A strong performance from goaltender Caleb Heil and timely scoring in the third period propelled the Madison Capitols to a 5-2 victory over the Green Bay Gamblers on Friday night.
Madison set the tone early, with Finn Brink finding the back of the net just 12 seconds into the game, notching his third goal of the season off assists from Aiden Long and Colton Jamieson. Green Bay responded at the 9:52 mark when Andrew O'Sullivan buried his second of the season, tying the game at 1-1. Tanner Bruender and Tommy Cronin picked up the helpers on the equalizer.
In the second period, Diego Johnson restored the lead for the Capitols at 6:22, thanks to a setup from Charlie Michaud and Gavin Uhlenkamp. However, Green Bay wouldn't go down without a fight, as Aidan Park capitalized on a feed from Lev Katzin at 13:40 to make it 2-2 heading into the third.
The final frame belonged to the Capitols, starting with Johnson's second goal of the night at 11:15. His tally, assisted by Alex Lunski and Ian Scherzer, gave Madison a 3-2 edge. Green Bay pressed for a late equalizer, but Caleb Heil stood tall between the pipes, stopping 23 of 25 shots on the night.
With Green Bay pulling their goalie in the final minutes, Brink iced the game with an empty-netter at 19:03, his second of the night and fourth of the season, assisted by Ryker Lee. Just 41 seconds later, John Stout added another empty-net goal, with an assist from Harper Searles, sealing the 5-2 win for Madison.
Heil's stellar goaltending performance was key in the victory, as he turned aside multiple quality chances, allowing the Capitols to improve to 5-2-0 on the season.
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