For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
Jagger Williamson scored two goals and had an assist and the Knoxville Ice Bears defeated the Fayetteville Marksmen 5-2 at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum Thursday night.
Dino Balsamo had four assists for the Ice Bears. Justin MacDonald had a goal and two assists and Kristian Stead made 23 saves in his return from a 21-day stint on injured reserve.
Knoxville struck early when Williamson smacked a one-timer off the crossbar and into the net at 3:01 of the opening period. Balsamo pushed the puck behind the net to MacDonald, who slid it out to the right hash where Williamson dropped to one knee and cracked a shot over Jason Pawloski.
Fayetteville appeared to tie the game at 6:13 when the Marksmen lifted the puck out of the zone and scored on a rebound at the other end, but the puck was ruled to have hit someone on the Fayetteville bench on its way through the neutral zone and was deemed to have been out of play, resulting in the goal being waived off.
Cam Hough scored for the fifth time in his last four games with a wrist shot from the right circle. Nolan Slachetka banked a pass up the right wing around a Marksmen skater and Hough received it right at the blue line skating backwards. Hough turned and accelerated behind the defense before firing the puck off the post and in at 5:47 of the second.
Fayetteville scored twice 57 seconds apart to tie the game midway through the second. Austin Alger scored on the power play with a one-timer from the left circle that snuck by Stead’s blocker to the short side post. Taylor McCloy chased a loose puck down behind the net and slipped it out in front to Drake Glover, who put it by Stead.
Williamson scored his second of the night from the slot with less than two minutes remaining in the second. Williamson’s shot was deflected in front of the crease and redirected between Pawloski’s pads to give the Ice Bears the lead back at the second intermission.
Bailey Conger gave the Ice Bears a 4-2 edge when he scored from the right circle on the power play. Balsamo fed the puck up top to Kyler Matthews, who dished it to the right to Conger. Conger’s wrist shot beat Pawloski up high for his seventh of the year.
MacDonald capped off the scoring when Balsamo fed him a saucer pass from right to left in the Fayetteville zone and MacDonald zipped the puck past Pawloski’s blocker. Pawloski finished with 16 saves.
The Ice Bears will host Evansville at the Coliseum on Saturday. Fayetteville visits Huntsville 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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