NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX – Sunday was the definition of playoff hockey as the Brahmas prevailed 3-2 over the Atlanta Capitals thanks to a late game-winning goal and a monumental goaltending performance.
The scoring opened midway through the first period when George Hansen snuck a seeing-eye shot through traffic while short-handed. Brock Brown was credited with the lone assist after he won the offensive zone draw, allowing #19 to find the lane. It would be the only goal of the first.
After the first intermission Ross Bartlett tied the game at one on a breakaway. Colin O’Connor sent a lengthy stretch pass from his own zone to the former Corpus Christi IceRay, who then buried it past the blocker-side of Tyler Myers. The lead lasted for a handful of minutes until Bryan Whelan gave his team the lead once again at the 15:09 mark. His goal came on the power play with Ryan Dunner and Nick Nitta picking up the helpers.
The back-and-forth action continued into the third when Evan Camba redirected an Andrew Cooley shot from the point past Myers to place the game back at an even 2-2. For the duration of the third both teams traded power play opportunities until finally Sam Gagnon struck with just 2:15 on the clock to give his team the win. Nick Nitta and Bryan Whelan worked the puck around on the power play to set up the Canadian, who then punched it past a sprawling Aleksandr Zendejas.
Tyler Myers was the undoubted first star of the game, stopping 45 of 47 in the win. On numerous occasions the Colorado native had to make desperation saves to keep his team from sliding behind, ultimately being the deciding factors.
Gagnon’s clutch tally forces a decisive Game Three tomorrow at NYTEX Sports Centre. The puck will drop at 2:15 and admission is free. If you are unable to attend, catch the action on FastHockey.com