For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
Knoxville was bitten by a tough bounce midway through the third period and couldn’t recover as the Ice Bears fell to the Quad City Storm 4-2 at the Civic Coliseum Friday night.
The Ice Bears had a four-game win streak snapped with the loss. Quad City has won two of its last three.
With the score tied 2-2, Dmitri Toporowski fired a shot from the blue line that sailed wide and hit the glass behind the Knoxville net and bounced out in front of the crease where Brandon Stojcevski put the loose puck on net past Tyriq Outen to put the Storm ahead for good.
The Ice Bears nearly tied the game late, but Zane Steeves stopped Brayden Stannard’s wrist shot from the left circle with a glove save and turned away Eric Olson’s redirect from in front. Stannard had a look at a net-mouth scramble, but his puck slide wide of the net with seconds remaining.
Dawson McKinney fought off a double team in the Quad City zone to muscle the puck up the left-wing boards to Tyler Williams, who skated into the left circle and snapped a shot past Steeves at 11:45 of the first.
The Storm answered less than a minute later when a puck was sent bouncing into the Knoxville zone and skipped past Outen as he was coming out to play the puck. Savva Smirnov picked up the loose puck and sent it into the open net to tie the game at 12:19.
Jesper Tarkianen gave Quad City the lead when he banked in a loose puck off the back of Outen and across the goal line late in the first period.
McKinney tied the game for Knoxville on the power play when he lifted a wrist shot over Steeves from the left circle at 15:18. Carson Vance worked with McKinney along the perimeter before the latter sent the puck to Jimmy Soper in the corner. Soper drew in the Quad City defense before slipping the puck back to McKinney in the circle in open space for him to convert for his first goal of the year. Steeves made 39 stops for the Storm.
Quad City nearly retook the lead late in the second period, but Outen gloved a breakaway chance from Leif Mattson and snatched a quick wrist shot by Devin Sanders from the left wing. Outen finished with 27 saves.
Sanders scored an empty net goal with six seconds remaining to conclude the scoring detail.
Knoxville visits Peoria next Friday. The Storm return to Illinois to host Birmingham 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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