For immediate release

For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825,  joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.

Rex Moe and Justin Cmunt scored in the shootout and the Knoxville Ice Bears defeated the Pensacola Ice Flyers 3-2 at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum Saturday night.

Knoxville has won two of its last three games. Pensacola has dropped three of four.

After Zane Steeves stopped Zac Herrman’s opening shootout attempt, Cmunt scored in the first round by beating Stephen Mundinger on his glove side. Andy Willis and Joseph Widmar missed the net for Pensacola and Derek Osik and Dawson McKinney failed to convert. Steeves stopped Ivan Bondarenko’s five-hole attempt with the stick to start the fourth round.

That set the stage for Moe, who carried into the slot, feigned a slap shot and quickly snapped the puck up high over Mundinger to seal the win for Knoxville.

 

Sam Dabrowski gave Knoxville an early lead when his one-timer from the left side got behind Mundinger at 2:20 of the first. The Ice Bears used the forecheck to keep the puck in the zone and it came free to the slot. Justin Levac pounced on it from center and tapped it over to his left and Dabrowski teed off on it for his second of the year.

McKinney doubled the lead when he found the top shelf of the net from the right circle with a wrist shot just over a minute later. Derek Osik and Riley Robertson worked the puck through the neutral zone with Robertson finding McKinney up the right wing. McKinney carried into the zone and beat Mundinger up high for his fourth goal in his last three games.

Pensacola responded quickly when Herrmann collected the puck in the high slot and threw it on net into traffic and snuck it past Steeves at 7:17. Reggie Millette tied the game less than two minutes later when he took the puck into the zone and got open from a quick give-and-go with Widmar before the latter found him on the backdoor step.

Neither team could take the lead in the second period and Mundinger stopped Levac from atop the right circle and held onto a high shot from Seth Ensor at the left side. Steeves kicked away a bouncing puck in the crease and turned aside a scoring chance from the right hash.

Despite two power play chances in the second period, the Ice Bears only managed four shots on goal during the middle frame and were held to nine shots on goal through two periods.

Both teams had multiple chances to win the game in overtime. Steeves kicked away a backdoor attempt from the left circle and Bondarenko hit the far-side post from the left side. Mundinger managed to deflect McKinney’s attempt from the slot wide and Cmunt hit the iron from the slot.

Steeves finished with 23 saves. Mundinger had 14 stops for Pensacola.

Knoxville remains home and welcomes Huntsville on Thursday. The Ice Flyers return to the Hangar to host Fayetteville on Friday.

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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