The first career NAHL goal for Carson Pavlowich and a sterling 37-save effort from Grit goaltender Jack Erickson got the Grit to overtime, but the Grit dropped a heart-breaker in the extra session, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon in Amarillo.
Colorado got the scoring started in the first period when forward Lucca Ori converted on a feed from Brayden Junker to punch home his second goal of the season and give the Grit an early lead, 1-0, with 12:22 remaining in the first period. For the second consecutive night, the Wranglers peppered the Grit net in the first twenty minutes with seventeen shots. Erickson stonewalled the home side for all 17 saves, part of his aforementioned 37-save evening.
Each team found the net once in the middle frame with the Grit doubling their advantage roughly halfway into the period. Pavlowitch ripped a wrist shot from the right point past Wranglers netminder William Lubimov to give the Grit a 2-0 advantage with 10:22 remaining in the second period. Amarillo got their first tally of the night through Grayson Gerhard, whose fifth goal of the year drew the home side within a goal, 2-1, with 7:34 left in the second period. The scoreline held through the second intermission and Colorado protected a 2-1 lead to start the third.
After a Divyne Apollon ejection in the opening two minutes, extended 4-on-4 time and a major Grit power play were soon to follow. Amarillo killed off the major power play and found the net during the 4-on-4 – defenseman Emil Skeltins tallied a goal for the second night running and brought the Wranglers even, 2-2, just 3:18 into the third period. Amarillo’s Corson Maguire gave the home side a lead, 3-2, with 9:35 to play after banging in a rebound from the left wing circle. Forward George Poirier made sure the lead didn’t last long though when he sniped a wrist shot past Lubimov on the ensuing faceoff to tie the score, 3-3, just eight seconds later.
The Grit guaranteed themselves a point by reaching the extra session and picked up a pair of shots on goal, one from defenseman Alex German and another from Landon West. On a counterattack, Wrangler defenseman Sal Cerrato snapped a shot past the glove of Erickson for his second OT winner of the season at Colorado’s expense to help the home side avoid the sweep with 2:55 remaining in overtime.
GRIT NOTES
– Pavlowich’s first goal of the season makes him the sixth different Grit defenseman with a goal in 2024-25. The blueliners have 12 of the team’s 37 goals this season (32.4%). Across their inaugural season, the Grit’s defensive corps accounted for 26.7% of the team’s offense.
– Goaltender Jack Erickson made his 11th appearance of the season in the loss and made 37 saves, a season high. The White Bear Lake, MN product has made 30 saves in three of his ten starts this season and is approaching 50 career starts in the North American League and could hit the mark next weekend in El Paso.
– Despite the overtime loss, Colorado ensured that they picked up a point in the standings to keep themselves in sixth place in the South Division and in the playoff picture. The contest is the sixth time in the first thirteen games that the Grit have factored in a one-goal decision. In franchise history, a staggering 27 of their 73 all-time games (37%) have been decided by one goal.