Special Teams Power Rockers Past Bobcats 6-2
Fraser, MI — The Motor City Rockers completed the weekend sweep of the Blue Ridge Bobcats behind two short handed goals as Motor City toppled Blue Ridge 6-2 on Saturday night.
Motor City jumped out to a two goal lead in the first period with the help of the power play.
2:53 into the first period the Rockers were up a man with a face-off in the far circle. TJ Sneath won the draw and slid the puck back to Josh Colten who fired a shot on net that was deflected by Jonathan Juliano for his 15th of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Ten minutes later Motor City added to the lead on a pure hustle play by Pavel Svintsov.
Declan Conway crashed into the net as he made his way toward the cage. Svintsov saw the puck was loose and gathered it and moved into the near circle. Instead of shooting, he centered it to Scott Coash for a goal and a 2-0 lead in the first.
Blue Ridge wouldn’t come away short handed, as they got a goal while killing a power play to end the opening stanza.
Motor City had a giveaway at center ice, and Michigan native Joel Frazee chipped the puck ahead to Jakub Volf that created a breakaway. Volf walked the puck in and cut the lead down, 2-1, with a shot to the stick side for his 16th of the season.
The Rocker lead was extended early in the second period thanks to a heads up play by TJ Delaney. The 6-foot-6 forward intercepted the puck at center ice, and walked it to the far side of the rink as he got to the far circle he ripped a wrist shot past Connor Green for a 3-1 lead 2:16 into the middle frame.
Volf added his second of the game late in the second period when he deflected a shot from Andrei Ivanov to cut back into the lead, 3-2, before the Rockers got a short handed goal of its own. With 1:45 left in the second period, newest Rocker Lane King who is playing in his second game with Motor City created a 2-on-1 while killing a power play. King held the puck as long as he could as he entered the zone and feathered a centering pass to the far post to Sneath who tapped in the goal for his 12th of the season and a 4-2 lead.
Motor City’s penalty kill has really round into form down the stretch as the Rockers killed all eight power plays it faced this weekend, including six on Saturday night.
The Rockers added two more goals in the third period thanks to a wrap around goal by Svintosov for his first goal since February 2nd for a 5-2 lead with 7:25 to play in the final frame and an empty net, short handed goal scored by Coash from about 165-feet away in the closing minute of play.
Motor City will host Watertown next weekend on Friday and Saturday before closing out its season series against Blue Ridge on Sunday at Big Boy Arena.