Hard Rock Place, Memphis, TN: The Massachusetts Militia asserted their dominance with an emphatic 6-2 win over the Memphis Blues on Wednesday night in a clash of conference frontrunners. Usevalad Skshynetski led the way with two goals and an assist as the Militia pulled away in the third period.
The scoring started just 10 seconds into the game as Marten Gronvall tallied for Massachusetts. But the Blues answered quickly with Bill Brelih scoring shorthanded at 6:04 to tie it at 1-1 after one.
Memphis seized a 2-1 lead in the second period on Jooel Tuomisalo's goal at 11:04. However, the Militia responded late in the frame with Skshynetski burying a power play marker from Abram Zhmudsky and Pavel Boyko to knot the score at 2-2 after 40 minutes.
The floodgates opened in the third as Massachusetts blitzed the Blues with four goals in a span of just 2:35. Zhmudsky, Amadeus Helm, Skshynetski (power play) and Donald Cloud all scored in succession to put the game away at 6-2.
Skshynetski, Zhmudsky and Boyko (assist) were named the three stars for the dominant road performance. Andrew Wiewel was stellar in net, making 30 saves on 32 shots for his 22nd win.
The loss was a brutal one for Memphis, who utilized two goalies. Starter Bryce Bruha allowed five goals on 23 shots before being pulled. Backup Sampa Paunonen was perfect in brief relief, stopping all three shots he faced.
The decisive victory gives the Militia a stranglehold on first place in the Northern Conference, while the Blues are dealt a big blow in the Southern Conference race. The two powers could very well be on a collision course for a playoff meeting.