Macon, Ga.: Down 2-0, the Thunderbolts rallied late to force overtime and defeat the Mayhem in a shootout, 3-2 in Macon on Friday night for the Thunderbolts’ 20th win of the season. The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, March 22nd against the Peoria Rivermen, puck drop at 7:00pm CT.
The Thunderbolts faltered early, with Macon’s Brett Mecrones opening the scoring only 13 seconds into the game. Despite being heavily outshot, Macon was able to take a 2-0 lead as Alex Laplante scored at 17:32 of the middle frame. In a late push, Mark Zhukov tipped in a Grayson Valente shot at 19:00 to cut Macon’s lead to 2-1, also assisted by Vadim Vasjonkin. Macon controlled most of the third period and got a power play opportunity in the final two minutes to put the game away, however the Thunderbolts were able to muster a shorthanded rush and Scott Kirton scored to tie the game at 2-2 with only 48 seconds remaining, assisted by Matthew Hobbs and Dmitri Yushkevich for the Thunderbolts’ first shorthanded goal of the season. After a scoreless overtime, the Thunderbolts scored on shootout attempts from Myles Abbate, Kirton, and Vasjonkin, while Ty Taylor was unbeaten on all three Macon attempts as the Thunderbolts completed the comeback. With Knoxville also losing tonight, the Thunderbolts now have a 7 point lead above the playoff line.
Kirton scored the tying goal as well as a goal in the shootout, Abbate scored the shootout-winning goal, Zhukov finished with one goal, and Vasjonkin scored a goal in the shootout. In goal, Ty Taylor made 25 saves on 27 shots in regulation and overtime, along with three saves on three shootout attempts for his 4th win of the season. The Thunderbolts and Mayhem meet again for the final time this season on March 16th at Macon Centreplex Coliseum.
