By James Hayes | Field Pass Hockey
Despite losing key players to ECHL call-ups, the Bulls kept charging along and have found themselves in third place in the standings after taking two out of three games this past weekend.
Birmingham got off to a rough start losing 4-2 at home to the Thunderbolts. It wasn’t a bad night, though, for the Bulls.
They went into the third period tied 2-2, but Scott Kirton took advantage of the extra space while the teams skated 4 on 4. Kirton netted the go-ahead goal just 1:43 into the final period. The Bulls fought back hard, outshooting Evansville 14-7 but ultimately fell to a Thunderbolts team that currently sits one point ahead of Birmingham in the Standings.
The Bulls didn’t dwell on the loss at all and bounced back Friday night in Pensacola with a 5-2 victory. Nick Fea scored twice on the night, putting him at 10 goals total in 18 games. The game was a very hard-fought battle between both sides and only saw two penalties.
Photo Courtesy: Seth Allen
Saturday night, the two teams met again, except this time, the game was in front of a sold-out crowd at the Pelham Civic Complex. Michael Gillespiescored the only goal of the game midway through the first period. After that, it was a battle of the goaltenders. Riley Morris stopped 38/39 shots for the Ice Flyers, while Austin Lotz got the shutout in a 32-save performance.
With both Jordan Martin and Carson Rose currently in the ECHL, the question lately has been, do the Bulls have the depth to continue winning as they have? Well, the answer is an obvious yes. Guys like Fea and Gillespie have ensured this team hasn’t missed a beat. Gillespie leads the team in points with 36 and is only to points back of the league lead.
Next up for the Bulls is a battle for second place in the standings at home against Evansville. After that, they head back down to Pensacola to take on the Ice Flyers on Saturday night.