By Jim den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Saukhockey.info
The second night of Bar Down Beer League play featured a pair of thrillers at Lake Delton Ice Arena Sunday night.
Included in the duels was the season’s first shootout and first scrap as the four teams showed there is not much separation between the teams.
The opening game wasn’t clinched until Dan Smolen sank an empty net marker at the buzzer to clinch a 4-2 edge for the Army Ducks against Black.
The second match was even closer, going to a shootout before the Yellow Jackets clinched a 3-2 edge againt the Green Machine.
Army Ducks 4 Black 2
Just one goal came out of the opening two periods, Max Cummings getting Black on the board from Lucas Andruskiewicz early in the contest.
Zach Zamzow converted a pass from Alic Schuster early in the third to get the Ducks on the board but Black recaptured the lead just 29 seconds later on another set up by Andruskiewicz, this time Mitch Henke pulling the trigger.
Josh Krueger led the way back for the Ducks, tying the game with an assist for Eric Thompson, then putting the White crew in front with an unassisted tally 2:11 from the end, setting the stage for Smolen’s clincher.
Burke Schweda made it tough of the Ducks’ shooters, in goal for Black and Matt Tylka collected the win in goal for the Army Ducks.
Yellow Jackets 3 Green Machine 2 (so)
The second game also started slow, the first goal scored in the second period by Dawson Hinze with help from Adam Stanton and Mike Weck.
Dan Smolen evened it, from Anthony Rohde later in the period and Yellowjackets grabbed the lead on another Rohde set up, this time Austin Luxford with the goal.
Stanton collected his second point of the game with a laser beam wrister just under the bar with assists for Steve Mordini and Dawson Hinze.
Teams were still even at the end of regulation time thanks in part to the standout goaltending of Dane Hinze in goal for Green and Matt Melvin for Yellow.
Austin Luxford of Yellow and Adam Stanton of Green notched first round goals in the shootout but the only other goal came from Tyler Carey in the third round, Melvin making the stop to clinch the win for the YellowJackets.
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