For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
Knoxville piled up scoring chances down the stretch, but couldn’t get enough offense to mount a comeback as the Ice Bears fell 3-1 to the Marksmen at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville Friday night.
Fayetteville jumped out in front early when Blake Holmes put back a rebound from the left circle just 44 seconds into the game. Noah Giesbrecht kicked away a shot from the right wing with the pad and Holmes threw it back on net from the opposite circle.
The Marksmen added to their lead when Sam Dabrowski scored on a breakaway at 9:32 of the second. Shane Murphy put a one-timer from the left circle past Giesbrecht less than two minutes later to give Fayetteville a 3-0 advantage at the second break.
Hlib Varava scored for Knoxville at 14:31 of the third with a one-timer from the slot. Eric Olson and Carson Vance won a battle along the boards in the left wing corner and Vance slid a pass to Varava, who teed off on the puck to beat Mason Beaupit for his first goal in his Ice Bears debut against his former team.
Giesbrecht finished with 21 saves. Beaupit stopped 32 shots for Fayetteville.
The two teams will reconvene Saturday night in Fayetteville.
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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