Penalties the deciding factor as Havoc fall to Bulls, 6-3, in annual MLK Day game
- reekinhavoc
- Jan 20
- 3 min read
Huntsville Havoc forward Ethan Lindsay (28) is held back by referees at the end of the second period during the Birmingham-Huntsville matchup. The Bulls went on to win 6-3. (Photo by Laura Pitts – Reekin’ Havoc Podcast)
The coveted “Yellow Hammer” in the Battle for Bama stays in Pelham, after a contested matchup up between the Huntsville Havoc and the Birmingham Bulls led to numerous penalties and missed opportunities in the zone.
Huntsville Havoc fell to Birmingham 6-3, for the third time in the series this season. That brings the series between the two in-state rivals to 3-2 .
Bulls’ Drake Glover scored first on a power play goal with 10:20 into the first period. Havoc’s Gio Procopio’s shorthanded goal immediately returned the pressure bringing the game to 1-1.
However, Havoc’s drive would shift in the start of the second period and never fully return to edge out the game.
Bulls’ Danny Weight answered for two goals in the second period. Huntsville’s Jaxon Camp managed to cut the lead to one with a slick finish assisted by Austin Alger and Gehrig Lindberg, but Birmingham quickly restored their two-goal advantage with a power-play marker at 16:26.
In what should have been a showcase of intensity and rivalry among the two teams, Huntsville unraveled early at the end of the second period with a parade of penalties disrupting momentum for the Havoc. Both teams saw multiple minors and game misconducts, with tensions between the players that seemed to spew out of hand with little control by the referees.
Fifty-five seconds into the third period, Havoc’s Phil Elgstam scored on a power-play sequence carried over from late in the second period, bringing the Wolves within one point. But that close score would not last long.
The Bulls controlled the game’s tempo in the third period, capitalizing on power plays resulting from the cumulative effective of penalties that kept the Havoc from never establishing a sustained offensive rhythm.
The Bulls responded at 7:26 in the third period to push their lead back to two goals. Those Birmingham goals were scored by Drake Clover and Matt Wood. At just under two minutes left in regulation, an empty netter by Jordan Gagnon sealed Bulls’ win.
Brian Wilson allowed six goals on 37 shots in the loss. Huntsville went 1-for-1 on the power play.
In a post-game interview with the Havoc media team, Havoc Head Coach Stuart Steffan commented on the team’s slow start to the game, acknowledging that while they were starting to find momentum early in the first period, penalties were the biggest factor for the outcome.
“We started to find our game and then we just got really undisciplined. It’s something we talked about before the game. It’s really the last few games we’re killing six, seven, eight power plays a game and it’s got to stop. I think it more of an internal thing, some guys taking selfish penalties, especially if we want to win hockey games.”
The Havoc are on the road this coming weekend (Jan 23 and Jan 24) with a two-game stretch against the Fayetteville Marksmen at the Crown Coliseum. They head back to the VBC in Huntsville on January 30 and 31 to round out the month with a two-game battle against the Peoria Riverman.
Notes: The Havoc played without forward David Novotny who is currently on a 14-day IR.
Penalties:
1st Period
03:52 – Cole Jungwirth, Hooking, 2 min (Power Play)
09:42 – Jaxon Camp, Cross-Checking, 2 min (Power Play)
10:20 – Connor Fries, Slashing, 2 min
12:18 – Ben Schultheis, Roughing, 2 min
12:18 – Damon Zimmer, Roughing, 2 min
15:52 – Ethan Lindsay (served by Phil Elgstam), High-Sticking, 2 min (Power Play)
15:52 – Ethan Lindsay, Roughing, 2 min
15:52 – Jordan Gagnon, Roughing, 2 min
2nd Period
05:47 – Frank Trazzera, Fighting, 5 min
05:47 – Kenny Britton, Fighting, 5 min
13:43 – Connor Fries, Roughing, 2 min (Power Play)
15:09 – Giovanni Procopio, Tripping, 2 min (Power Play)
19:54 – Cole Reginato, Fighting, 5 min
19:54 – Connor Scahill, Fighting, 5 min
20:00 – Ethan Lindsay, Roughing, 2 min
20:00 – Ethan Lindsay, Roughing, 2 min
20:00 – Giovanni Procopio, Fighting, 5 min
20:00 – Giovanni Procopio, Continuing Altercation – Game Misconduct, 10 min
20:00 – Kevin Sadovski, Roughing, 2 min
20:00 – Colin Tracy, Roughing, 2 min
20:00 – CJ Walker, Roughing, 2 min
20:00 – Danny Weight, Roughing, 2 min
20:00 – Danny Weight, Fighting, 5 min
20:00 – Danny Weight, Continuing Altercation – Game Misconduct, 10 min
3rd Period
No penalties
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