In addition to the showcase performance, the 87’s are 10-0-1 in their last 11 games and gaining ground on the first-place New Jersey Bears; trailing the Bears by three points with three games in hand.
On Tuesday, the 87’s started their showcase with a matchup against the Vermont Lumberjacks. Vermont jumped to a 2-0 lead early as Gavin Bernsten scored on a two-on-one rush and Caden Jacobs went coast-to-coast for a shorthanded tally.
Later in the half, the 87’s would erase the deficit as Alexander Legkov banked a shot off a Lumberjacks defender and into the net, then Aiden Lasky punched home a rebound to even things up. The Lumberjacks earned the extra point in overtime, however, as Brayson Bennett skated down the right wing and snapped a shot home to give Vermont the victory.
The following day, the 87’s played a marquee matchup against a red-hot team in the New Hampshire Avalanche. Aidan Elbrecht kicked off the scoring early in the first as he fired a snapshot past Avs goaltender Alex Gerard for his fourth goal of the season. In the second half, New Jersey doubled the lead as Landon Adams slipped a pass to Legkov in the slot, where he lofted a shot upstairs.
New Hampshire roared back to tie the game with a pair of goals in a span of 11 seconds. Louis Charles Tremblay scored on a penalty shot after he was hauled down on a breakaway. Off the ensuing faceoff, the Avs took the puck down ice for a quick three-on-two rush where Ben Carfora punched home a rebound.
Both teams traded chances in overtime but neither side scored, sending the game to a shootout. 87’s goaltender Florentin Fally Puskas, who made 33 saves in regulation and overtime, stopped all five shootout attempts, and Connor McLachlan scored the shootout winner in the fifth round. It was the first time the 87’s beat the Avs since September of 2019.
Closing out the showcase, the 87’s took on the Boston Jr. Eagles. Legkov opened the scoring early in the first half, increasing his point total to 42 (17g, 25a) in just 18 games played. Sergei Shcherbakov made it 2-0 five minutes later, corralling a drop pass from Kulagin and firing a wrist shot glove side. Kulagin would find the scoresheet again in the second half as he set up Dominic Bertolino for a tap-in at the doorstep. Mitch Stenger made 21 saves to record the shutout as the team completed the 2024 portion of the season.
The 87’s will return to action on Wednesday January 8 as they take on the Bears.
Photo Credit: Trevor Blackburn (@tbvideography)
