For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
Brady Fleurent scored a hat trick, Cody Karpinski made 52 saves and the Knoxville Ice Bears ended Fayetteville’s eight-game point streak with a 4-1 win over the Marksmen at Crown Coliseum Wednesday afternoon.
Cam Hough also scored for Knoxville and Jordy Stallard had three assists to help hand Fayetteville its first regulation loss since Oct. 20. The Marksmen were 6-0-2 during that stretch.
Fleurent gave Knoxville the lead at the first intermission when he finished a breakaway with a backhand at 15:19. Jordy Stallard found Fleurent with a stretch pass up the right wing. Fleurent sped past Fayetteville’s defense and swept across the crease to lift the puck past Conor O’Brien for his fifth of the year.
Fayetteville tied the game early in the second when Todd Goehring received an easy backdoor pass in the left circle. The Marksmen broke out of the zone with an odd-man rush before Connor Fries slid the puck across the zone to Goehring, who had slipped behind Knoxville to beat Karpinski at 3:43.
Both teams had chances to take the lead before the end of the second period, but Cameron Cook hit the post from the left circle for Fayetteville and Rex Moe hit the crossbar from the high slot. Fleurent stole the puck in the Fayetteville slot and passed it to Tyler Rollo for a chance in front, but O’Brien fought off the attempt to keep the game tied at the break.
After Tyler Rollo drew an interference penalty on Nick Parody, Hough capitalized on the power play with a goal from the left circle. Knoxville cycled the puck around the zone to Stallard at the right point. His cross-ice pass found Hough, who fired the puck over O’Brien for his third of the year at 11:10 of the third.
Rollo drew a hooking penalty against Kyle Soper moments later and Fleurent cleaned up a rebound in the Fayetteville crease to give Knoxville a 3-1 lead at 12:04. Fleurent scored on an empty net to complete the hat trick at 16:07. O’Brien finished with 11 saves for the Marksmen.
The game was cut short with 20 seconds remaining when Fayetteville’s Max Johnson inadvertently took a puck off his face and went down to the ice. Johnson was bleeding and had to be helped off the ice. Referee Deric Boehm made the decision to end the game.
Knoxville returns home to take on Evansville. Fayetteville hosts Huntsville on Friday night.
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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