GAME REPORT: LaPorte hat-trick as Clan come from 4-1 down to win

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Manchester Storm 5 Glasgow Clan 6 (after overtime)

A Nolan LaPorte hat-trick that included an overtime winner helped Glasgow Clan come from 4-1 behind to claim a 6-5 win at Manchester Storm.

Clan saw returns to action for Craig Peacock, Linden Springer, Mac Howlett and LaPorte as the and the return of those players certainly made a difference to a team that lost their last three.

Storm took the lead through Mathieu Gagnon, whose effort from wide left found its way into the net as the home team drew first blood after five and a half minutes.

Manchester then doubled their lead when Jared Aulin’s backhand pass teed up Mario Puskrarich just in front of the crease and he delivered at close range.

Linden Springer and Gagnon squared up again for a scrap on 15 minutes in a repeat of the last meeting between the clubs, which got the fans on their feet.

But it was 3-0 for the home side as the period was coming to a close as Dallas Ehrhardt swept in a finish from the right side face off circle to make like difficult for the visitors.

Glasgow hit back with a well-worked move as Jordan Heywood stopped at the Storm blue line to set up Nolan LaPorte with a drop pass, allowing the Clan #37 to burst forward and execute a good finish.

However Storm had restored the three-goal lead by the end of the second when Ehrhardt added his second, set up by Aulin with a sideways pass and Manchester’s captain, in space down the right, sent the shot into the net.

Clan came out all guns blazing in the third and got their reward for some really pressure as LaPorte picked up his second, finishing off his own rebound after Ginn coughed up his shot.

Then Matt Beca was put in by Scott Pitt after a poor pass from Manchester was picked up by Glasgow and Zack Fitzgerald’s side duly punished.

Storm punished their visitors shortly after when Cody Thompson jumped on Jordan Heywood’s pass on the home blue line and finished his shot as he tore off through the centre, scoring a shorthanded goal.

Glasgow weren’t out of it yet and LaPorte was involved again as he got the assist for Peacock, marking his return from injury with a goal and set up a nervy finale.

A deserved equaliser came as Beca got his second of the game, delivering a backhanded shot into the net after good work from Jordan Heywood on the boards down the right.

It needed overtime to decide the contest and fittingly, it was LaPorte who delivered the killer blow to Manchester in the extra period.

More defensive sloppiness allowed the Clan hero to skate through and deliver the finish for his fourth point of the night and 15th goal of the season, taking the man of the match plaudits as well on what turned into a good night.

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