(Photo Credit: Hector Acevedo)
Kyle O’Kane scored his 20th goal of the season to tie the score early in the third period as the Chill battled back from an early 2-0 deficit but Denver answered two minutes later to retake the lead and Garret Bembridge posted his third assist of the night in the final four minutes and the Cutthroats held on for a 4-2 win.
Denver (24-13-10) took a 1-0 lead 72 seconds into the game and stretch it to 2-0 at the 7:23 mark on the first of two goals for Troy Schwab on the night. The Chill got right back in the game midway through the first period when rookie Ryan Berard netted his eighth of the season on assist from Justin Levac and Steve Anthony, who was activated from the injured reserve list today.
The Chill (10-33-5) took control of the game in the second period, forcing action while outshooting the Cutthroats 15-9 but they could not solve goalie Kent Patterson. The teams combined to go 0-for-15 on the power play for the night and skated into the locker room in a tight one through two periods.
St. Charles rode the second period momentum into the final frame and O’Kane tied the game at 2-2 just over five minutes in on helpers from Martin Hlinka and Nicklas Lindberg. Steve Kaunisto responded two minutes later to retake the lead for the home team at 3-2 and the Cutthroats took advantage of an aggressive defense to put the game away in the final minutes.
St. Charles will travel to Rapid City for a single game on Monday night before heading to Brampton for three games in four days starting Thursday night.
The Chill returns to the Family Arena February 28th for Brett Hull Night and Mascot Madness with a specialty jersey auction to benefit Mercy Kids. For more information on the Chill, or for group tickets, call 636.724.SHOT (7468) or visit www.stcharleschill.com.
