STATELINE, NV – On to Round Two.
“There’s a lot of excitement, the guys have earned every second of it,” said Knight Monsters head coach Alex Loh after the game. “To get the first playoff series out of the way is huge.”
The game began with a bang for Tahoe, as Adrien Bisson started the scoring in the first period on a slap shot from the top of the zone. The goal was in Bisson’s return to the lineup after missing the previous two playoff games with injury.
Tahoe outshot Wichita 8-3 in the final half of the first period and carried that momentum into the second, continuously putting high-danger chances on goal against Wichita netminder Trevor Gorsuch. But he stood tall in net, turning away all 16 shots he saw in the frame.
The Thunder scored two quick goals late in the second, as Spencer Blackwell tied things up with 4:30 to go and Joe Carroll made it 2-0 with just two minutes left on the clock. And the buzzer sounded on the frame with Tahoe facing a deficit going into the third for the second straight game.
And then they activated another level.
They scored nine minutes into the frame right after a power play expired, as Bear Hughes chopped in a backhand on the doorstep off of a Jett Jones pass. And then, with under three minutes to go, Patrick Newell took a great twister pass from Nate Kallen and sent it past Gorsuch to give Tahoe the lead.
For Newell, it was his second straight game with a clutch goal late in the third, and he is now up to three tallies in four playoff games.
The Knight Monsters would hold on in the final minutes, withstanding a late push from Wichita, to secure the sweep. Jesper Vikman made some fantastic saves late, finishing the contest with 25-27 stops for his fourth straight playoff win.
“He’s been excellent for us all series, full credit to Jesper,” said Loh.
Now, Tahoe will wait for the series between KC and Tulsa to finish up (KC is up 3-2), which will decide their round 2 opponent. The schedule for those games is currently TBD, but will be announced when that series has concluded.
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