The Potomac Patriots Premier team barely came away with a win over southeast division rivals, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes by a 4-3 final. The Jr. Canes pushed hard in the third period, returning from a 4-1 deficit with just under 10 minutes to play. The Patriots ‘ great defensive plays and goaltending ultimately decided this game.
Kirill Guryev, a name that will be seen and heard many times this season, picked up the win, stopping 23 of 26 shots he faced. Cy McCrink started in net for the Jr. Canes but was pulled in the second period after allowing three goals on 14 shots. Dylan Rempel, who came on in relief, will take the loss in net as he let in the game-deciding goal, stopping 10-of-11.
Carolina’s powerplay was almost a saving grace for them, going 2-for-4. Potomac was 0 for 2 with the man advantage.
First Period
6:54 into the first, the Patriots earned their first powerplay of the game as Carolina’s Andrew Timmeny was sent off for tripping. On the ensuing powerplay, Potomac quickly gained possession of the puck, moving it, but a misread allowed Carolina to get clear with 1:25 left on the kill. As the powerplay was expiring at 8:56, Lucas Angelstrom released a wicked wrist shot that went right by the right ear of McCrink. Yovanni Flores and Nikolay Kharinov picked up the assists on the opening goal.
At 11:30 of the period, Carolina knotted the game up at one. Zachary Rich blistered a shot top shelf, knocking the water bottle off the top of the net, from the right-wing short side on Guryev. It was his first junior career goal. Colby Sims and Gregory Harter picked up the assists on the play.
At 14:51, Carolina earned its first chance on the powerplay to end the period as Angelstrom was sent off for hooking. Looking to take the lead before the end of the period, Carolina was firing the puck on the net at every chance it had. Despite the quick movement of the puck and some beautiful passing plays, the Jr. Hurricanes were unable to capitalize on their chance.
With the first period coming to an end in a 1-1 game, Potomac had a majority of the better chances, as they led the shot total by a 9-7 tally. Neither team tallied a goal on their only powerplay chance of the period.
Second Period
At 3:21 of the second period, Potomac regained its lead. Off a blocked shot, Hayden Ritter collected the loose puck and fired a shot low and hard that slipped underneath McCrink. Sergey Kolesov and Matvei Naumov picked up the assists. From the 5:47 mark, Carolina had a strong showing of pressure in the offensive zone. Within 30 seconds, Carolina had put on four shots, two of which could have gone in but were denied by Guryev.
At 10:36, Potomac extended its lead as Oskar Jungarve received a pass from Angelstrom. Jungarve shot the puck in close and it would ramp off the blade of McCrink and over his shoulder. After the goal, Carolina head coach, Brad Gaylord, decided it was time for a goalie change and yanked McCrink to put in Rempel.
Just 28 seconds after making a questionable change in net, Potomac tacked on another as a beautiful snipe from Jungarve went right by the right ear of a cold Rempel for his second goal of the period.
After two periods of play, Potomac was 17 minutes away from taking the first meeting of the season between these two southeast division rivals, as they led 4-1. Potomac led the shot advantage for the period by an 11-5 tally. Potomac was unable to capitalize on its only powerplay of the period.
Third Period
Still, down by three with 11:02 to go, the Jr. Hurricanes had a big opportunity as they went on the powerplay. Clement Roulet went to the box for indirect head contact. On the man advantage with 9:51 to go, the Jr. Hurricanes tallied a huge goal as a weird play behind the net saw Guryev stuck behind the cage. Henry Parisi was there to capitalize on the big mistake from the Patriots and put the puck into an empty net.
At 9:02, Potomac shot itself in the foot as Sergey Kolesov was sent to the box for interference. On the ensuing powerplay, the Jr. Hurricanes needed all of eight seconds to bring the game to within one as a floater of a shot from the point by Parisi found the back of the net past a screened Guryev. After the goal, 6-foot-9 Christian Williams was assessed a 10-minute misconduct for unsportsmanlike.
The game began to open up a bit more. At 10:01, the Jr. Hurricanes went down a man as Billy Loughnane was called for hooking. In a critical one-goal situation, Potomac was looking to give itself a bit of insurance and a bit more comfort room to work with. The Patriots came close to extending its lead as a couple of close calls and a crossbar hit prevented them from taking advantage of the powerplay, and the Jr. Hurricanes killed it off.
With 1:15 to go in the period, Carolina pulled its goalie for the extra attacker. Zone pressure by the Jr. Hurricanes nearly gave them what they needed with a goal, but luck was not on their side as a couple of posts were hit as well as a few blocked shots by the Patriots’ defense.
Unfortunately for the Jr. Canes time ran out and the Patriots took the win in the first meeting between these southeast division teams. A great effort from Carolina saw them outshoot Potomac in the final frame by a 12-7 margin.
