Somerset, NJ – After a two-week break, the Protec Jr. Ducks earned their fourth win on the year when the squad defeated the Connecticut Chiefs, 7-5, at Protec Ponds on Monday.
The victory also snapped Protec’s two-game losing streak and marked the fifth occasion this season that the Jr. Ducks netted five or more goals in a contest. While the matinee game at the Pond was the first time this season that the two Mid-Atlantic Conference foes squared up, the game was nothing shy of entertaining and intense.
The two teams combined for four goals in the first period, alone.
(Jr. Ducks/Graphics & Digital Media)
After establishing a strong forecheck early on, Protec’s Jordan Guigui and Brayden Patricia opened the scoring, respectively. Both skaters found the back of the net in large thanks to forcing turnovers in the offensive zone, especially Patricia.
The Jr. Ducks’ captain intercepted a cross-ice pass in the high-slot and beat Connecticut goaltender Zach Richards top shelf on the glove side. The Chiefs’ Zachary Boulet later found the back of the net which brought Connecticut back within one goal. However, Protec’s energy-forward Parker King netted his third goal on the year and lifted the Jr. Ducks to a 3-1 lead.
The 5-foot-9 forward in Parker extended his goals streak to two games when he was fed an impressive crisp pass from George Fomin. Keep in mind that the organization acquired Fomin via trade from New York Apple Core on Friday.
(Jr. Ducks/Graphics & Digital Media)
The second period entailed a little bit of everything and primarily goal scoring. Captain Patricia netted his second goal for the contest which also kicked-off a 5:00 man-advantage midway through the period. Additionally, forward Nick Newman recorded his fifth goal off a one-timer after a slick pass from Patricia in the high slot.
Still, it seemed the three-goal deficit didn’t phase the Chiefs. Connecticut responded with a late goal during the end of the second frame and then cashed in twice less than five minutes into the third period.
Ben Messinger recorded a five-on-three power-play goal 49-seconds into the final frame, which was quickly followed up by the game-tying goal from defenseman Jared Tyson less than two minutes later.
Yes, Connecticut controlled most of the momentum during the third period but Jr. Ducks’ masked man Tristan Fattedad still recorded a number of big and timely saves on the afternoon. Let’s not forget that Protec was outshot, 52-35, and Fattedad turned away 47 Connecticut shots.
One of the Jr. Ducks’ forwards in Guigui spoke during the postgame and also acknowledged Fattedad’s strong efforts between the pipes.
“It was tough having two weeks off but the boys were buzzing early on and ready to play,” said Guigui. “We took the lead early and didn’t get down when they tied it up. Fattedad really kept us in the game, and I’m proud of the Ducks for playing a solid 60 minutes.”
Speaking of timely and game-changing plays…
Forward Cameron Plants entered the contest as the Jr. Ducks’ “extra forward” but the Clayton, NC native made the most of his ice time. After forward Broday Selman stripped a Chiefs player from the puck in the neutral zone, Selman sauced a pass from the far board over to a streaking Plants in the high-slot.
Plants snuck in behind Chiefs’ back checkers after joining the play late and the left-handed shot beat Richards five-hole after creating himself plenty of time and space. Plants’ first goal on the year stood as the game-winner, and Selman’s three helpers on the day were also impressive.
After an back and forth last five minutes during the final frame, the Jr. Ducks held on and Patricia completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal just before the final buzzer sounded.
The victory also marked the team’s first-ever win on home ice at the Pond. Protec’s next contest is scheduled for Saturday night against the Connecticut RoughRiders for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop at SoNo Ice House.
