ICE DROP 'HAWKS' IN SHOOTOUT 3-2
01-11-2008
The Indiana Ice found a way to win…and it was in familiar fashion. The Ice improved to 7-0 in shootouts when they defeated the Waterloo Black Hawks 3-2 Friday at the Pepsi Coliseum.
Good defense trumps good offense in most sports. The Black Hawks, who had scored only 76 goals in 28 games, shut down and frustrated Indiana through regulation and the five minute overtime. The Ice had scored 43 more goals entering the contest, but needed shootout scores from Greg Squires and John Kemp to make goaltender Scott Darling a winner in net after stopping 36 Waterloo shots.
Ron Cramer forced overtime 17 seconds into the third period as the hosts finally broke out from their tough start to the contest. Cramer’s top shelve wrist evened the score at 2-2. Alex Handy assisted on Cramer’s sixth goal of the season.
There were two ways to look at the Indiana situation after two periods. They played as poorly as they have all season when they built their record to the East Division leading record of 21-6-2. After being outshot 28-5 in the first 40 minutes, they trailed only by a goal and had a chance to win heading to the third period.
Things looked bright for the hosts in the game’s first four minutes. Handy opened the scoring 3:40 after the opening face-off with a bad angle shot. Handy launched a shot from the goal line of Matthew DiGirolamo’s net which appeared to ricochet off the shoulder of the Black Hawk goalie’s shoulder and into the net. Three of Handy’s four goals on the season have come against Waterloo.
John Carlson and Cramer received assists before the Ice offensive went dormant until the third period. Indiana was particularly ineffective on the power play. Indiana went 0-5 with the man advantage and managed only one shot on goal---including a short span with a 5-on-3 advantage.
The good news was that the visitors scored only a pair of goals in the first two periods. Chad Billins notched a first period power play goal and Billy Maday made the Ice pay for a 3-on-1 breakaway as the visitors skated to the second intermission holding a 2-1 lead.
The two teams go back at it tonight at 7:05 p.m from Pepsi Coliseum.
