For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
Jimmy Poreda made 30 saves, Stepan Timofeyev scored twice and the Knoxville Ice Bears beat the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs 4-1 Wednesday night at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum to take a 1-0 series lead in the first round of the President’s Cup Playoffs.
Dino Balsamo and Andrew Bellant also scored for Knoxville. Game two is Saturday night in Roanoke.
Timofeyev got Knoxville on the board first at 6:21 of the opening period. The puck was wrapped around the dasher boards to the right half-wall and sent in towards the crease from the perimeter. Timofeyev was camped out on the right side of the crease and managed to jam the puck past Sammy Bernard.
Roanoke nearly tied the game during the final stages of the period, but Poreda kept Knoxville in front with a series of stops.
Bellant scored late in the second to extend Knoxville’s lead at the second intermission. Nick Leitner kept the puck in the zone and pushed it into the slot. Balsamo slipped it to Bellant on the backdoor and he put it on net to make it 2-0.
Balsamo extended Knoxville’s lead with a power play goal at 8:31 of the third. Balsamo skated down the left wing on the rush. A Roanoke skater lost his footing and Balsamo used the extra ice to gain positioning in the left circle. His shot split Bernard’s pads to give Knoxville a three-goal edge. Timofeyev scored on an empty net at 16:35 to make it 4-0.
Matt O’Dea scored off a wrist shot from the right side to spoil the shutout at 17:34. Bernard finished with 23 saves for the Rail Yard Dawgs.
Fans can contact Olympus Car and Coach at 523-2796 to take a bus out to Roanoke for Saturday night’s game. Seats are limited.
ABOUT The Knoxville Ice Bears: The Knoxville Ice Bears organization began in 2002 and was an inaugural charter member of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) in 2004. As four-time SPHL Champions, the Ice Bears are an experienced and established organization, offering the city and its’ visitors a balanced product of highlight-reel hockey, unique and exciting intermission activity and endless fan interaction, presenting the most affordable, family-friendly way to enjoy sports and entertainment. Season, Partial Season and Flex Tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit www.knoxvilleicebears.com or call (865) 525-7825.
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