The first period began with Tahoe controlling the offensive zone, outshooting the Mavericks 7-1 in the opening seven minutes. But KC turned the pace of the game around in the second half of the frame, peppering Vikman with shots in the final minutes.
They kept the momentum on their side in the second, breaking the ice just under four minutes in on a deflection goal by Nathan Dunkley. The initial shot came right off a faceoff and board battle win for the Mavericks, who consistently won important draws and played relentlessly on the puck all game long.
Tahoe had two chances on the power play in the final few minutes of the frame, but were only able to muster a few chances. The buzzer sounded on a 1-0 contest after 40 minutes, with KC holding the shot advantage 25-12.
The ice tilted more in favor of the Knight Monsters as the third period began, with a few high-danger chances on KC netminder Jack LaFontaine. But KC found the dagger with a shorthanded goal by Cade Borchardt with 3:07 to go in regulation to put the game away. Cam Morrison would then tack on an empty netter to increase the Mavericks’ lead to 3-0.
The series now heads to Tahoe with the Knight Monsters down 2-0, with game three scheduled for Thursday, May 8 at 7 pm at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Khalin Kapoor and Tim Herenda will be on the call.
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