RADCHENKO'S GWG POLE VAULTS BOBCATS TO 5-4 WIN AND INTO 4TH IN EMPIRE STANDINGS

Denis Radchenko scored the only goal of the third period on Saturday night, wristing home the game winning goal from the near point through a maze of bodies to carry the Blue Ridge Bobcats to a 5-4 win over the Indiana Sentinels before a crowd of 866 at the Hamilton Community Ice Arena.

For the first time in the four game season series, the Sentinels scored first when Ryan Glazer snapped a wrist shot past Hunter Virostek just over two minutes into the opening frame. 

The Bobcats responded resoundingly with a pair of goals in a 30 second span. Daniel Klinecky tied the game at 1 when he picked the pocket of a Sentinel at center ice and broke away solo, sniping a shot past the glove of John Werner at the  3:10 mark of the first. Exactly half a minute later, Justin Daly redirected a wrist shot from Filip Hlavac on the power play to put Blue Ridge on top 2-1. 

Nikita Kozyrev pounded home a rebound to double the Bobcats lead later in the opening frame, but Vladislav Pavlov pulled Indiana back to within one at 3-2 with just over a minute remaining in the first.

Nolan Dawson put home a pair of goals in the second period, sandwiched by a power play marker from Nick Stuckless and saw the game knotted at 4 after 40 minutes of play.

Radchenko's GWG came at the 6:00 mark of the third, and Hunter Virostek stood on his head in net down the stretch, stopping a total of 42 Sentinels shots on the night to help the Bobcats to the victory.

Blue Ridge continues its seven-game road stretch on Wednesday in Winston-Salem for a New Year's Eve clash with the Twin City Thunderbirds. Puck drop is set for 8:35 PM.