Rock Lobsters vs BobCats - Game One
Gallant’s Two-Goal Night Sparks Rock Lobsters’ First-Ever Overtime Win
WYTHEVILLE, Va. - The Athens Rock Lobsters fought their way to a 3-2 overtime win against the Blue Ridge Bobcats Friday night in the Hitachi Energy Arena. It marked the first-ever overtime win in the franchise’s history.
After Blue Ridge found the opening goal on a first-period power play, Kayson Gallant extended his scoring streak to three games with a tap-in at the 4:53 mark of the second period. Filip Virgili got a shot off on the Blue Ridge goaltender while the Swede was falling to the ice and Gallant was able to sweep home the rebound.
The Bobcats found themselves on top in the matchup again with a wrist shot that went bar down with four minutes gone in the third period.
Weathering the storm after several successful penalty kills, Troy Murray was the beneficiary of chaos caused in front of the Blue Ridge net. The defenseman tipped in a puck with 3:20 left in regulation after Malik Johnson floated a pass into the crease and Hunter Alden obscured goaltender Connor Green’s vision of the puck.
Heading into its first overtime period, Athens found the winner through a pinpoint pass from Carter Shinkaruk across the ice to Gallant in the faceoff circle. The 24-year-old wristed a shot past Green for his team-leading fifth goal of the season, clinching a third-straight win for the hockey club.
The Athens Rock Lobsters (3-0-0, 9 pts) return to the Hitachi Energy Arena on Saturday night for the weekend finale against the Blue Ridge Bobcats; puck drops at 7:30 p.m. EST.