TULSA, Okla. – The 37th ECHL season kicked off with a full slate of eight games on Friday night.
Six home teams saw their home opener spoiled by their road foes, as Idaho and Savannah came away as the only home squads with wins on the night.
Idaho Steelheads 7, Utah Grizzlies 2
The Idaho Steelheads jumped out to a 5-0 lead mid-way through their contest with Mountain Division rival Utah, enroute to a 7-2 win. Ty Pelton-Byce scored twice while Ben Kraws made 26-saves on 28-shots to pick up the win in net.
Savannah Ghost Pirates 4, Indy Fuel 1
The Savannah Ghost Pirates took advantage of a three-goal first period to put away the visiting Indy Fuel early. Goalie Evan Cormier stopped 28 shots for Savannah, before losing an opening-night shutout bid late in the final period on an Indy goal from Adam McCormick with 33-seconds left on the clock.
Half of the games were decided by just a single goal, with one needing an extra frame to declare a winner.
Orlando Solar Bears 5, Greenville Swamp Rabbits 4
Orlando claimed a 5-4 win at Greenville on Tyler Bird’s third goal of the night, 2:07 into overtime. The Swamp Rabbits were 2-for-5 on the power play in the back and forth contest, while being outshot by the Solar Bears 37-30.
Reading Royals 3, Trois-Rivières Lions 2
In Trois-Rivières, Quebec, the Reading Royals pulled off a comeback win, reeling off three unanswered goals after trailing the Trois-Rivières Lions 2-0 at the end of the first.
Adirondack Thunder 2, Norfolk Admirals 1
The Adirondack Thunder also completed a comeback win, overcoming a 1-0 deficit with a pair of goals just 34-seconds apart late in the third period to defeat the Norfolk Admirals, 2-1. Kevin O’Neil’s powerplay goal at 18:52 of the third would be the game winner for the Thunder.
Fort Wayne Komets 6, Iowa Heartlanders 5
Down 4-1 mid-way through the contest, the Komets’ offense jumped to life, scoring five-straight goals, led by a pair of markers from Kyle Mayhew. Iowa’s Jack O’Brien broke the Fort Wayne scoring streak on a power play goal at 18:04, but the Komets would hold on for the win.
Kansas City Mavericks 5, Wichita Thunder 3
Kansas City’s Cade Borchardt had a goal by way of penalty shot, along with an assist and Jackson Berezowski scored a late third period power play goal to ice the game and defeat Wichita at Intrust Bank Arena. Wichita’s Aaron Dell, on loan from the AHL San Jose Barracuda, made 28-saves on 33-shots while allowing 5 goals.
Wheeling Nailers 4, Maine Mariners 1
The Nailers scored twice on the power play and added a late empty net goal as they handed the Mariners a home opening loss. Jaxon Castor stopped 25-of-26 shots faced, as Kyle Jackson and Jordan Martel led the way offensively for Wheeling with a goal and assist each.
Next Up:
Things kick into high gear on Saturday, with 11 games on tap for the league. At the top of the list is the first official home game for the Bloomington Bison as they host the Toledo Walleye at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, Illinois.
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Contact the author: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com