The Rage haven't been able to beat Chris Partridge, and it may be getting to their heads. There were moments in the second period where you'd maybe expect them to shoot, only to hold back and search for a better angle and have it amount to nothing. Such is the mental impact a great goaltending performance can have.
Though, to be fair, the same can be said of the Pride; Larson has been beat once, but he's been excellent, and you might think San Francisco will be kicking themselves after a couple of those chances amounted to nothing on the scoresheet.
There's all to play for in the third period, so let's get to it.
The first two minutes go back and forth as neither team can secure a foothold early.
However, after twenty seconds of zone time by the Pride, the puck is worked to Jeff Brogen, who fires a shot on goal that takes a strange deflection along the way...
Wow! By the grace of god that puck managed to stay out of the net. It looked like it may have crossed the line, but Barret McCarthy got to the puck just in time to keep it out.
As if woken up from a stupor, the Rage take decisive steps to draw this game even.
A back and forth between Phineas Gold and David Vent has the Pride defense scrambling, and Vent finds an open Luke Thomason, who wastes no time in snapping it on goal.
That's in! They've finally slipped one past Chris Partridge.
The key in the play was the movement down low, and though Thomason did well to beat the goalie, credit is due to Gold and Vent for opening up the ice for him.
The game is all-square now, and given the game we've seen thus far, I wouldn't be surprised to hear overtime being talked about in the stands.
Manhattan 1 - 1 San Francisco
2. Manhattan Rage , Luke Thomason 8 (David Vent 7, Phineas Gold 7) at 3:19
For a few minutes there it looked like the Pride would've been happy to keep the game at a crawl, but they'll be forced to open things up now that they've surrendered the lead.
David Vent sends a quick wrister in on Chris Partridge but the goalie kicks it out with a flourish, as if to say "Only one. No more."
Surely San Francisco must realize by now that this Manhattan isn't the same team that scrounged up 2 shots in the first. They're playing with a newfound purpose, and it's up to the Pride to match that intensity.
It's plain to see that the Pride know now that this is going to be no walk in the park. Piotr Czerkawski has a great chance down low in the zone to beat Peter Larson short side, but the goalie shuts the door with a tight pad against the post.
Twenty seconds later, Steven Moyer deflects a point shot that looked to be going wide onto the net, and only by the grace of his excellent positioning does Larson keep it out; upon reviewing the replay, it looks like he lost track of the puck once it was tipped, but a save is a save. Close one.
With less than nine minutes remaining, in a 1-1 game, Rainbow Dash has an incredible opportunity to break the tie, being sent in all alone on Chris Partridge after receiving a seeing-eye pass from Craig Finley.
The Manhattan forward dekes once, twice...
...but the backhand attempt sails just wide of the net, and the crowd lets out a relieved gasp as the Pride dodge a bullet.
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