Elkins Park, PA - In a game that would stretch into early Sunday morning, the Troy Bruins found their legs in the second period to propel a 4-0 road win over the Philadelphia Thunder late Saturday night.
The game, originally scheduled for February 6, was postponed until Saturday night due to transportation issues, while the late starting time of 10:30pm was the first of several adversity challenges the Bruins would face during the contest. After the lengthy ten hour bus ride, the Bruins players would find less than desirable ice conditions in Philadelphia before arena officials mended repairs to the surface, pushing the start time to 10:30pm. Yet, despite the delay along with the long day on the road, Shane Hicke's Bruins club would focus on the rematch with the Thunder.
The first period would be a challenge for the Bruins, struggling to find their tempo, and as one player described "shaking off the bus legs". Both teams would trade powerplays in the opener, yet neither team could capitalize on chances on either end, with Bruins starting netminder Allan Dowler making 11 saves, leading his team into the first intermission deadlocked in a scoreless tie with the Thunder after twenty minutes of play.
Perhaps the Bruins simply needed a longer pregame warmup, as a noticeably more alive Bruins team skated onto the patched up ice to start the second period. With Dowler keeping the defensive side of the ice under control, it would be Serov, Russia native Gleb Luchnikov to lead the charge, intercepting a pass from linemate Leonoid Kovalev to light the lamp with a smooth wrist shot past the shoulder of Thunder goalie Alex DiFazio at the 13:03 mark of the second. With the control of the flow, the Bruins would once again receive a K's Hamburger Shop Powerplay, and it would be forward Justin Dornhecker to cash in with a shot from the slot at 11:56 to extend the 2-0 Bruins lead, ultimately skating into the second intermission with the two goal lead.
The third period would start out with a bang, as yet another K's Powerplay opportunity would bolster the Bruins lead 3-0, as veteran forward and the team's leading scorer Lee McClure sniped a slapshot from the point unassisted at the 15:08 mark of the third. For the Philadelphia fans who stayed into the early morning, the damage would be nearly complete, as less than a minute later the Bruins scored their final goal of the game, this time an even strength setup from the neutral zone by McClure as he connected with a streaking Corey Evelyn breaking down the wing to blast his shot at point blank range past DiFazio to make it 4-0 at 14:15. After a full sixty minutes of hockey, Dowler picked up the shutout win, the Bruins second shutout win against the Thunder in the past week to extend their second place record to an impressive 25-12-1. The Bruins and Thunder continue the makeup weekend series with the closer set for 8pm on Sunday night before the Bruins return home to Hobart Arena for a weekend series against in-state rival Findlay Grrrowl on Saturday, February 27 at 8pm and Sunday, February 28 at 1:30pm. Tickets are only $7, and for more information call 985-PUCK or visit TroyBruins.com.
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