Alex Dougherty suited up in net for the Homestead Spartans. His opponent 200 feet down the ice was Kam Clark, who got his first win of the season in Fort Wayne play. The shots would be relatively even as Homestead ended with 27 and the Vipers 24. 

First Period

Homestead would draw on the scoresheet first, with a tripping penalty to Andrew Litwinko. Twelve seconds into the powerplay, the Vipers would score as Michael Scully would send the puck in from the top of the circle. The Vipers would get an even-strength goal with just under 2 minutes in the first to have a 2-0 lead into the second frame. 

Second Period

Homestead would get a goal of their own to make this contest closer. Jacob Gerber would collect the rebound sent in by Daniel Martinsky that went off of Kam Clark’s mask. The Vipers and Spartans would exchange penalties during play. Simon Watson went off for a crosscheck at 8:14. Homestead could not capitalize off the man advantage and went to the penalty box themselves. Isaac Morrison got called for high sticking at 5:32. Another 12 seconds later, the Vipers had pushed their lead back up to two. Nick Vanryn was able to deflect in Scully’s shot. Homestead would take two quick penalties to round out the second. Cole Strick would get a roughing call at 1:33, and Litwinko would head to the box for hooking at 1:09. 

Third Period

Michael Scully would get his second of the night at 11:44 as the puck bounced up from the goal line to the crossbar. FW would head to the penalty box as Cam Whisler got called for crosschecking at 10:08. Five penalties would get called in less than 20 seconds as some rough stuff broke out. FW’s Simon Watson and Eli Rinehold would go to the box with Homestead’s Henry Loxton at 8:25 for roughing. At 8:12, Grant Knudson and Cole Strick were called for roughing. Logan Ormsby would get sent off for crosschecking at 3:31, leading the Spartans to one of their best chances of the game. They pulled Dougherty to have a 6-on-4 man advantage. However, Jackson Bertels would score shorthanded in the empty net to seal the game at 5-1. The Vipers would leave their mark on the scorecard one last time as Simon Watson got called for roughing at 1:08. 

1380’s Three Stars of the Night

1. Kam Clark (1st win, 26 saves)
2. Michael Scully (2 goals, 1 assist)
3. Jackson Bertels (2 goals, 2 assists)

12/6/23

This article was written by Fiona Quinn