Silver Knights secure winner-takes-division game
The Silver Knights persevered through numerous injuries and obstacles in their inaugural year to win the regular-season Pacific Division title.
They weren’t going to let their season end without a fight.
The Silver Knights defeated the Bakersfield Condors 6-3 Thursday night at T-mobile Arena in front of an announced crowd of 3,329 to extend their Pacific Division playoff final to a winner-take-all third game.
Game 3 will be 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Silver Knights rebounded from their 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1 on Wednesday quickly, taking a 4-0 lead into the first intermission. Left wings Dylan Sikura and Jonas Rondbjerg each scored twice to chase Bakersfield goaltender Stuart Skinner after 20 minutes.
“I was really pleased with the way we responded,” coach Manny Viveiros said. “We came out and didn’t want to sit back. We didn’t want to dip our toes into it. We just wanted to get going right away.”
The Silver Knights played the game with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, but their firepower wasn’t lacking.
Sikura had his second two-goal game and first four-point game of the season. It was also the first four-point game in Silver Knights history. Rondbjerg had his first two-goal game and third multipoint game.
Forward Maxim Marushev, a 2020 seventh-round pick by the Golden Knights, scored his first goal in the second period. Center Danny O’regan added a goal and an assist, and right wing Cody Glass had two assists after appearing in Game 6 of the Knights’ NHL playoff series against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.
“I loved, first of all, Cody’s attitude today,” Viveiros said. “It was incredible. Came down and was a leader in our room and on the bench.”
The Silver Knights’ hot start gave them plenty of cushion in the second and third periods. The Condors cut their deficit to 5-3 with 2:17 to play, but O’regan scored an empty-net goal to seal the win.
The performance earned the Silver Knights one more game this season. They want to make the most of it.
“There’s no official Calder Cup this year, but this is our Calder Cup,” Viveiros said. “It means something to both these teams.”