Rosenzweig Blanks Zydeco (11/7)

Biloxi, MS - The proximate rivalry begins. Matchup 1/12 between the Breakers and the Zydeco, and for Breaker Nation, it certainly didn’t disappoint. Led by Josh Rosenzweig’s 45 saves and new Captain Yaro Yevdokimov, the Breakers earned a statement victory on the road in Baton Rouge this past Friday night 5-0. 

In a matchup of 1-4 teams, it’s always anybody’s contest. In the early stages of the season these matchups that seem so nominal can end up having crazy playoff implications as we saw last season. Period 1 had a fast start in the first of twelve meetings between the Breakers and the Zydeco. It took just 45 seconds for Brandon Lucchesi to light the lamp with a shot through traffic that surprised Stephens to make it 1-0. It appeared as though Stephens had never seen it at all, barely flinching as the puck whizzed by. The middle chunk of period 1 was controlled mostly by the Zydeco, but Breakers goaltender Josh Rosenzweig made some big time stops to keep the lead intact. At 14:31, a Tim Delaney stretch pass found new Breakers Captain Yaro Yevdokimov in stride on a breakaway to double the margin with a smooth finish. But the Breakers wouldn’t be done there… At 17:28, Lucas Piekarczyk finished an impressive passing play from his linemates Yevdokimov and Henry to put the Breakers up 3-0, their largest lead of the season. The Breakers were outshot 14-5 in the first period, but quality proved to trump quantity. 

Trailing by 3, the Zydeco needed to find a way to shift the momentum back in their direction. At 2:01, Brice French found the courage to answer the bell against the Breakers new enforcer AJ Schlepp. Schlepp, towering over French by 6 inches, landed a majority of the shots before flipping French over WWE style. Everything seemed to be coming up in Biloxi’s favor this time around. 5 minutes after the scrap, Khaden Henry buried a beautiful backhander completing a highlight reel deke to extend the Breakers margin to 4. The back half of the frame featured the two squads trading petty penalties and man-up opportunities, with no more tallies. Josh Rosenzweig was exceptional between the pipes, stopping all 30 shots he faced through 40 minutes of play. On the other end, Stephens was having a night to forget, with just 9 saves on 13 shots. As we all know, crazier things have happened than a 4-goal comeback in the Fed, and we still had 20 minutes to play. The goal for Charlie Pens’ group, finish strong and carry the momentum to home ice. 

The 3rd period was very similar to the 2nd. The only goal scored in the frame belonged to Declan Conway, assisted by Richie Colarusso. The assist marks Colarusso’s first professional point, even sweeter playing against his former team. The rest of the way was a hodge podge of pushing, shoving and barking. Penalties continued to add up as the temperature between the two proximate rivals rose. Similar to the previous frames, the Zydeco dominated in shots on goal tonight. Unfortunately for them, Josh Rosenzweig would post a shutout. When all was said and done, Rosenzweig stopped a season high 45 shots he faced, earning his 2nd win of the season and first shutout. After the horn sounded, there were some more pleasantries exchanged at center ice, with the officials having to get involved and separate the two squads. It was the perfect end to an authoritative victory for the Breakers, as it set the stage for a physical game tomorrow night. 

The two teams will battle tomorrow night once again but this time in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum at 7:00CST.