This one had the look and feel of a playoff game, a tight-checking, hard-hitting affair that demanded constant awareness from both benches. There was no scoring in the first period, and the deadlock held until just under two minutes remaining in the second, when the Muskies opened the scoring on a shot from the faceoff circle that slipped past Anthony Sciere.
Pickering responded quickly. About a minute later, Jack Dean scored his 10th of the season to tie the game at one heading into the second intermission.
Penalties were plentiful, as expected from two teams sitting near the top of the league in penalty minutes. It took the Panthers nine power-play opportunities before they finally broke through for the winner. Jack Dean set up Jake Mallory at the top of the crease, and Mallory made no mistake, redirecting the puck home for his 20th of the season.
Pickering finished 1-for-10 on the power play and held Lindsay scoreless on three opportunities. The Panthers could have had additional man advantages, but retaliation penalties negated those chances, something they will need to clean up as the playoffs approach.
Anchored by a strong 22-save performance from Anthony Sciere, Pickering held on for an important 2-1 victory.
