By WJBC Staff
BLOOMINGTON — Team USA scored twice in a minute span in the first period and held on for the final two periods to top Bloomington, 3-1, in the series finale on Saturday night at the Coliseum.
Vlad Dzhioshvili gave the Thunder (8-7-2-0, 18 pts) an early lead in the first five minutes of the game, but Joel Farabee and Jake Goldowski scored just 58 seconds apart in the last five minutes of the first to help Team USA salvage a series split.
Save for an empty netter in the final minute of regulation, all of the scoring in the game took place in the opening period. Dzhioshvili got the Thunder off to a quick start in the first, scoring his team-leading seventh goal of the year 3:28 into the opening frame. Zach Mirageas let the initial shot go from the right point, and Dzhioshvili then redirected the blast past Team USA goaltender Ryan Ullan.
But after the early goal, the Thunder couldn’t get another shot past Ullan the rest of the way, as the goaltender finished the game with 27 saves on 28 total shots.
Bloomington limited Team USA to 25 shots and took just one minor penalty in the game, but Team USA’s two-goal burst near the end of the first period proved enough to earn the win. Farabee drew Team USA even with a wrist shot from the right circle at the 15:15 mark of the frame, and Goldowski struck for the eventual game winner on a rebound shot just 58 seconds later.
Thunder goaltender Gabe Mollot-Hill finished with 25 saves on 27 shots in his fifth start of the season.
Bloomington travels to Dubuque on Wednesday night in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Final before returning home next weekend to face Green Bay on Friday and Saturday night. All three upcoming games are slated for 7:05 p.m. puck drops.
