The Badlands Sabres made history for the second straight weekend,
Last weekend was their first two home games as a North American 3 Hockey League franchise, and Friday night it was their first win, as the Sabres held off the Sheridan Hawks 7-5 at the Roosevelt Park Ice Arena.
After scoring just two goals in their first two games last weekend (losses to the Gillette Wild), the Sabres, 1-2, matched that and added a goal with three in the opening period against the Hawks, 0-3.
Sheridan also scored three times in the first period to begin a shootout at the Roosevelt Ice Arena.
Badlands kept their offense going and took a 6-4 lead into the third and final period. Both teams scored once and the Sabres celebrated their first-ever victory.
The Sabres got on the board first at the 4:27 mark of the opening period on a power play goal by Seth Stock, who was assisted by Derrick Brown and Kael Delzer.
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Sheridan responded with a short-handed goal by Makhai Sparks, assisted by Nathan Gilleshammer and Ben Lavigne, followed by two straight goals by the Sabres. Hunter Fischback got another power-play goal, assisted by Stock and Brady Ridnour and Mason Martin made it 3-1 when he scored, assisted by Zach Vockler and Stock.
Sheridan bounced back with two goals to close the first period on Sparks second score — on a power play — assisted by Gilleshammer, with Gilleshammer scoring at the 19:21 mark, assisted by Taylor Frerichs and Aaron Hicks.
Badlands kept up the pressure offensively and earned a two-goal advantage heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
Vockler got his second goal of the season just 21 seconds into the second, assisted by Stock and Delzer.
The Sabres made it 6-3 with two late scores as Fischbach and martin both scored for the second time of the game. Carter Johnson and Brown assisted Fischbach's goal and Vockler and Delzer did the same for Martin's.
McCaffrey Billings scored with less than a minute remaining in the second to make it a 6-4 game, as he was assisted by Ryan Kowalczyk and Dominick Palumbo.
Sheridan cut the lead to 6-5 early in the third on Palumbo's first goal of the game and the season, with Hoicks and Kowalczyk assisting and the two teams battled in a one-goal game for much of the rest of the way before the Sabres got the insurance goal with six seconds remaining when Levi Knight scored for the first time as a Sabre, with goalie Maxim Currie and Vockler getting the assist.
Currie got the win on goal, stopping 28 of 33 shots. Thomas Kuriscak took the loss for Sheridan as he stopped 38 of 44 shots.
Badlands out-shot Sheridan 45-33, with a 21-12 advantage in the third period.
The two teams meet again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. at the Roosevelt Park Ice Arena.