JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Saturday was Pucks & Paws Night for the Jacksonville Icemen, who faced the Trois-Rivières Lions for the second night of a two-game series. After a controversial Game 1 loss in which a game-tying goal by Jacksonville with 42 seconds left on the clock was overturned, the Icemen were out for revenge. The head of ECHL’s officiating would later apologize to Head Coach Brandon Mashinter, agreeing it was a good goal and should not have been overturned. The Icemen came out swinging and took a 5-3 win over the Lions.
Even though they only outshot Trois-Rivières 11 to 10, It was an action-packed and physical first period, ending with a 3-0 lead for Jacksonville. Chase Lang had a pair of goals during the period. His first was on a rebound from his initial shot at 5:05, and the second was a shorthanded goal at 11:49. About a minute after the first goal, Ty Cheveldayoff and Anthony Beauchamp dropped the gloves for a big fight. Cheveldayoff would land a big right-hand punch on Beauchamp’s face, much to the fans’ delight. Thirty seconds after the fight, Justin McRae had his first goal of the night on a two-on-one with the help of Derek Lodermeier. Zach Jordan and Jacob Paquette also dropped the gloves for a fight before the end of the period.
The game’s intensity continued into the second period, with lots of physical play and after-whistle activity. Justin McRae scored his second goal of the night just 21 seconds into the period. Israel Mianscum made it a 4-1 game at 6:50 after scoring on a Lions power play. Zach Jordan made it 5-1 at 18:42, on a wrist shot from the right circle that Luke Cavallin didn’t see coming due to traffic in front of him. Trois-Rivières out shot Jacksonville 11 to 10.
Desperately trying to make a comeback, Trois-Rivières piled on the offensive line pressure, outshooting Jacksonville 14 to 7 and keeping Matt Vernon busy in net. Anthony Beauregard scored twice for the Lions and became their all-time top goal-scorer in franchise history. Jacksonville rookie Brody Crane dropped the gloves against Xavier Cormier, surprising Icemen fans. Multiple penalties and one with just over two minutes left in the game dashed Trois-Rivières comeback plans. Lions head coach Ron Choules was very animated regarding the final penalty, standing at the open door of the bench and yelling at the referee regarding the call, and clearly forgetting how a wrong call went in his favor the previous night.
The win moves Jacksonville into a three-way tie for second place in the South Division, while Trois-Rivières retain first place in the North Division. Jacksonville will face the Orlando Solar Bears on Tuesday in Orlando, while Trois-Rivières will face the Adirondack Thunder at home on Wednesday.
Check out this photo gallery from Inside The Rink’s Andrew Fielder, for highlights from the game.
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