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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville's hockey team scored two goals in 40 seconds late in the first period, then another two goals in a 37-second span, including one on the power play, to take an 8-4 win over Collinsville in the Mississippi Valley Club Hockey Association season opener Monday night, Nov. 4, 2024, at the RP Lumber Center in Edwardsville.
The Kahoks took an early lead, but the Tigers tied the game late in the first period, went ahead in the second, then scored five times in the third period after Collinsville retied the game in the second. The Kahoks played very well in the game, but the Tigers were able to come back and take the two points to open its season.
"We didn't get off to the start we wanted," said Edwardsville head coach Jason Walker, "and give credit to Collinsville. They played great tonight. We played a great third period, we have a lot of experienced players, and they came through when it counted most."
The Tigers did lose some key players, but also return several other players who helped Edwardsville to the MVCHA Class 2A championship last season.
"We feel good," Walker said. "We lost some players, but we return some other players, and we've already played eight games out of the league, and we're glad to be back into the league.
The Kahoks got on the board first at 6:04 when Tanner Bettis, playing in his first game for Collinsville after not playing in 2023-24, scored to give Collinsville the 1-0 lead. Owen Stetting scored off a scramble in front of the Edwardsville goal. Late in the period, the Tigers tied the game with two goals by Reid Poetaster at 12:19, and Atticus Arth 40 seconds later, to tie the game 2-2 after the first period.
Edwardsville took the lead early in the second on a goal by Dean Schlarman to put the Tigers ahead 3-2, but Nolan Duffy forced the Edwardsville defense to turn the puck over and scored at 11:50 to tie the game at 3-3 after the second period, making it anyone's game going into the final period.
After successfully killing off a Kahok power play to start the third period, the Tigers went ahead for good early on in the period, when a Zach Cohn shot went through the five hold between the Collinsville's goalie's legs and into the net to make it 4-3. The Tigers scored again quickly when Will Whitaker scored 37 seconds later to up 5-3, but the Kahoks weren't done yet, getting a goal from Eric Denny scored from the high slot to cut the Edwardsville lead to 5-4.
Schlarman scored his second goal of the game on a power play to put the Tigers ahead 6-4 at 11:20. Edwardsville scored again on a two-on-none break, and scored with about two minutes left in the game off a face-off to make the final 8-4 for the Tigers.
Edwardsville outshot Collinsville in the game 36-20. The Kahoks were zero-for-one on the power play, while the Tigers were one-for-two.
On Tuesday night, Edwardsville lost to O'Fallon 5-3.
The Kahoks start 0-1-0, and meet up with Freeburg/Waterloo on Thursday night at the RP Lumber Center, with the face-off coming at 8 p.m. Edwardsville, 1-1, plays next at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at R.P. Lumber Center against Marquette.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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