The Granite City Lumberjacks beat the Nashville Jr. Predators, 2-0, in a contest where the winning goal was scored in the first period but the game remained close throughout.
Granite City took over the lead for good with a goal by Michael Orke at 6:37 in the first period. Jared Sprink assisted on the tally.
The win gave the Lumberjacks a 1-0 lead in the best of one series.
Granite City was sparked by Orke, who racked up one goal.
The Lumberjacks excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in three chances.
Travis Kothenbeutel also scored for Granite City. In addition, Granite City received assists from Tyler Mros, David Kenney, and David Horsmann, who each chipped in one.
Jesse Garcia rejected 19 shots on goal for Granite City. The Lumberjacks incurred eight minutes in penalty time with four minors. Nashville\’s Justin Ball stopped 23 shots out of the 25 that he faced. The Jr. Predators incurred 10 minutes in penalty time with five minors.