New Hampshire netminder Sam Scopa stopped all 34 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season to help lead the visiting Mountain Kings to a 3 – 0 win over Rebels. It was second consecutive game in which Philadelphia was shutout.
Despite the loss Rebels goaltender Owen Crudale was almost as equally as good as Scopa having to keep his teammates in the game.
After a scoreless first period in which saw a total of 28 shots taken, the Mountain Kings’ Kim Hilmersson would tally the eventual game winning goal just 5:09 into the middle stanza. At 4:58 of the period, Joe Stauber was called for roughing to give the Mountain Kings the man advantage. Eleven seconds later Hilmersson scored his eighteenth goal of the season to make it a 1 – 0 game.
After the Mountain Kings won the draw deep inside the Rebels zone, the puck went back to New Hampshire’s Damon Bossie at the near side point. Bossie sent the biscuit over to Thomas Quast atop the far side faceoff circle. Quast sent a return pass to Bossie who immediately sent it down to Kirill Evstigneev at the near side half wall. Evstigneev made a crisp, cross-ice pass to Quast who took a one-timer that was stopped by Crudale but the rebound came out to Hilmersson on the doorstep and Hilmersson shot the puck into the back of the net to give New Hampshire their 38th powerplay goal of the season, which is second in the league.
The Mountain Kings would double their lead with two minutes remaining in the contest courtesy of a turnover. As a New Hampshire powerplay had just ended, the puck went back to Jared Coccimiglio at his own far side faceoff circle. Coccimiglio went to make a cross-ice pass to Luke Janviriya but Coccimiglio fanned on the pass and the puck went straight to New Hampshire’s Jaden Davis who took a quick wrist shot that was saved by an unsuspecting Crudale but the rebound came right out to Alex Gelhar in the slot and Gelhar lifted the puck up and over the fallen Rebels netminder and into the back of the net for Gelhar’s sixth goal of the season.
New Hampshire’s Frank Dancona closed out the scoring with nineteen seconds left in the game with an empty net goal. Crudale stopped 38 of 40 shots in defeat. Click HERE for a complete box score.
