Addison, IL - The Motor City Gamblers Elite and Premier teams are on the road this weekend to take on the Chicago Crush in a tight division race.
The games were as close as the standings as the Gamblers Elite lost 4-3 in overtime, while the Premier team won 5-2.
After a scoreless first period, the Elite team started down 3-0 in the second period thanks to Chicago goals by John Martino, Evan Rzeszutko and Vincent Cerrentano, but the Gamblers began to claw back against the lead with 44-seconds to play in the middle frame.
Newly acquired Cameron Kitts (Canton, MI) entered the zone as Cooper Christensen (Tampa, FL) won a battle against the wall. Christensen walked the puck down low and centered it to Kitts who put in his fifth goal in five games since joining Motor City for a 3-1 game. Kitts added another goal to star the third period before Sam Shaul (Trenton, MI) with 1:01 left in the third period to tie the score at 3-3 when he finished a centering pass that was set up by Kitts for his 10th of the season. The Crush ended the game in overtime with a goal by Niko Dougan with 1:30 to play in the extra frame. Full game stats can be found here.
The Premier Team rebounded after back-to-back 5-2 losses in its previous two games with a 5-2 win of its own. Brody Vachon (Timmons, ON, CAN) led the way with a goal and assist as did Kohen Dixson (Birmingham, MI) in Thursday's game. Dixson previously played for Biggby AAA 18U and the Maine Nordiques as well as the Little Caesar's Hockey Program in previous seasons before joining the Gamblers this week.
Vachon's goal came late in the first period and was the lone goal of the opening stanza when he finished a centering pass intended for Dixson from Jaden Meeke (Savannah, GA) for a 1-0 lead with 6:05 left on the clock. The Gamblers were able to hold onto it's lead thanks to a power play goal by Jake Mullins (Clawson, MI) midway through the second period when he worked his way from high to low and around two defenders for a deke wrap-around that he finished on the near side of the net for a 2-0 lead. Chicago cut into the lead on a goal scored by Jake Rozanski five minutes later for a 2-1 score.
Don Ascencio (Troy, MI) added the Gamblers' second power play goal of the game midway through the third period when he fired the puck from the right circle that bounced over the goaltender's stick and into the net for a 3-1 lead. The Crush again pulled within one, 3-2, on a short handed goal by Spencer Kauke for his seventh of the season.
The Gamblers earned an empty net goal from Angelo Massaro (Palatine, IL) and Dixson added another goal late in the third period to slam the door shut on the Crush 5-2.
Full game stats can be found here.