For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
Stephen Mundinger made 40 saves, Mitch Atkins scored the go-ahead goal at 8:30 of the third period and the Knoxville Ice Bears defeated the Huntsville Havoc 2-1 at Propst Arena in Alabama Sunday night.
The Ice Bears complete their first three-game weekend with back-to-back wins. Huntsville has dropped two of its last three.
Atkins put the Ice Bears ahead for good when he buried a breakaway past Mike Robinson’s glove halfway through the final period. Carson Vance threw a long pass into the neutral zone to Atkins, who knocked it down out of the air, skated into the slot and found the net for his fourth goal of the season.
Mundinger kept Knoxville in front by withstanding a barrage from the Havoc. He slid across the crease to deflect a cross-ice attempt early in the third and stopped a close range chance from in front of the crease.
Daryk Dubé-Plouffe put Knoxville in front halfway through the first period with his first goal of the year. Vance led Mike Egan up the right wing with a breakout pass and Egan crossed from the right circle to the opposite side where Dubé-Plouffe beat Mike Robinson to the short-side post at 8:32.
Huntsville’s best chance in the first period came when Giovanni Procopio received a pass on a two-on-one in the slot, but his wrist shot was stopped by Mundinger and the Ice Bears took the 1-0 lead into the intermission.
Huntsville tied the game when Doug Elgstam scored off a rebound at 14:07. Mundinger blocked the initial point-blank shot from Craig McCabe, but the puck deflected to the side of the crease for Elgstam to tap it in on the yawning net.
Mundinger made a series of high quality saves during the course of the period to keep Knoxville in it at the second intermission with Huntsville outshooting the Ice Bears 16-5 during the middle frame.
Robinson finished with 27 saves for Huntsville as the Havoc outshot the Ice Bears 41-29.
Knoxville returns home for the first time in nearly three full weeks to host Birmingham. Huntsville welcomes Pensacola on Friday. The Ice Bears will be hosting Military Appreciation Night at the Civic Coliseum. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available at www.knoxvilleicebears.com.
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.
-xxx-