Game Report: Minnesota Rallies To Win 4-3 In Overtime

The Oceanside Shock held a late third-period lead on home ice, the opportunity for their first FPHL regulation win in their grasp. They had the Minnesota Northern Lights where they wanted them, but one family stood in the way.

Brothers Kalix and Kylow Monkman of the Northern Lights teamed up for back-to-back goals, each time with Kalix assisting on Kylow’s goal, as Minnesota stole away a 4-3 OT win from the Shock. Kylow’s first, a stuffer in front of the right post with 3:25 remaining off a feed from Kalix behind the net, tied the score 3-3. In 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime, Kalix sped behind the Oceanside net before sending the puck to Kylow below the right circle, who lifted it under the crossbar and into the top of the net at 1:55 to give the Northern Lights (2-2-1, 5 points) the victory.

Shock captain Matt O’Dea earned his side a standings point when he scored twice to open the third period for Oceanside (1-4-1, 3 points), first short-handed at 6:23 then at even strength at 9:26 when he handled a rolling puck sent forward by Brett Menton, tapped it flat while out-skating a defender on each hip, and zig-zagged the puck past Minnesota goaltender Bailey Huber (40-of-43 saves) with dazzling stick-handling to ignite the crowd at Frontwave Arena. Oceanside had a power play opportunity with 5:53 left to take the first two-goal lead in franchise history, but seconds after their chance expired, the Northern Lights drifted down-ice and the brothers Monkman got to work.

The result was disappointing for Oceanside in that the Shock controlled much of the action throughout the night, out-shooting Minnesota 43-29. The only period the Northern Lights out-shot the Shock was in overtime, 3-1. Oceanside went 1-for-5 on the power play, but included in that total was a five-minute major match penalty with four minutes left in the second period given to Minnesota’s Geronimo Whiteduck. The Northern Lights skater pulled his stick up with two hands and horse-collared Chase Dibari to the ice for what was called a two-minute minor. Oceanside’s Sam Bailey jumped in to stick up for his teammate and fought Whiteduck, who, according to Bailey’s account to off-ice officials, bit him in the scrum, leading to ejection. Not only did the Shock not score on their five minutes of power play time, but they took a penalty with 1:11 remaining in the period, and then conceded 4-on-4 when Minnesota’s Chris Corgan jumped a loose puck at mid-ice during a line change for a breakaway goal at 19:36.

The Shock’s power play goal, a second-period equalizing 1-1 score by Tyler Maxwell at 14:40, was a milestone moment for Oceanside’s Chase DiBari, who fed Maxwell’s backhand shot and received his 100th FPHL point as reward. Oceanside trailed after the first period on Anthony Larkin’s first of the year for the Northern Lights at 7:24. The two teams combined for seventeen penalties and 49 minutes of PIM.

Oceanside and Minnesota meet Sunday evening again at 5pm on Frontwave Arena ice for the second of eight games in the season series. The game is the Shock’s first Star Wars Night, with attendant cosplayers, fun thematic elements and galactic struggle for supremacy. Tickets for all the action are available by visiting frontwavearena.com.