Sents Score Late, Win 2-1 Against Rockers

It had been 13 days since the Sentinels had gotten back on the ice for game action. After their game was cancelled last week against the Port Huron Prowlers, the Sentinels had a chance to get some unexpected rest and relaxation hoping they would be fresh for their matchup against the Motor City Rockers.

There was a good amount of intrigue heading into this game for a multitude of reasons: first inter-divisional game, new alternate jerseys, and being a first-place hockey team to name a few. Unfortunately for the Sentinels, the trend of starting slow continued and the Rockers kicked off the scoring with Cory Checco ripping a wrist shot off the inside of the far post and in to give the Rockers the lead through one.

After a sluggish first period, the Sentinels came out firing in the second. Ross Bartlett got a perfect pass from Ben Stefanini in the corner. Bartlett walked down Main Street and ripped a shot five-hole to tie the game at one. The period would finish tied at one with the Sentinels outshooting the Rockers 7-4 in the period.

The third period was a penalty filled affair with the Sentinels getting five powerplay opportunities, and Motor City getting two of their own. Neither team was able to convert on their man advantages. The Sentinels finished the game 0-for-10 on the powerplay.

When asked about the powerplay, Everett Thompson had this to say “I thought we generated a lot of good chances. I think right now we’re going through some of the struggles a young team typically does on the powerplay. We might be getting in our heads a bit.”

For the second straight game, what looked like a definite over time game ended up finishing in regulation thanks to some late game heroics. In Topeka, the Sentinels were on the wrong end and lost with .2 seconds on the clock. Tonight, Noah Hippolyte-Smith was the hero. 

Ben Stefanini was able to draw a couple of players towards him and tossed a shot on net that Rockers Goaltender Jake Gwillim had trouble controlling. The rebound laid right in the slot and the man known as Hipps swatted home his first of the year, and first in his last 19 games.

“That felt amazing. Finally got to get that monkey off my back,” Hippolyte-Smith said. “We have another four or five gears we can get to. The boys need to be a bit more locked in and attentive tomorrow and we beat that team better than we did today.”

Cooper Olson picked up his first FPHL victory in the win. He made 15 saves on 16 shots to push the Sentinels to victory.

The Sentinels look to get a weekend sweep tomorrow against the Rockers wearing their one-of-a-kind Halloween themed jerseys. Make sure to get your tickets and see it all in person! If you can’t make it to the Ham, you can catch all the action on the Sentinels Hockey Network. Coverage starts with the Body Armor Pre-Game Show at 7:15 pm ET, and puck drop at 7:30 pm ET.