lead.
Dawson McKinney struck for Knoxville on the power play with a drag shot from the left circle and beat Boyko low past his left pad at 12:18.
Henry converted a power play for the Mayhem at 15:59 to make it 3-2 at the first intermission.
Atkins scored the only goal of the second by collecting a loose puck in front of the crease and lifting a backhand past Boyko at 3:01. McKinney accelerated up the right circle and lost his balance. As the puck slid towards the blue ice, Boyko fanned on a poke check and Atkins took advantage by knocking in his second of the season.
Flodell preserved Knoxville’s lead into the second intermission, stopping Connor May twice on odd-man rushes early in the first and fighting off a flurry of chances by the Mayhem in the waning seconds of the middle period. He weathered the storm in the final frame and stopped 33 shots in the night, including all 26 over the final two periods.
The Ice Bears return home to face Birmingham Friday night. The Mayhem travel to North Carolina to take on Fayetteville Thursday.
ABOUT The Knoxville Ice Bears: The Knoxville Ice Bears organization began in 2002 and was an inaugural charter member of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) in 2004. As four-time SPHL Champions and five-time regular season champions, the Ice Bears are an experienced and established organization, offering the city and its visitors a balanced product of highlight-reel hockey, unique and exciting intermission activity and endless fan interaction, presenting the most affordable, family-friendly way to enjoy sports and entertainment. Season, Partial Season and Flex Tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit www.knoxvilleicebears.com or call (865) 525-7825.
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