In front of a crowd of just under two-thousand, the Silver Knights were looking to break off from a two game slump. With several key players out with injuries, including Bryan O'Quinn, Corey Elanio, and Slavisa Ubiparipovic, it was the chance for newly signed talent and younger players to step up and make an impact.
The first quarter could be described as rather dull, ending with neither team scoring. While the Knights tried to push and get some offense going, St. Louis was happy keeping possession and trying to lull the Knight's asleep with constant passing in the neutral zone.
The second quarter is where the action started to come alive. Five minutes into the period, Domenico Vitale sent a pass towards St. Louis's goal, where Jer Jer Gibson was waiting. Using his size and absolute power, he muscled past the defender and put his shot past the keeper, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead. This score would hold thanks to Knight's keeper Andrew Coughlin, the Baldwinsville product who was just signed this week to fill in for the injured O'Quinn. He would make a number of huge saves, included stoning Anthony Arcio on a breakaway attempt midway in the quarter.
"It's the adrenaline that got me through it," Coughlin elabortated, "trying to get my body in front of everything. It was fun."
Both St. Louis and Syracuse turned up the heat in the third quarter. Shots were coming at both ends but the keepers and their defenses stood tall. St. Louis finally got on the board in the third when a weak shot from Andre Hayne trickled past the diving Coughlin to knot the game at one. A Knight's response would come about three minutes later. Tim Crawford lofted a ball high towards the St. Louis goal, where both Ambush goalie Piotr Silwa and the Knight's Darren Toby were jockeying for position. Both players went up for it, but the ball would knock off Toby's head and find a way past the goal line. The Ambush would argue for a foul but would end up with Silwa getting a yellow card and the Knight's up two to one. However, St. Louis would claw their way back, getting a set piece goal from Freddy Moojen in the fourth quarter to tie the game at two. That score would remain until the end of regulation and overtime. It was now up to a shootout, something the Knight's were not exactly used to.
"We have not actually practiced it for about a month and a half," Coach Tommy Tanner explained in the post match. "We practiced it a few times but haven't practiced it lately."
For the shootout, the Knights would turn to Doug Miller, Bo Jelovac, and Darren Toby while Andrew Coughlin would stand in net. In round one, Doug Miller sent a shot over Silwa's right shoulder and into the bottom right corner of the goal. For the Ambush, Freddy Moojen was able to beat Coughlin the left side, but rang his shot of the post, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead. In the second round, Richard Schermund would trying and jive and move to fool Coughlin. However, the rookie goal would chase him down and shut down the shot. He would finish with a total of 12 saves on the night. Now, it was up to the Knight's captain to seal the win. Like Miller, Bo would beat Silwa to the right and give the Knights the 2-0 shootout win and the 3-2 victory. After the game, Jelovac described the moment of the game winning goal.
"It felt good, a little pressure, practice some times during the practices on the shootouts. I learn from watching guys a little bit. It was my job to do it and I was glad to do it."
For Doug Miller, the former player/coach of the Rochester Lancers, his shootout goal in front of so many former Lancers supporters and Knights fans was quite an experience.
"It is exciting because we built a culture in Rochester and they (the fans) miss the rivalry of Rochester and Syracuse. It's great for me because the same guys who razzed me when I played for the Lancers are now cheering for me. I embrace it and every chance I get to play is an opportunity and I feel blessed at my age."
With the win, the Knights are back to .500 with a record of 6-6. They have Saturday off but return to the War Memorial this Sunday with a match with the undefeated Baltimore Blast at 1pm. You can check out video, pictures, and complete interviews from the win over St. Louis below.
Audio (Interviews with Coughlin, Tanner, Jelovac, Miller, and Bourdeau): http://www.driveplayer.com/#fileIds=0B0SPW2mymqbyWFl0a3MwdzRzNDg&userId=104830176212466867904