by Joseph Furtado
Monroe, LA – In a thrilling contest, the Athens Rock Lobsters secured a 3-2 victory over the Monroe Moccasins thanks to Carter Shinkaruk’s game-winning goal in the final minute. The win marks Athens’ second consecutive win earning them all six points on the weekend.
The game opened with Athens forward Kayson Gallant putting his team ahead at 12:05 of the first period. Gallant’s goal, assisted by Filip Virgili and Chris Hunt, gave the Rock Lobsters a 1-0 lead. Monroe responded late in the first period, with Kyle Stevens netting the Moccasins’ first power-play goal of the season at 18:14.
The second period saw both teams battling until Gallant struck again for Athens, netting his second goal of the game to reclaim a 2-1 lead for the Rock Lobsters. Despite Monroe’s efforts to equalize, Athens’ defense held firm through the period.
Early in the third period, Monroe’s persistence paid off as Brad Reitter scored the game-tying goal at 4:01, marking his third goal in just two games.
In the final moments of the game, Shinkaruk came up clutch to help seal a 3-2 Rock Lobsters win. Athens completed a successful weekend, picking up six points. Monroe will now aim to avoid a three-game losing streak as they prepare to host the Columbus River Dragons in their next matchup.
source: https://www.federalhockey.com/news/game-recaps-10/12/24
