Déjà Vu or a Different Story?
The Knoxville Ice Bears are back in familiar territory, and they are hoping history repeats itself.
After dropping Game 1 of their Round 2 semifinal series against the Birmingham Bulls, Knoxville responded in dominant fashion Friday night with a 5 to 1 win to even the series at one game apiece. Now, with a winner-take-all Game 3 on deck this afternoon in Pelham, the Ice Bears are looking to channel the same magic that helped them escape Round 1.
It was just over a week ago that Knoxville faced a similar challenge. The Ice Bears fell 4 to 1 to Roanoke in the first game of the opening series and struggled to find the net. But after regrouping, they bounced back with a shutout in Game 2 and a statement 6 to 2 win in Game 3 to knock out the top home-ice team in the SPHL.
Stephen Mundinger stood tall in that series, stopping 119 shots across the three games and silencing Roanoke's offense. Now in Round 2, he is back in shutdown mode. He made 26 saves in Wednesday’s 4 to 2 loss to Birmingham and followed that up with a jaw-dropping 53-save performance Friday night to even the series.
Kyle Soper has been a force again. After notching two goals and two assists in the Round 1 finale, he opened the scoring Friday and added two more assists to his playoff resume. Ryan Kuzmich, Jason Brancheau, and Eric Olson also contributed to the offensive burst that gave Knoxville a four-goal cushion before Birmingham managed to respond.
The big question heading into today is whether Knoxville can finish the job once again.
Birmingham showed in Game 1 that it can pounce on mistakes and convert quickly. Andrew Bellant and Kolten Olynek used turnovers and second-chance looks to grab momentum early. But Friday’s game told a different story. Knoxville controlled the tempo, locked things down defensively, and leaned on Mundinger’s red-hot glove to keep the Bulls frustrated.
Discipline, special teams, and confidence in the crease will be key if the Ice Bears want to punch their ticket to the President’s Cup Final.
Game 3 is underway, and the stakes could not be higher. Knoxville is hoping to complete the comeback once more, while Birmingham looks to flip the script.
