GAME REPORT: GLASGOW CLAN 1 SPARTIATES DE MARSEILLE 3 (4-3 PSO)
The Premier Sports sponsored Glasgow Clan were part of a bizarre night at the Braehead Arena as two broken glass panels cut short a friendly against Spartiates De Marseille and the game was ended on penalty shots.
Chris McKay had the first chance of the game as he wound up a shot at the blue line and cracked one just over the bar before Rylan Schwartz was denied on the breakaway by Libor Klasik.
The Clan then failed to capitalise on an extended powerplay as Jan Dufek sat a two plus two minor for high sticking on Brayden Burke with Richard Jarusek, Hugo Roy, and Cade Neilson failing to convert on the extra man.
Tristin Langan then saw his close-range effort expertly saved by Klasik as he tipped a long-range pass from Mihkali Teppo on target from a sharp angle only to meet the shoulder pad of the Marseille goaltender.
Brett Neumann had his head in his gloves later in the period when he rounded Klasik and backhanded a shot just inches over the bar.
In the final minute of the first, the captain Deven Sideroff stepped up to seperate the two sides as he slammed a rocket from just in front of the blue line which sailed high into the Spartiates’ net.
In the second period, Heard got an ovation from the crowd after he got caught on the puck in the offensive zone before racing back to the goal line to block a shot with his stretched stick on the resulting possession for Marseille.
Before five minutes were played in the second period, the game was stopped as Alex Forbes was hit into the boards behind the Spartiates’ net and a glass panel was shattered which had to be replaced.
The remainder of the second period was uneventful after play resumed from the broken glass, but in the third period the visitors turned on the heat as Yohan Coulaud grabbed a quickfire equaliser early with a first-time dart from the blue line.
Fabien Bougeois then put the French side in front shortly after with a low snap from the right-side dot before Tyler Welsh doubled their lead with a top shelf finish from the slot.
The replaced glass panel was then damaged again in the closing minutes of the game and the resulting repairs were deemed to take too long, so both coaches instead agreed to close out the tie on penalty shots.
Aittokallio rounded off his impressive night in net for Glasgow with a spectacular showing in the shootout, completed by a kick save on a sharo stretch move across the crease by Myllama in sudden death which was followed by a Sideroff goal to end the night.
After 55 minutes, Marseille were ahead in the tie 3-1 with 04 : 39 still to play, and the following penalty shootout ended 4-3 in favour of Glasgow after sudden death to close out the first of two games between the sides this weekend.
