KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Knoxville Ice Bears faced off against the Evansville Thunderbolts on Saturday night during their annual Corgi Races event.
Fresh off a 4-0 shutout victory the night before, the Ice Bears aimed to complete a weekend sweep. Evansville struck first, opening the scoring early in the first period, but Knoxville quickly responded to even the game.
In the second period, the Ice Bears grabbed their first lead with a power-play goal. Evansville answered late in the frame, tying the score with about five minutes remaining. However, Knoxville’s Dalton Skelly restored the lead with a goal just 35 seconds before the period ended.
The third period saw Knoxville focusing on defense to maintain their advantage, but Evansville managed to equalize midway through the frame. The deadlock persisted through the remainder of regulation and overtime, sending the game to a shootout.
In the shootout, Evansville jumped to a 2-0 lead before Knoxville’s Mitch Atkins and Derek Osik stepped up to tie it and force sudden death. Atkins delivered again in his second attempt, slipping the puck past Evansville goalie Ty Taylor to secure an exhilarating victory for the Ice Bears.
Check out this photo gallery from Inside The Rink’s Michael King for highlights from the game.
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