San Jose Beats Las Vegas, Plays Bullfrogs Next
Mark Woolf’s goal with 6 minutes 53 seconds remaining helped the San Jose Rhinos edge the Las Vegas Coyotes, 6-5, in the Western Conference semifinal Roller Hockey International playoff game Wednesday at the Arrowhead Pond in front of 2,717.
The victory put San Jose into tonight’s 7:30 Western Conference final against the Bullfrogs at the Pond.
Goals by Dennis Purdie and Tomas Kapusta helped San Jose build a 5-1 lead midway through the second quarter before Las Vegas rallied.
Jakub Ficenec (three goals, one assist) and Jamie Cooke (one goal, three assists) helped the Coyotes score four consecutive goals. Ficenec’s third goal three minutes into the third quarter made it 5-5.
But San Jose goalie Jeff Ferguson wouldn’t allow another goal, stopping 18 of 19 second-half shots. He finished with 34 saves.
“The guys showed a lot of character,” said Rhino Coach Guy Gadowsky. “After Vegas came back to tie it, they maintained their focus throughout the game and that helped us in the end.”
San Jose, which finished the regular season 12-11-3, split the six regular-season meetings with Anaheim, with each team winning one game in a shootout. Anaheim finished the regular season with a league-best 21-3-2 record.
Anaheim won all six of its regular-season games against Las Vegas.
“I don’t think it really mattered which team we were to face,” Bullfrogs Coach Brad McCaughey said. “As far as we are concerned we are ready to go.”
In the Eastern Conference semifinal:
Buffalo 8, Minnesota 3--Ken Blum had three goals and an assist for the Wings, who advanced to play the St. Louis Vipers in the conference final at 4:30 p.m. today at the Pond.
Ryan Shanahan had a goal and two assists for Buffalo.
John Hanson scored two goals for Minnesota, which took a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter. But Buffalo countered with four consecutive goals to take control.
Buffalo goalie Steve Vezina stopped 38 of 41 shots.
The winners of today’s games play in the RHI championship game at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Pond.