Athens Rock Lobsters forward Filip Virgili prepares to take a shot in an overtime shootout against the Monroe Moccasins at Akins Ford Arena on Feb. 28. After the teams tied 3-3 in regulation and went scoreless in five minutes of overtime play, Virgili’s lone goal during the shootout resulted in a win for the Rock Lobsters. “We know we can score (with) our go to guys,” Rock Lobsters head coach Steve Martinson said. “Everybody’s contributing, so even though we’re behind, we’re confident (we) can come back.” Photo by Wyatt Meyer
The Athens Rock Lobsters beat the Monroe Moccasins in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 regulation time tie at Akins Ford Arena on Feb. 28.
Looking to rebound from two shutout losses against the Blue Ridge Bobcats the previous weekend, the Athens Rock Lobsters defeated the Monroe Moccasins from Monroe, Louisiana in a penalty shootout in front of 5,138 people at Akins Ford Arena on Feb. 28.
Despite having beaten Monroe in six consecutive matches this season, the night didn’t start off in the Rock Lobsters’ favor. Moccasins forward Houston Wilson put the visitors on the board within the first minute, and the Rock Lobsters responded with three shot attempts but to no avail. At the 10 minute mark of the first period, Moccasins forward Blake Anderson capitalized on a turnover to extend Monroe’s lead to 2-0.
“We shot ourselves in the foot on the first two goals,” Athens Rock Lobsters head coach Steve Martinson said. “We had a couple of (mistakes) where (the Moccasins) didn’t force us, we just made a bad couple of decisions and it ended up in the back of the net.“
“These (games) are good character building. We know we can score (with) our go to guys.”
— Steve Martinson,
Athens Rock Lobsters head coach
To begin the second period, the Rock Lobsters came out aggressively, firing six shots in the first six minutes while the Moccasins only shot twice. Despite the pressure, the period remained quiet until Rock Lobsters forward Malik Johnson scored a long shot into the top left corner of the net late in the period, cutting the deficit to just 2-1.
“We finally (scored) at the end of the second. Anytime you get a goal at the end of period, I feel good (because) you’re getting on the scoreboard,” Martinson said
A photo gallery displays the Athens Rock Lobsters game against the Monroe Moccasins at Akins Ford Arena on Feb. 28. The Rock Lobsters trailed 3-1 with a little more than half the third period remaining, but clawed their way back to a 3-3 regulation score and a 1-0 victory in the penalty shootout. “We didn’t get those freebie goals, but we (got) a couple of nice goals to get in the game. Anytime you come back from 3-1, it feels good,” Rock Lobsters head coach Steve Martinson said.” Photos by Wyatt Meyer
Entering the third period, Akins Ford Arena buzzed with hope for a potential Rock Lobsters comeback. But just over a minute in, Monroe struck again with a shot from forward Hugo Koch to go up 3-1. As time went on, hope faded until Johnson struck once again for the Rock Lobsters. Less than two minutes later, Johnson set up Daniil Glukharev to tie the game on an angled shot.
“You give up a goal like that in the third period (and) you can see guys slumping. That isn’t the case with us: we got to get another goal (and not) too long to get the next one,” Martinson said.
The game ended up going to overtime, where neither team scored despite a myriad of chances at either end: a penalty shootout ensued. Rock Lobsters goalkeeper William Lavalliere saved all three of the Moccasins’ shots, while Rock Lobsters forward Filip Virgili netted his opening shot past Moccasins goalkeeper Sean Kuhn, sealing a win for the home side.
“These (games) are good character building. We know we can score (with) our go to guys,” Martinson said. “Everybody’s contributing, so even though we’re behind, we’re confident (we) can come back.”
