<div>TULSA, Okla. – Day two of the 2024-25 ECHL season provided as much drama as we expected. Of the 11 games, seven were determined by one goal, with four games needing overtime to decide a winner. Additionally, we saw the first two shutouts of the young season. Here is how the first Saturday of the season took shape.Maine Mariners 4, Wheeling Nailers 1The Maine Mariners picked up their first win of the season, avenging Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Nailers. Jacob Hudson and Evan Vierling each netted a goal and two assists as Maine took control in the second and never looked back. Ryan Bischel was credited with the win behind a 25-save performance.Reading Royals 2, Worcester Railers 1After trailing the Railers 1-0 through 20-minutes of play, the Royals battled back with two unanswered scores to secure the win. Logan Britt had a goal and assist for Reading, while Tyler Gratton scored the game winner at 12:59 of the third period. Reading’s two goals came on just 16 shots, as Worcester posted a 26-16 shot advantage in the matchup.South Carolina Stingrays 4, Orlando Solar Bears 3 (OT)These two teams put on an entertaining back-and-forth third period, combining for four goals after being tied 1-1 in the second intermission. Aaron Luchuk scored a powerplay goal for Orlando at 13:17 of the third period to send the game to overtime. It would take just 36-seconds for South Carolina to get the final word, with Micah Miller potting the game winner for the Stingrays in their home opener.Atlanta Gladiators 1, Indy Fuel 0Cody Sylvester’s powerplay goal at 16:40 of the first would be all that the Gladiators needed to handle the visiting Fuel. Drew DeRidder was solid in net for Atlanta, stopping all 25 shots he faced for his first career ECHL shutout and the game’s number one star.Florida Everblades 3, Jacksonville Icemen 2 (OT)Logan Cockerill put the Icemen ahead 2-0 on a pair of goals, before Florida answered to square things up after 60-minutes and force an extra frame. Cam Johnson posted 14 saves, while Anton Malmstrom struck 2:06 into overtime to open the defending Kelly Cup Champion’s season with a road win.Kalamazoo Wings 3, Cincinnati Cyclones 2 (OT)Cincinnati forced overtime, tying the game with nine minutes remaining in the third after finding themselves down 2-0 just 4:19 into the contest following early K-Wings goals from Jay Keranen and Quinn Preston. Josh Bloom slammed the door shut on Cincinnati’s comeback hopes, connecting on the game-winner just 17-seconds into overtime.Fort Wayne Komets 2, Iowa Heartlanders 1 (OT)Austen Swankler’s first period goal seemed to be all that the Komets would need, as Fort Wayne held a 1-0 lead until a Matthew Sop penalty shot put the hometown Heartlanders on the board late in the third. Alex Aleardi scored the game winning goal 3:20 into overtime to move the Komets to 2-0 on the season. Iowa goalie William Rousseau claimed the game’s number one star behind a 40-save outing.Adirondack Thunder 6, Norfolk Admirals 3The Admirals jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, on first period goals from Carson Musser and Denis Smirnov. From there, the Thunder took over, scoring five goals before Norfolk found the net again late in the third. Ryan Wheeler led the offensive effort for Adirondack with two goals and an assist to hand Norfolk its second-straight home loss to the Thunder.Kansas City Mavericks 5, Wichita Thunder 4Kansas City took charge early, scoring four goals, including twice on the power play, in the first 21-minutes of play. Wichita countered with four goals in the final 16-minutes of the second period to send the two rivals into the intermission tied 4-4. Luke Loheit became the hero of the night, finding the net late in the third period to secure a Kansas City win over Wichita for the second-straight night.Toledo Walleye 2, Bloomington Bison 0Bloomington’s ‘welcome to the ECHL’ was a meeting with always tough Toledo. Colin Swoyer’s second period tally would be the only goal of the night until Mitchell Lewandowski added an empty net goal with 50-seconds remaining. Despite the loss, Bloomington’s Mark Sinclair was solid in net, stopping 31-shots. Toledo’s Jan Bednar earned a 24-save shutout win for the Walleye.Tulsa Oilers 7, Rapid City Rush 1Tulsa cruised to a lopsided home win in front of 13,180 fans at BOK Center. Ruslan Gazizov claimed two goals and an assist to lead the offensive onslaught, while Anaheim Ducks prospect Vyacheslav Buteyets stopped 32-shots in his ECHL debut.Four afternoon games are on the slate for Sunday to close out opening weekend. Teams will then take a break, and reset in anticipation of week two of the 2024-25 season. Toledo travels to Idaho for the lone ECHL game on Wednesday night. The Allen Americans and Tahoe Knight Monsters will each take to the ice for the first time of the year on Thursday. Allen will travel to Tulsa for a morning game, while Tahoe will host Jacksonville for its inaugural game later that same evening.Pro Hockey News is actively searching for writers and photographers to help us cover the ECHL for the 2024-25 season. If you are interested in joining the PHN staff, please visit our recruitment page!Contact the author: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com</div>

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ECHL Recap for Saturday, October 19

TULSA, Okla. – Day two of the 2024-25 ECHL season provided as much drama as we expected. Of the 11 games, seven were determined by one goal, with four games needing overtime to decide a winner. Additionally, we saw the first two shutouts of the young season. Here is how the first Saturday of the season took shape.