Lukas Fursten stopped all 31 shots he faced, and Otto Polakovs scored two goals to lead the Rebels to a 5 – 0 win over the “visiting” North Iowa Bulls. It was the Rebels’ second win of the three games played to date at the NAHL Showcase.
Fursten stopped all 18 shots he faced in the first period alone to keep the Bulls off the board, and he had to make several key saves to keep his team in the game.
Kris Samitis scored a powerplay goal with 9:24 remaining in the middle stanza to open the scoring. Sonny Dinubile took a clapper from the top of the far side point that was saved by Bulls netminder Santo Simmchen but the rebound came right out to Samitis – who was at the bottom for the far side faceoff dot – and Samitis took a one-timer that beat Simmchen short side to make it a 1 – 0. It was Samitis’ second goal of the season.
Four minutes later Polakovs scored to double the Rebels lead. Max Marquette picked up the loose puck just outside his own nearside blueline and carried the puck through center ice. As Marquette gained the line, he passed the biscuit to Polakovs on his left and Polakovs took a wrist shot from the slot that beat Simmchen short side.
With 1:12 left in the second, Marquette made it a 3 – 0 game. Charles Panchisin picked up the loose puck in the Bulls far side corner and sent it back to Shawn Ramsey at the point. Ramsey took a shot that Simmchen couldn’t control, and the puck came right out to Marquette in the slot and he buried it past Simmchen.
Polakovs scored his second goal of the game on a rebound from a short side shot from Marquette for Polakovs’ third goal of the season.
Panchisin scored his first goal of the season with 2:32 remaining in the game to close out the scoring and make it 5 – 0.
It was the Rebels’ first shutout of the regular season. Their last shutout came on March 7 when Jakub Krbecek stopped all 40 shots he faced in a 4 – 0 road win over the New Jersey Titans.
Simmchen turned aside 26 of 30 shots. Click here for the complete box score.
The Rebels will play their fourth and final game of the Showcase tomorrow at 10:15 AM against the Lone Star Brahams.
