Charles Panchisin scored a powerplay goal with 2:48 remaining in overtime to give the visiting Rebels a 3 – 2 win over the Mountain Kings. Linans Dedinas and Zach Spagnuolo also lit the lamp. It was Spagnuolo’s first career NAHL goal. The Rebels split this important two-game series with New Hampshire. The teams combined to take 103 shots in the game.
With the win, the Rebels now move into seventh place in the East Division and trail the Mountain Kings by six points for the sixth and final playoff spot.
Dedinas opened the scoring just 1:27 into the game. Joe Stauber picked up the loose puck in his own slot and passed it up to Dedinas along the near side boards. As Dedinas skated through center ice and into the offensive zone, he used a New Hampshire defenseman as a screen and took a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that beat Mountain Kings goaltender Sam Scopa long side for the former Mountain King’s fourth goal of the year.
Spagnuolo doubled the Rebels lead with 8:23 remaining in the first. After Ruslan Jamaldinov won the draw deep inside the offensive zone, the puck went back to Bryce Strand at the near side point. Strand sent the puck up to Billy Sheridan at the hash marks and Sheridan moved towards the slot. As he reached the middle of the slot, Sherican made a backdoor pass to a breaking Spagnulo who redirected the puck past Scopa to make it a 2 – 0 game.
Abzal Alibek was called for slashing to give the Mountain Kings the main advantage. With forty-three seconds remaining in the powerplay, New Hampshire’s Tommy McDonough cut the Rebels lead in half with 4:17 remaining in the second period. The Mountain Kings’ Damon Bossie brought the puck up along the far side boards and passed it back to McDonough at the point. McDonough took a wrister that found its way through a screen and past Rebels netminder Owen Crudale.
New Hampshire had their chance to even the score at the end of the second and beginning of the third when they had a 5 on 3 but the penalty kill and, especially, Crudale kept the home team off the board.
The Mountain Kings’ Oli Genest tied the game with 6:55 remaining in the third period. New Hampshire’s Jaden Davis started the play at the top of the near side point and made a cross-ice pass to Rogiero Cacciarelli. Cacciarelli stepped up to the top of the faceoff circle and made a cross-ice pass through the slot to Genest who took a one-timer that beat Crudale for Genest’s league high 36th goal of the season.
Crudale and Scopa had to make several key saves throughout the game but particularly with time running out to send it into overtime.
With just :42 seconds into the extra period, New Hampshire’s Thomas Quast was called for holding to put the Rebels on the man advantage. It was the Rebels first powerplay of the game. Panchisin started the play at the top of the near side faceoff circle and made a cross-ice pass to Ryan Vaites. As Vaites went to the far side faceoff dot, he sent a return pass to Panchisin at the top of the slot. Panchisin made a move around one New Hampshire defender and took a shot that handcuffed Scopa and the puck trickled across the goal line to give the Rebels the win.
The goal moves Panchisin to within one point of tying Andrew Bellant for the most points in franchise history.
Crudale stopped 45 of 47 shots while Scopa turned aside 53 of 56. Click HERE for the complete box score. The Rebels will be on the road next weekend as they travel to Elmira for a two-game series against the Aviators.