Matt Finn Delivers OT Goal Again to Defeat Thunder, 2-1
When most people think of the name Finn they think of the beloved story by Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn. This story was about the adventures of a young boy in Missouri and has captured the attention of American readers since it was written over 130-years ago. While that story will be one that Missourians will always adore, another Finn is quickly making himself into a folk hero of sorts. For the second straight game, Missouri Mavericks forward Matt Finn delivered an overtime goal against the Wichita Thunder, this time after sending the game into OT with a goal with less than two minutes left in the contest, and the Mavericks were victorious 2-1.
This was a real duel between the two goalies, as veteran Scott Greenham was opposed by rookie Eamon McAdam. The first period set the tone for the defensive struggle, as the two goalies stopped all 16 combined shots and the two teams went to the break in a scoreless tie.
However, following the intermission, Louick Marcotte scored his eighth goal of the season just 33-seconds into the second frame. The Thunder forward beat McAdam with a blast and it was 1-0 Wichita.
The Thunder would dominate much of the second period, outshooting Missouri 16-8. However, in the third the Mavericks would regain the momentum and would pepper Greenham for 12-shots. The Thunder goalie was brilliant, making two huge saves on Andrew Courtney with less than four minutes left in the game.
However, with 1:50 left in the contest, the Mavericks would finally get on the board and Matt Finn would build on his legend. With the faceoff deep in the Wichita end, Missouri called a timeout to set up the play. The faceoff was won and sent to Finn, who fired a shot through a screened Greenham and into the Thunder net to tie the score.
That sent the game into overtime for the second straight game between these two teams. Saturday night Finn won the contest when he followed the play and put back the rebound to beat Greenham and give his team a 7-6 victory. It would be déjà vu all over again in this game.
With just a few seconds left in the contest, the Mavericks entered the Thunder end on a 2-on-1 break. Greenham, again, saved the initial shot, but Matt Finn pushed it back in for his eighth goal of the season. It was his second goal of the night, the second straight game that Finn had two-goals in a game and his second straight game winner.
Despite the loss, Scott Greenham was brilliant in the net for the Wichita Thunder. He saved 28 of 30 shots. Eamon McAdam saved 33 of the 34 shots he faced for the Missouri Mavericks. Matt Finn had 2-goals and Carter Verhaeghe had 2-assists.
The Thunder get no rest, as they return home to take on the Colorado Eagles Wednesday night looking to snap a six-game losing streak. The puck drops at 7:05.
By Robert Pannier
