October 22, 2012 at 2:19 p.m.
Hockey: Rhinelander takes two of three from Soo, including 14-13 epic
Hockey: Rhinelander takes two of three from Soo, including 14-13 epic
The Rhinelander Street Cats improved to 3-4-0-0 in the Midwest Junior Hockey League, taking the final two games of a three-game set with the Soo (Sault St. Marie, Mich.) Firehawks in shootouts.
The finale of the series was a wild 14-13 epic in which the Street Cats outlasted the Firehawks. Rhinelander downed Soo 5-4 in a shootout Saturday after dropping the opener 5-1 Friday.
Sunday's game left fans breathless as the two teams combined for 26 goals during regulation, including three in the final 1:10 of the third period.
Rhinelander resident Eric Blankenship saved the day for the Street Cats, scoring with 30 seconds remaining to force overtime. He added a goal in the shootout, which Rhinelander took 2-0.
Sunday's game did not start well for Rhinelander as Soo jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first period. Devin Vander Wyk scored the first of his four goals on the day to trim the lead to 4-1 by the end of the period.
The Cats erupted for nine goals and 32 shots on goal in the second period. Kevin Killips extended Soo's lead to 5-1 at the 2:15 mark, but goals from Vander Wyk, Blake Rowe and Rustam Kuts cut the lead to 5-4 by the 6:00 mark. Two quick goals gave Soo a 7-4 edge, but the Street Cats rallied for six unanswered goals - two each from Vander Wyk and Taylor Cutting, and one each from Blankenship and Kuts - to take a 10-7 advantage to the second intermission.
Soo rallied back with a goal by James Goudreau and two from Nicholas Murphy in the first 4:10 of the third to tie the game, 10-10. But Rowe and Kuts responded with goals 19 seconds apart to put Rhinelander ahead by two. Alex Drulia scored five seconds after Kuts to make it 12-11 with 14:08 remaining in regulation.
That's how the score remained until late in the third period as Rhinelander's Cody Schatzman took a cross checking penalty, putting Soo on the power play. Killips cashed in on the man advantage with 1:10 remaining to tie the game. Sixteen seconds later Nate Fitzpatrick scored to put the Firehawks ahead.
Blankenship added one more score to the tally, sending the game into overtime.
Soo had the better of play in the extra five-minute session, outshooting Rhinelander 4-1, but could not find the back of the net.
Blankenship and Peter Carlin scored in the first two rounds of the shootout, while goalie Mark Lingofelt turned aside Goudreau, Drulia, Ryan Marshall and Murphy to seal the victory.
Rhinelander's 5-4 victory Saturday was tame in comparison to Sunday's action, but hair-raising nonetheless. The Cats gave up a 4-1 lead in the final seven minutes of regulation, but prevailed 2-1 in the shootout.
Dylan Farmer and Alex VanWagner scored to give Rhinelander a 2-1 lead after one period. Vander Wyk scored on the power play at 4:22 in the second period and Farmer added another tally at the 2:02 mark of the third. But Murphy scored a shorthanded goal at 13:02 and scored again 39 seconds later to cut the lead to 4-3. Drulia netted the equalizer with 4:06 remaining in regulation.
As it was in Sunday's shootout, Blankenship and Carlin scored for Rhinelander in the first two rounds, which proved to be enough. Murphy scored in the first round of the shootout for Soo, but goalie Spencer Brasswell stonewalled Fitzpatrick, Brandt Miller, Anthony Laaksonen and Quinton Myotte to preserve the victory.
Murphy did all the damage for the Firehawks Friday, scoring four goals and assisting another in a 5-1 decision over the Street Cats.
Soo took a 2-0 lead after the first period. Murphy scored at the 4:50 mark and Marshall lit the lamp on a power play at the 7:28 mark. Murphy added goals at the 10:59 and 15:47 marks of the second period and gave the Firehawks a 5-0 lead at the 2:19 mark of the third period.
Murphy finished the weekend with 10 goals and six assists for the Firehawks.
Rhinelander got on the board midway through the third period as Kuts scored off assists from Vander Wyk and Carlin. Vander Wyk finished with five goals and five assists in the series. Kuts had four goals and three assists.
Rhinelander continues its season-opening 11-game homestand with a two-game series against Bloomington Oct. 27-28.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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