The Cats Came Back: Lynx Claw Back From Four-goal

The ADC Lynx exacted revenge Thursday night against the team that knocked them out of last season's playoffs in a hard fought shootout. The Lynx outlasted the defending champion Lite-Sabres 9-7 in a tight game, representative of the 2003A season thus far.

The Sabres broke out of the gate on fire, scoring the first four goals of the game. Sabres rookie David LeBreton tallied two goals and an assist during that span. But the tide was turned when Lynx forward Jason Royal and Sabre goalie Chris McMaster raced for a loose ball in front of the Sabres goal. Neither was able to corral the ball, and Royal fell onto McMaster, pinning him to the ground while ex-Sabre Dennis Drapeau popped the loose ball into the yawning cage.

That goal spurred the Lynx, who continued their relentless pressure, amassing 25 first period shots. The Lynx converted several goalmouth scrambles, in cutting the first intermission deficit to one.

The Lynx continued their pressure in the second period, and were rewarded in the form of a natural hat-trick by Jason Royal, who doubled his season total in goals in a matter of minutes. The third of the three goals was again a point of contention for the Sabres, who claimed the shot hit the post and bounced straight out. But referee Barrie Harvey was steadfast in his claim that the ball somehow managed to hit the twine.

A Matt Wheeler goal rounded out the second period scoring, levelling the game at seven goals apiece entering the final frame.

After two periods, the Lynx had outshot the wilting Sabres 45-27, and looked to leverage their superior fitness in the third period to seal the deal. And that they did: Dale Wright's low point shot beat a screened McMaster early in the second period giving the Lynx a 8-7 lead. Then Phil Pellerin got on the scoreboard with a hard shot from just over half to cap the scoring as the Sabres were never able to mount a solid attack in the final period. Lynx goaltender Tony McCarthy stopped all 23 of the Sabres third period shots, making up for a slow start to the game. McCarthy was named the game's second star for his efforts.

The 111 total shots was the fourteenth highest in regular season history. McMaster was named the game's first star, due to the high quantity of shots, while rookie Dale Wright was given the nod as the game's third star, due in part to his game-winning goal.

Both the Lynx and the Sabres move into a tie for second-place with identical 2-2 records. Regardless of the result in Thursday's late game, the 2003A season has thus far proven to be the most evenly matched season in the nine season history of the league.