WATERLOO, Iowa – After a wildly even and intense regulation and overtime period, Artemi Nizameyev and Carmelo Crandell each contributed shootout goals to hand the Tri-City Storm a 5-4 victory over the Waterloo Black Hawks inside Young Arena on Friday night.
Tri-City (7-7-3, 17 pts) collected it's fourth straight road win. Waterloo (9-4-5, 23 pts) still has not lost a home game in regulation this season.
A combined three goals were scored in the first period. Each came on the power play.
Waterloo tallied the contest's first goal 9:57 into the opening frame. The puck went to Teddy Townsend in the left circle of the Storm zone. The Minnesota commit's shot was tipped in front by Nicholas Kosiba, who was able to direct the puck past Storm goaltender Erick Roest's glove side. It was Kosiba's third goal of the season.
The Storm earned a power play chance of their own after Grady Deering was assessed Waterloo's first penalty of the game, a roughing minor, with just under seven minutes remaining in the period. As Tri-City controlled the puck on the left wing of their offensive zone, Shaun McEwen sent a beautiful rinkwide pass to the right circle. Rhys Wallin caught the feed and quickly released a shot through traffic and into the back of the Waterloo net for his fifth goal of the season.
Waterloo's Dylan Compton was handed a major penalty for cross checking a few minutes later. Compton, who engaged in a footrace with Crandell for a loose puck below the goal line in the Black Hawks zone, contacted Crandell with his stick just before the players reached the end boards. The officials reviewed video of the play and assessed Compton a five-minute major and game misconduct for cross checking.
On the ensuing man advantage, Crandell fired a hard shot from the near faceoff circle that was fought off by Waterloo goaltender Calvin Vachon. A rebound came off Vachon's body directly to the stick of Nolan Roed, who buried the puck into the Waterloo net for his sixth tally of the season.
Tri-City grew its lead early in the second period. Nizameyev, on a rush up the ice, took the puck to the right wing of the Black Hawks zone. The Miami commit then ripped a low snapshot that squeaked over Vachon's outstretched left leg and into the back of the net. It was Nizameyev's team-leading ninth goal of the year.
About four minutes later, Waterloo cut the lead to one with their second power play goal of the night. Following a Colton Whitfield roughing minor, the Black Hawks' Jesse Orlowsky carried the puck to the rim of the left wing circle in the Storm zone. Orlowsky then passed the puck toward the right wing. The pass deflected off several players in front of the Tri-City net before making its way to Teddy Townsend, who was positioned near the left post. The puck incidentally deflected off Townsend's legs into the cage.
Tri-City remained with a 3-2 lead entering the second intermission.
Early in the third, Waterloo knotted the game at three. Chase Jette rushed the puck into the Storm zone and made moves around a pair of Tri-City defenders. The Lake Forest, Illinois native then took an open lane to the net, backhanding a shot past Roest. It was Jette's third goal of the season.
The Storm retook a 4-3 advantage in the middle part of the third. As the puck entered the Tri-City offensive zone on the right wing, Ashton Dahms, from the right wing half wall, fed a pass to Ilia Morozov in the right circle. Morozov quickly roofed a shot top shelf around Vachon to put the Storm back on top.
Tri-City went on the power play about ninety seconds later, when Waterloo's JJ Monteiro picked up a minor for hooking. Eleven seconds into the man advantage, the Black Hawks struck shorthanded, when Brendan McMorrow found Teddy Mallgrave open on the left wing of the Storm zone after a Waterloo rush. Mallgrave sniped a shot top shelf on Roest to make it a 4-4 contest.
Despite numerous scoring chances in the final ten minutes of regulation on each side, neither team could find the back of the net. Waterloo failed to strike on a power play opportunity in the final minute of regulation after Tri-City's Shaun McEwen was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct minor with 57 seconds to go.
At the very end of regulation, Waterloo's Grady Deering grabbed a cross-checking minor after contact with Morozov in the Storm zone. Following the expiration of McEwen's penalty, Tri-City enjoyed around one minute of 4-on-3 power play time in the extra frame, but couldn't capitalize on several good looks.
The overtime period ended with a 4-4 tie.
Nizameyev and Crandell contributed Storm goals in the first and third rounds of the shootout, respectively. Roest halted two of the three Waterloo shots he faced to hand Tri-City its first shootout victory of the season.
Nine different Storm players contributed points in the win. Crandell led the way with two assists.
Friday's game marked the first time Tri-City had won a game beyond regulation since October 5, when the Storm beat Madison 4-3 in overtime at Viaero Center.
Up next: Tri-City ends the two-game set with Waterloo on Saturday night. Puckdrop inside Young Arena is scheduled for 6:05 pm CT. The matchup will be broadcast on FloHockey and Storm Radio.
