BOUCTOUCHE – The West Kent Steamers erased a two-goal deficit, scoring six unanswered goals, as they skated away with a 7-3 victory Friday night on home ice against the Grand Falls Rapids.
Trailing 3-2 going into the third period, the Steamers scored five times in the final frame, including a hat trick by Bennett Kuhnlein, his 3rd, 4th and 5th goals of the season.
Alexis Daniel also had a great game offensively for West Kent with a 1g 4a performance.
Tate Brenner scored twice for the Rapids while Tritan Sanchez completed the scoring.
Brenner got Grand Falls on the board with only 2 seconds remaining in the first period. It was a power play tally and Brenner’s first of the season.
Samuel Massé tied the score for West Kent at the 4-minute mark of the second period on a pass from captain Alexis Daniel.
But the Rapids regained the lead at 5:04 with Tate Brenner’s second of the game as his wrist shot beat Steamers’ goalkeeper Olivier Dallaire to the stick side.
Then Tristan Sanchez gave Grand Falls a 3-1 lead on a rebound in front of the net, a goal scored at 9:08. It was a second goal for Sanchez this season.
However, before the end of the period, Alexis Daniel scored at 11:44 to cut the Rapids’ lead to one goal after two periods of play.
It was all West Kent in the third period as they outshot the Rapids 17 to 7 while scoring five unanswered goals.
Bennett Kuhnlein scored his first of the night at 6:08 while his team was on the power play. Then Brandon Clarke gave the Steamers the lead at 12:31 on a shot that trickled through the pads of Grand Falls’ netminder Gio DiMattia.
Kuhnlein added his second and third goals of the game at 14:22 and 18:50 while Damon Englehutt added the Steamers’ 7th goal with 41 seconds remaining.
It was a disappointing loss for the Rapids who now fall at 3-4-1 on the season for 7 points. It was their second loss this season against West Kent.
Shots on goal were 35 to 34 in favor of the Steamers.
The Rapids will be in action on Sunday afternoon as they visit the Fredericton Red Wings for a 2pm start.
GAME NOTES:
*The Rapids went 1 for 4 on the power play while West Kent scored two PP goals on three opportunities.
*The Rapids led both the first and second periods in shots on goal with a total of 27 shots against 18 for West Kent.
*Game attendance: 805
*Three stars of the game: 1- Bennett Kuhnlein (WKS) 2- Alexis Daniel (WKS); 3- Tate Brenner (GFR)
Patrick Thibault
Scoring
1st
19:58 GFR Tate Brenner (1) ASST: Will Morrison (1) (PP)
2nd
4:26 WKS Samuel Massé (2) ASST: Alexis Daniel (2)
5:04 GFR Tate Brenner (2) ASST: Nicholas Brennan (2), Marcellus Francis (1)
9:08 GFR Tristan Sanchez (2) ASST: Kirill Mashchenko (1), Cole MacWilliam (3)
11:44 WKS Alexis Daniel (9) ASST: Cam White (3), Thomas Hendrickson (1)
3rd
6:08 WKS Bennett Kuhnlein (3) ASST: Alexis Daniel (3) (PP)
12:31 WKS Brandon Clarke (2) ASST: Alexis Daniel (4)
14:22 WKS Bennett Kuhnlein (4) ASST: Thomas Hendrickson (2), Samuel Massé (7) (PP)
18:50 WKS Bennett Kuhnlein (5) ASST: Alexis Daniel (5), Beren Simard (5)
19:19 WKS Damon Englehutt (1) ASST: Alex Christmas (6), Isaac Allard (2)