'Crows Sweep Breakers with 6-2 Victory (1/3)

BILOXI, MS - After an entertaining affair last evening with a little bit of everything, Topeka and Biloxi got ready to battle it out for round 6 in their 12 game season series Saturday night at Breaker Bay. After striking first, the Breakers squandered 4 unanswered goals en route to a 6-2 defeat. 

Heading into period 1 after surrendering a 2-goal lead last night, the Breakers mission was simple: play a full 60 minutes. After a game with no minor penalties yesterday, the Breakers were gifted with an early man-advantage when Scott Coash was assessed 2 minutes for boarding. On the powerplay, some great puck movement finished with Darius Davidson burying a one timer in tight to put Biloxi up 1-0. Topeka took another minor moments later, and was able to kill it off and generate some momentum for themselves. At 7:38, Elijah Wilson swooped in from the far circle and beat Josh Rosenzweig short side to tie the contest at 1. Topeka’s pressure remained constant, piling up their shot total in the back half. They were rewarded with just 39 seconds remaining, in the form of a Jacob Gagnon bullet from the slot to make it 2-1. Topeka outshot Biloxi 14-12 through 20 minutes. 

Trailing by a goal, the Breakers needed a solid 2nd frame to set the tempo. Similar to yesterday, Topeka came out flying in the middle chapter with all kinds of pressure. Fabian Lehner was assessed the Breakers’ first minor penalty of the weekend, opening up an insurance opportunity for the league’s 4th best unit. It took just 9 seconds for Boston Bird to fire one home past Rosenzweig and make it 3-1. Just 45 seconds later, Topeka added another with TJ Sneath finishing a tic-tac-toe passing play from the slot to make it 4-1. The Breakers were held to just 1 shot through the opening 11 minutes of period 2. As time dwindled, Trevor Grasby was booked for tripping. Fresh off his own penalty and into the game, Declan Flanagan stuffed home a one-timer for his 2nd of the season to make it 4-2. The teams headed to the dressing room with Topeka carrying a 4-2 lead and outshooting the Breakers 19-4 in the middle frame alone.

Topeka threw the first punch in period 3, with just 18 seconds ticking off the clock before Trevor Grasby’s pass deflected off a defender and in to extend the lead to 5-2. The Breakers sustained a lot of offensive pressure in the final 20, but just couldn’t find the twine. They also hit 3 posts throughout the contest which very well could’ve changed how everything unfolded the rest of the way. Around the 5 minute mark there were a few fights that went down, a good way to set the stage for next weekend’s 2-game set with the same clubs. Then at 7:57, Avery Smith scored over the shoulder of Rosenzweig with a bullet to make it 6-2. The Breakers would go on to outshoot the Scarecrows 19-14 in period 3, but couldn’t pull any closer as Topeka cemented a 6-2 victory.

The Breakers fall to 5-20-1, as Topeka improves to 16-8-0. The two teams will hit the ice for another 2-game weekend in Biloxi next Friday and Saturday at 7:00 inside the Coast Coliseum.