KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Knoxville Ice Bears aimed to close out the weekend on a high note as they hosted the Birmingham Bulls on Sunday evening. Despite a valiant effort, the Ice Bears fell just short in a 5-4 overtime heartbreaker.
The opening period was rough for Knoxville, as Birmingham struck early and often. The game began with fast-paced, end-to-end action, but at 11:37, Drake Glover found the net, beating Knoxville’s Stephen Mundinger. Just 21 seconds later, the Bulls capitalized again, doubling their lead. Birmingham wasn’t finished, adding a third goal with less than two minutes remaining in the period. The Ice Bears avoided a shutout period when Dalton Skelly struck with only nine seconds left to make it 3-1 and give Knoxville some life heading into intermission.
The Ice Bears came out firing in the second period, energized by Skelly’s late goal. The frame opened with tight exchanges, but momentum shifted at 10:48 when Dawson McKinney buried one to pull Knoxville within a goal. The floodgates opened for the Ice Bears as Carson Vance and Cam Tobey each added tallies, giving Knoxville a 4-3 lead by the end of the second.
In the final period, Knoxville looked to protect their lead against Birmingham’s potent offense. However, the Bulls wasted no time, tying the game just over a minute into the third. Both teams generated opportunities but couldn’t capitalize, sending the Ice Bears into their second overtime game of the weekend.
The overtime period was a nail-biter, with both sides trading chances. The game came to a dramatic conclusion when a rebound off Birmingham’s Trevor Thurston’s skate found the back of the net. Knoxville argued it was a kicking motion, but the officials upheld the goal, sealing a 5-4 victory for the Bulls.
Check out this photo gallery from Inside The Rink’s Michael King for highlights from the game.
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