Ice hockey Storming third quarter sets up thrilling victory for Pitbulls
BRISTOL Pitbulls earned suffered a shootout defeat in Essex against the Junior Raiders on Saturday before an astonishing 8-6 comeback win at home against Chelmsford on Sunday.
The Pitbulls travelled up to Romford on Saturday with a shortenedbench, and despite goals from Tamas Elias, Carter Lloyd and Aaron Moody giving them a 3-1 lead with 15 minutes left to play, they failed to hold on and trailed inside the final minute.
Mason Lipsey managed to get the visitors back on level terms, firing in with 57 seconds left on the clock to take the game to overtime. Netminder Tyler Perre made sure the game went the distance in over
time with a couple of huge saves, but the visitors were beaten in the shootout after Vilius Krakauskas scored the winner in sudden death.
Sunday was a huge night on and off the ice for the Pitbulls, as they were raising money for the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) by wearing one-off Ukraine inspired jerseys, these were raffled off after the game and the club raised £3,358 for a fantastic cause.
On the ice, the Pitbulls were down 3-0 halfway through the opening period, with head coach Jamie Elson forced to call his timeout to try to get a handle on the game. The Pitbulls improved but conceded the next goal before youngster Josh Shaw got the hosts on the board. Both teams exchanged two goals each in the second period, as captain Loris
Taylor scored Bristol’s second followed by Josh Shaw getting his second from a penalty shot.
Entering the third, the Pitbulls were down by three and despite their improved performance, it still looked an uphill task. However, after eight minutes of the third period, the lead was down to one. Tamas Elias was the quickest to react to a rebound, then Jay Warren skated through neutral ice, beyond a defenceman and ripped a shot home to make it 6-5.
Steve Osman tied the game at 6-6, with the puck pinging around the front of the net before Osman slammed it home for his 300th point for the Pitbulls. After spending two minutes on the penalty kill, the hosts had 4:39 to find a winner, but instead they found two goals.
A turnover by the Chieftains allowed Mike Hargreaves to pinch up the boards, beat a check before sliding the puck into the slot for Mason Lipsey, and Bristol’s top goalscorer buried his 19th goal of the season. A minute later, Liam Coleman fed the puck in front for man of the match Tamas Elias, who diverted the puck between the legs of the netminder.
Head coach Jamie Elson said: “The third period was just something else. That’s as dominant 20 minutes as you’re likely to see. Backs against the wall, three goals down and to come out and play like that was unbelievable. We played with heart and passion, we were relentless, and when we got chances, we were ruthless. We again showed how good we can be. I’m so proud of the team and club tonight.”