Abzal Alibek scored in the shootout and Ben Varsa stopped all three New Hampshire attempts as the Philadelphia Rebels earned a 3–2 shootout win over the New Hampshire Mountain Kings on Saturday night in East Division action.
New Hampshire opened the scoring early in the first period when Ronnie Hill found the net to give the Mountain Kings a 1–0 lead. Philadelphia responded quickly, as Jake Schultz scored twice in four minutes in the period to swing the momentum and give the Rebels a 2–1 advantage after one. Schultz has recorded three goals in his last three contests.
The Mountain Kings evened the score in the second period when Cole Roenick scored on the power play, and both teams were held scoreless through the third period and overtime, sending the game to a shootout.
In the shootout, Alibek converted on Philadelphia’s first attempt, and Varsa sealed the victory by stopping Kaden Rehberger, Jaden Johnson, and Ronnie Hill.
Varsa finished with 33 saves on 35 shots, while New Hampshire goaltender Nolan Francis made 25 saves on 27 shots in regulation and overtime.
Philadelphia went 0-for-2 on the power play, while New Hampshire finished 0-for-1. The Mountain Kings held a 35–27 edge in shots, but the Rebels capitalized on their chances and earned the extra point.
The win improved Philadelphia to 13-15-2-5, while New Hampshire fell to 9-18-2-3.