KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a dominant victory during their first rebrand night, the Knoxville Ice Bears aimed to keep the momentum going for night two against the Evansville Thunderbolts.
The Thunderbolts struck first, opening the scoring midway through the first period, but their lead was short-lived. The Ice Bears responded with two goals to take a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission.
Evansville equalized in the second period at the 8:08 mark, but Knoxville regained the lead just three minutes later with a goal from Derek Osik. The third period saw Evansville battle back to tie the game once again, and regulation ended deadlocked.
In the thrilling 3-on-3 overtime, both teams generated quality scoring chances but couldn’t convert, pushing the game to a shootout. Evansville found the net twice in their first five attempts, while Knoxville managed just one goal through four rounds. Facing elimination, Tyler Williams stepped up for the Ice Bears, beating Evansville’s Ty Taylor to keep the game alive.
After a miss from Evansville’s Matt Dorsey in sudden death, Williams was called upon again. Delivering under pressure, he scored to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory for the Ice Bears, capping off an unforgettable second rebrand night.
Check out this photo gallery from Inside The Rink’s Michael King for highlights from the game.
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