By Luke McGinnis
A dominant first period saw the Stars outshoot the Storm 19-10, applying sustained offensive pressure and controlling much of the play. Manchester were awarded the first powerplay of the evening, as Jackson DeSouza was called for holding. A strong penalty kill from Dundee denied the Storm any high-danger scoring chances, maintaining early momentum as the game remained scoreless.
Nick Welsh was assessed a hooking penalty, and it didn’t take long for the Stars’ powerplay to capitalise for the opening goal. Matt Berry fired a slapshot from the point that bounced off of the backboards, Bradley Schoonbaert was quickest to the rebound and fired it past Evan Weninger at 12:00.
Craig Moore doubled Dundee’s lead at 17:24 with his first goal of the season. A strong cycle in the offensive zone saw Schoonbaert collect the puck behind the Storm net and feed Moore at the top of the right circle, where he blasted a slapshot past Weninger to make it 2-0 heading into the first intermission.
The Stars began the second period on the penalty kill after Morten Jürgens was assessed a holding minor late in the first. Dundee held firm defensively once again, with Jarrett Fiske turning aside everything sent his way to preserve the two-goal advantage.
A neutral-zone takeaway by Drydn Dow sparked a rush into the Storm end. The captain sent a backhand pass to Spencer Naas, whose initial shot was stopped by Weninger, but the rebound fell perfectly for Matt Berry to bury and make it 3-0 at 24:58.
Gary Haden got the Storm on the board at 30:00, carrying the puck over the blue line and firing a wrist shot that slipped under Fiske’s pads. A delay of game penalty on Justin Bean proved costly, as Joseph Nardi converted the ensuing powerplay at 39:08 to cut the lead to one heading into the third period.
Manchester thought they had equalised early in the third period when Kyle Locke fired a shot that appeared to beat Fiske at 41:02. A video review confirmed the puck had struck the crossbar and failed to cross the line, keeping the score at 3-2.
Just eight seconds later, Brandon Cutler levelled the score, sending a slapshot from the high slot past Fiske to make it 3-3 at 41:10.
The remainder of the third period featured end-to-end action, with both Fiske and Weninger making key saves to deny several quality chances. Despite the pressure from both sides, neither team could find the back of the net, sending the game into overtime to determine a winner.
Stephen Johnson immediately broke away off the faceoff in overtime, but was denied by Fiske. A penalty shot followed after Dow was called for slashing on the play, but Fiske once again shut the door. Harrison Caines found himself alone in the slot, and fired a shot over Fiske’s glove at 61:59 to secure the two points for the Storm.
