FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Marksmen faced the Bulls for the second consecutive night, battling back from an early deficit to force overtime before falling 3-2 in the extra period.
The Fayetteville Marksmen and Birmingham Bulls returned to the ice for the second night of their back-to-back series at Crown Coliseum, with both teams looking to gain ground in the SPHL standings. Entering the matchup separated by just one spot in the standings, with 15 points apiece, the two teams carried the intensity of Friday night’s contest into another back-and-forth battle. The Marksmen looked to build on their momentum from the previous evening, while the Bulls aimed to close out their third consecutive game with a win.
Both teams spent the opening minutes working through the early motions, with Birmingham controlling much of the puck possession but struggling to turn its offensive opportunities into points. The first penalty of the evening came with nine minutes remaining in the period when Ricky Boysen was called for boarding, giving the Bulls a man advantage. With Lincoln Moore’s stick breaking earlier in the sequence, the Marksmen were left shorthanded in a difficult situation. Brady Lynn capitalized, finding the back of the net for his third goal of the season to give Birmingham a 1-0 lead.
The Marksmen had an opportunity to respond when Payton Schaly was called for tripping, sending Birmingham back to the power play. Despite spending nearly two minutes in the offensive zone, the Bulls were unable to extend their lead. Another tripping penalty, this time against Birmingham’s Brady Lynn with 39 seconds remaining, gave Fayetteville a power-play opportunity heading into the second period. The Bulls carried their 1-0 advantage into the first intermission, outshooting the Marksmen 8-7.
Fayetteville returned to the ice with a renewed sense of urgency, carrying 1:21 of power-play time into the second period. The Marksmen began to settle into their game and find their rhythm, creating more offensive opportunities while matching Birmingham’s physical play. Rookie goaltender Kyle Curtin also made his presence known, coming up with three consecutive saves midway through the period to keep the Marksmen within striking distance.
The offensive momentum soon shifted in Fayetteville’s favor. Austin D’Orazio found the back of the net for his second goal of the season, with Moore credited with the assist, to even the score at 1-1. The Marksmen wasted little time building on the momentum. On the very next play, Shane Murphy capitalized on the opportunity and put Fayetteville ahead 2-1, marking the first lead of the evening for the home team.
The Marksmen continued to apply pressure, looking to extend their advantage. A delay-of-game penalty against Birmingham gave Fayetteville its second power-play opportunity of the night, but the Bulls successfully killed the penalty to keep the deficit at one. The second period showcased a much different offensive effort from the Marksmen, who added 11 shots on goal compared to Birmingham’s 12. As the teams headed into the second intermission, the physicality continued to build, with another tussle breaking out at the conclusion of the period.
Birmingham came out looking to regain control in the third, and former Marksmen captain Drake Glover delivered the equalizer with his third goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2. With the score even, both teams continued searching for the go-ahead goal. The Marksmen had another opportunity on the power play when Cole Jungwirth was called for delay of game, but Fayetteville was unable to capitalize on the man advantage.
As the clock continued to wind down, the intensity remained high. With less than four minutes remaining, Marksmen captain Kyler Head was sent to the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct following an exchange during a media timeout. Birmingham looked to take advantage of the opportunity and reclaim the lead, but Fayetteville’s penalty kill held strong. Head returned to the ice with just over 90 seconds remaining, and the Marksmen successfully killed off the penalty to force overtime.
For the first time this season, the Bulls found themselves headed to overtime after recording five regulation wins and five regulation losses entering the matchup. The Marksmen, meanwhile, had already experienced their share of overtime contests, entering the evening with three overtime losses. With neither team having secured an overtime win this season, Saturday’s matchup presented an opportunity for one club to claim its first.
The seven-minute, three-on-three overtime period opened with Birmingham bringing immediate energy after winning the opening faceoff. Both goaltenders came up with big saves as the teams traded opportunities, but the Bulls eventually found their breakthrough. Lynn scored his second goal of the evening with a shot from the far circle, sealing the overtime victory for Birmingham and handing the Marksmen a 3-2 loss.
The Marksmen will look to bounce back on Sunday as they welcome the Athens Rock Lobsters to Crown Coliseum for a Matinee Mashup. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. as Fayetteville looks to close out the weekend with a win.