MAC gets past Ferencváros in 6 games

2018.03.03. 21:58 |
Top seeded MAC Budapest needed six games to get past cross town rivals Ferencváros in the opening round of the ERSTE Liga playoffs.

Bence Bálizs was the goalie for the home team with Peter Sevela starting in net for Ferencváros in the first game. Scott Macaulay gave MAC the early lead on the game with Tamás Pozsgai doubling the lead later in the period. MAC closed out the first period with 4-0 as Balázs Somogyi and Bronson Kovács found the back of the net. For the second period Gergely Arany came in for Bálizs who picked up an injury. The score remained unchanged until the third period when Preston Shupe scored a power play goal, minutes later Pozsgai answered back to set the final at 5-1.

Bálizs was still out for game two, Arany got the start. The opening period closed out with Ferencváros leading 1-0 off of a Jereme Tendler power play goal. At the midway point of the game Keegan Dansereau tied the game up. The scoring picked up in the third period as Brance Orbán gave MAC their first lead of the game to make it 2-1 but Tendler scored his second of the game on a shorthanded shot to make it 2-2 with Juha Hietamaki scoring the game winner.

Bálizs was back in net for MAC for the third game, which ended up being a high scoring affair. Áron Könczei gave Fradi the 1-0 lead in the second minute of play but Jesse Dudás answered back with a power play goal, on the following shift Shupe put Fradi back on top. 25 seconds later it was tied at 2-2 with a Dansereau goal. Ferencváros took advantage of a power play as Nick Owen found the back of the net. The two teams exchanged goals once again before the period was out as Chris Bodó and Attila Rafaj scored as the Fradi took a 4-3 lead into the first intermission. Vladimir Dubek put Fradi up by on a power play goal, but Tomas Klempa brough MAC back within one. Fradi pulled away in the third period with two goals by Tendler and an empty netter in the end as Ferencváros had a 2 games to 1 lead in the series.

The fourth game of the series was not as high scoring as the previous game. Attila Németh scored in the final minute of the first period as Fradi had a 1-0 lead. Brown scored the only goal in the second period with Gergely Tóth putting a rebound in, early in the third period as MAC had their first lead of the game. Hietamaki scored a power play goal to get the score at 2-2. A Macaulay goal in overtime from the slot gave MAC game four.

In the fifth game of the series Wes Cunningham and Tendler exchanged goals in the opening period. In the second period Terbócs scored a slap shot to make it 2-1 after two periods. In the third period Sevela missplayed the puck which resulted in a Dansereau goal. MAC put the game in the bag with a power play goal from Bodó.

The sixth game was all MAC as they closed out the series. Bodó and Dudás scored in the first period to open up a 2-0 lead. Viktór Kovács scored to make it a one goal game on the first minute of the second period, however MAC pulled away on goals by Bodó and Somogyi. Dávid Molnár and Klempa scored in the closing period to set the final at 7-1.

Game 1: MAC-FTC 5-1
Game 2: MAC-FTC 2-4
Game 3: FTC-MAC 8-5
Game 4: FTC-MAC 2-3 OT
Game 5: MAC-FTC 4-1
Game 6: MAC-FTC 1-7