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Fargo Force win their first game with Eamonn McDermott injured
The Fargo Force and Team USA took to the ice inside the Urban Plains Center on Friday night while the weather outside was turning frightful. The two teams were in no hurry to find a winner. Eventually, Garrett Allen came through in the shootout and Dayn Belfour stopped every shot in the shootout session to lead the Force to a 4-3 win.
Team USA got things going in the middle of the first period. Cole Bardreau spoiled a Force power play when he came down and scored shorthanded to put Team USA up, 1-0. Fargo answered back exactly three minutes later. Nate Condon and Oleg Yevenko set up Corey Leivermann for the game tying goal. Fargo outshot Team USA 13-5 in the first period, but could only manage to come out of the period tied.
The two teams skated up and down the ice evenly, for the most part, in the second period. Fargo held a 10-7 shot advantage in the period. Matt Leitner put the Fargo Club in the lead 2-1 at the 18:24 mark of the middle frame. Johnnie Searfoss and Marek Hrbas assisted on the goal.
In practice this week, Fargo lost top-notch defenseman Eamonn McDermott to a broken arm. He is projected to be out the remainder of the regular season. Hrbas is one of the defenseman that is expected to step up big time to help fill the void with McDermott out. Hrbas and Yevenko led the Force with a +2 +/- rating in the game.
Adam Reid and Robbie Russo scored about five minutes apart to hold a 3-2 lead 10:22 into the third period. With 7:12 remaining on the clock, the Force was able to tie the game. The goal came from the unlikely source of Yevenko. For Yevenko, it was just his second goal in 32 games with the Force. He is also another player that is expected to step up big with McDermott out. Condon added an assist on the goal. Each team had chances as the game wore on, but neither team could find the back of the net and the game headed to overtime.
Each team had four shots in the overtime but Belfour and Matt McNeely were excellent in goal to send the game to a shootout. At the end of overtime, Belfour had 22 saves and McNeely had 37 saves.
In the shootout, Allen was the only scorer for the Force and Belfour stopped all five shots as Fargo prevailed, 4-3. Yevenko and Hrbas had a big game in their first with McDermott out with the injury. Yevenko and Condon led the Force with two points each in the game.
The Friday night contest is the only game of the weekend for the Force. Fargo is back in action next Friday at Tri-City.
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