Eamon McAdam made 34 saves, yielding just a single late in the 3rd period, while helping the Flames cling to slim lead and go on to a 2-1 home win over Belfast Giants.
Jackson Whistle in the Belfast net and McAdam turned aside the traded chances in the opening frame to send the clubs to the 2nd still skating on a scoreless draw.
Most of the 2nd also melted away without a goal but Alex Yuill’s first of the season in the 35th minute stood up as the only one to count through the end of the middle frame.
In the 49th minute, Ryan Tait opened the gap to a 2-0 lead just prior to a couple of Flames penalties that put them on the back foot for a good part of the back half of the set. No powerplay goals for the Giants during the run of play, but the pressure continued for most of the final minutes until with just over 2 remaining, and Whistle on the bench in favour of an extra skater, Darik Angeli pulled the visitors within a single. They again tried with 6 skaters as time wound down but couldn’t find the overtime forcing equalizer.
McAdam was 34 of 35 and Whistle was 24 of 26.
“Certainly, the key to the game was Eamon in the 3rd period, where we were definitely the 2nd best team for that part of the game,” admitted Paul Dixon.
“It was pretty even for the first 2 periods, and even for the first 5 minutes or so of the 3rd, but Belfast really turned the tide in the late stages. Fortunately, we were able to extend the lead just before a couple of penalty kills that fully swung the momentum their way.”
“You have to find ways to win sometimes when you are not necessarily playing enough in the opponents end, and we did that tonight so we are happy to bank a couple of points with a single game weekend schedule.”
