For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
Stephen Mundinger made 33 saves and the Knoxville Ice Bears opened up the weekend with a 3-1 road win against the Peoria Rivermen at the Peoria Civic Center Friday night.
The Ice Bears have won five of their last six. Peoria has dropped three of four.
Ryan Orgel scored the only goal of the first period when he fired a puck through traffic from the blie line with 31 seconds remaining. Kyle Soper fed the puck back to Brayden Stannard at the point. Stannard centered the puck to Jarret Kup, who rotated with Orgel atop the left circle. Orgel skated to center blue and zipped a wrist shot past the blocker side of Jack Bostedt.
Billy Roche gave Knoxville a 2-0 lead when he pinpointed a wrist shot short side from the right point at 2:47 of the second. Jared Westcott dug the puck out of the corner to Roche on the perimeter and Roche threw the puck through a sweeping Tyler Williams screen and past Bostedt for his second of the season.
Westcott finished off a breakaway during a 4-on-4 sequence to give Knoxville a 3-0 lead at the second intermission. Davide Gaeta stole the puck in the Knoxville zone and slipped it up to center ice for Carson Vance, who made a quick touch pass up the right wing to Westcott. Westcott skated all alone through the right circle and his shot bounced off Bostedt’s glove and into the net at 10:20.
Mundinger corralled Peoria’s attack through the first two periods, stopping multiple perimeter shots through heavy screens, including one late in the second period with Brayden Barker draped over him in the crease. Mundinger gloved a wrist shot from Terry Ryder in the slot and turned aside a point blank look from Peoria’s power play with the pad.
Garrett Devine scored for Peoria with 1:03 left for the only scoring detail in the third period.
The two teams face off again at the Peoria Civic Center Saturday night in Illinois.
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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