Sayles Earns Victory in Athens Debut Against Former Team

Sayles Earns Victory in Athens Debut Against Former Team

FLORENCE, S.C. - The Athens Rock Lobsters defeated the Pee Dee IceCats 4-3 Saturday night at the Florence Center in their final game in Pee Dee this season.

A night removed from scoring the final Athens goal on Friday, Joe Mack started the scoring at the 14:50 mark of the first period after burying a takeaway in the Pee Dee zone.

The IceCats came storming out of the tunnel in the second period however, taking a 2-1 lead on tallies from Vadim Frolov and Dominiks Marcinkevics.

Garrett Milan stormed the crease and knotted the scoreline up at 2-2, but it was initially called off for goaltender interference. After a challenge from head coach Garrett Rutledge, a video review reversed the decision on the ice.

Four minutes later, Luke Croucher wristed the visitors back into the lead with a notch just seconds after an Athens power play ended.

Halfway through the third period, Mack scored his second of the game on a one-timer off of an Eli Lieffers drop-pass feed.

Domenic Della Civita breathed life into the game with a bulge of the net at the 14:23 mark, but the oxygen in the high-temperature Florence Center was snuffed out by Matt Sayles. In his first start as a Rock Lobster against his former team, the Milton, Ga. native stopped 37 of 40 shots. 

The Rock Lobsters (27-8-7-0, 95 pts) return home to Akins Ford Arena on Wednesday, March 11 for the final meeting against the Pee Dee IceCats this season. Tickets can be found here.