KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Game 1 of the SPHL Presidents Cup Finals had all the excitement fans could ask for as the Knoxville Ice Bears and Evansville Thunderbolts went the distance in a double-overtime thriller. After coming from behind in both previous rounds, Knoxville was hoping to ride that momentum to a win in front of their home crowd.
Evansville struck first with a goal from Tyson Gilmour, but Dawson McKinney quickly answered for the Ice Bears to even things up. The Thunderbolts grabbed the lead again just minutes later, only for Derek Raposo to tie it before the end of a high-energy first period.
McKinney scored his second early in the second, giving Knoxville its first lead of the night. The Ice Bears held strong defensively through the rest of the second and most of the third, but with just under five minutes to go, Scott Kirton cashed in on a power play to bring Evansville even.
The 3-3 tie held through regulation and a full overtime. Knoxville had some solid chances in the second OT, but it was Evansville’s Derek Contessa who finally broke through with the game-winner, giving the Thunderbolts a 3-2 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.
Check out this photo gallery from Inside The Rink’s Michael King for highlights from the game.
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