Venom Outduel Bobcats, Take 4-3 Shootout Victory

WYTHEVILLE, VA

A crowd of better than 1500 at Hitachi Energy Arena Saturday night witnessed a thriller between HC Venom and the Blue Ridge Bobcats, with the visiting Venom outlasting the homestanding 'Cats in a shootout by a final of 4-3.

The Venom opened the scoring thanks to a redirected power play tally from Lester Brown and held a 1-0 lead after the first, leading to a chaotic second period.

Justin Daly started the middle frame March Madness, sniping a bottle-popping top shelf wrist shot past Rahul Sharma at the 6:07 mark, aided by a tape-to-tape stretch pass from Danny Martin that allowed him to split the Venom defenseman and walk in on a solo breakaway.

For every punch Blue Ridge threw, the Venom had a counterpunch. Dustin Jesseau answered Daly 3 minutes and 57 seconds later to put the Venom back in front 2-1. 

Austin Bellefeuille replied with a shot that glanced off Sharma's glove and barely trickled across the goal line, an unassisted goal that stood upon review and knotted things back up at 2 goals a piece. Moments later, Hunter Godmere laid a huge hit on Jesseau at center ice, dangled around a pair of Venom defenders and sniped home a wrist shot far side on Sharma to give the Bobcats their first lead of the night with just over a minute remaining in the middle frame.

In the final minute of the second, Dzianis Zaichyk ripped home a shorthanded goal to tie the game once again at 3-3, where it would stand through the final 20 minutes plus the extra 5 minute frame.

Kaleb Kinsky scored the only goal from either side in the shootout to clinch the victory for HC Venom.

The Bobcats continue a 7 game homestand when they host the Binghamton Black Bears next weekend. Tickets are available by calling 276-335-2100 or logging onto blueridgebobcats.com/tickets.