SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Thunderbirds competed in overtime for the second straight game.
And for the second game in a row, the Thunderbirds emerged victorious. This time, however, a different face was the hero. After a turnover, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki found Dalibor Dvorsky on a 2-on-1 breakaway attempt.
In response, the 19-year-old scored the game-winning goal with 1:18 left in the extra period to secure Springfield’s impressive 2-1 comeback win against the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday night during the 8th Annual Teddy Bear Release Night. at the MassMutual Center.
“I got a nice pass there from Kaskimaki,” Dvorsky said. “And because we had a 2-on-1 breakaway opportunity with Tyler Tucker next to me, his defender was way behind, I didn’t want to risk anything. But in the end I shot it and I’m glad it went in.”
Behind scorer Vadim Zherenko’s game-high 33 saves, the Thunderbirds (12-9-1-0) won their fourth straight game. Tucker also recorded two points (one goal and one assist) to help Springfield leapfrog Charlotte (11-5-1-2) for third place in the Atlantic Division.
“I think you take wins any way you can,” Thunderbirds coach Steve Konowalchuk said. “Overtime is fun, but it’s also frustrating if it doesn’t go your way. But winning is fun because you have to work hard to get it… they are not easy”.
After 20 unsuccessful shots and a power-play attempt to start the contest, Springfield attempted to advance the puck down the right backboard. But the drive didn’t last as Rockford (8-10-3-0) intercepted the pass attempt below the blue line.
The rest was history as Cole Guttman maneuvered through the defense and scored his ninth goal of the season to put the IceHogs up 1-0 at the 22-minute mark. Midway through the second period, Rockford looked to double their lead as they forced a loose puck and took off.
But as Guttman approached the crease, he tried to score five holes with a backhand putter. It wasn’t enough, though, as Zherenko recorded one of his 15 second period saves to maintain a one-goal deficit for Springfield with 7:29 left.
Rockford stayed ahead through 40 minutes of action while outscoring Springfield 25-13 as the two teams entered the intermission.
Despite an uneventful display from the Thunderbirds’ offense entering the final period, Zherenko got the crowd on their feet as the IceHogs won the opening faceoff and advanced. But the momentum was short-lived as Zherenko denied back-to-back shots against Samuel Savoie and Gavin Hayes to keep it a one-possession game to open the third.
“It was a weird first two periods,” Konowalchuk said. “But it was a great save by Zherenko. And it’s not like you can’t come back if your team is down 2-0. We didn’t feel like we had a lot of life in the first two periods, so guys were trying to find the energy”.
Springfield regained possession in its own zone after coming up short on its previous 14 field goal attempts. After a successful faceoff, Tucker secured the pass and made sure the streak ended as the defenseman tied the score at 1-1 behind a top-notch net with 17:02 left. remaining in the regulation.
The goal marked Tucker’s fourth of the season, while Matthew Peca picked up his sixth assist.
As the Thunderbirds continued to ride their momentum, Peca appeared to score his ninth goal of the season to put them ahead in the 45th minute of action. However, the opening call was overturned due to goaltender interference as both teams remained tied at 1-1 with 14:06 left in regulation.
Despite numerous scoring opportunities in the final moments of regulation, overtime was necessary to get a winner.
And that is exactly what happened Dvorsky recorded his 10th goal of the season to help the Thunderbirds claim eight of their last 10 games.
Springfield will now endure a five-game road trip that begins against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Casey Plaza on Saturday, Dec. 14, with a kickoff scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
“I think it will be good to get our guys on the road,” Konowalchuk said. “We’ve only been away from our beds maybe two nights lately, which is rare. So it’ll be good for our guys to get out and spend some time with each other so they can bond and play some road hockey.”