Louisiana Sweeps Austin During Opening Weekend Series

Dante Zaffarano scored midway during the second period

Louisiana 2 @ Austin 0- The Louisiana Drillers returned to The Crossover for their final game of the weekend against the Austin Ice Bats after a physical 3-1 win over the night before. The first period of Sunday’s contest started off much different from the previous game, with officials handing out three minor penalties to each team over the course of the first period. Neither team capitalized on the man advantage, but Drillers defenseman Daniel Vihavainen opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the blue line that found the back of the net. As they had the night before, the Drillers controlled the offensive possession in the opening period, outshooting Austin 18-4. The second period would be much of the same story, with the Ice Bats’ opportunities for sustained offensive pressure being limited due to the number of penalties being called against them. The Drillers generated shots during the second period, but Ice Bats goaltender Kellen Hardy stood strong in his crease. Of the 23 shots, only one found its way past Hardy: a deflected puck from Dante Zaffarano midway through the second period. The Ice Bats found their footing in the third period, limiting the Drillers' offensive opportunities during the duration of the final 20 minutes. Louisiana matched Austin defensively, keeping the Ice Bats off the scoreboard throughout the third period and limiting any dangerous chances against Drillers goaltender Reece Hutcheson. Throughout the 60 minutes Kellen Hardy faced 51 shots from the Drillers, making 49 saves for a 0.961 save-percentage. When the final buzzer sounded at The Crossover, Reece Hutcheson had completed a 21-save shutout as Louisiana secured the 2-0 victory and an opening-weekend sweep.